Not long ago, I had a theological conversation with one of my sons. We ended up talking about sin. Out of nowhere he declared, “I believe you can so much that God will not let you into heaven.” “Can you sin so much that God will stop loving you?” I asked. “No. God will never […]
The “New” Problem of Evil
In Evil and the Justice of God, N. T. Wright names three issues that characterize what he calls “The New Problem of Evil.” 1. We ignore evil except when it hits us in the face. 2. We are surprised by evil when it does. 3. As a result, we react in immature and dangerous ways. […]
February 6, 2013 by 1 Comment
I Need An Editor!
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that life is actually going somewhere. One of my faith struggles is trusting that God is actually at work in and behind and between my experiences, redeeming my poor choices and silly mistakes, while honoring my freedom to make my own decisions. I am writing my own story, but I […]
May 2, 2012 by 1 Comment
What Problem Is God Trying To Solve?
Several months ago I tweeted this question: What problem is the God of the Bible trying to solve? I got some great answers that prompted me to give the question some serious thought and make two conclusions: 1. Our answers tell us more about ourselves than God. We see him solving the problem that we […]
February 27, 2012 by 7 Comments
A Great Pregame Prayer
I’ve been a fan of Friday Night Lights from the very beginning. I love to hear Coach Taylor pray. (How often do we hear a main character on a TV show pray?) This prayer from a recent episode is the best pregame prayer I’ve ever heard: Dear Lord, please allow these young men to safely […]
July 9, 2011 by 2 Comments
One Strong Belief
Here is my response to a recent Trust30 prompt. I’m a little nervous about posting it here, but I think that’s also part of the exercise. If you don’t agree with what I’ve written, let’s talk about it in the comments. It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is […]
June 8, 2011 by 14 Comments
My Position On Hell (or lack thereof)
I’ve been thinking about heaven and hell a lot lately, thanks to Rob Bell and his new book Love Wins. Have you heard of it? I haven’t read it yet, but this post really isn’t about what he says in the book. It’s more about why I have a hard time jumping into a discussion […]
March 28, 2011 by 16 Comments
A Mean Prayer
Dear God: You know I’m not very good at prayer. I try, but my small words always get stuck on big ideas. I’m trusting you know what I need–and what my prayers mean–even when I don’t. I’ve read my Bible a few times and there are lots of things in there that bother me. Some […]
January 12, 2011 by 2 Comments
The F-Word
In this post, I want to noodle around a bit with an idea and see what comes of it. Over the past few weeks, I’ve had several friends gently, lovingly, but forthrightly challenge my use of the word “failure” in a few of my recent posts. It seems that some have done so because they’re […]
December 7, 2010 by 11 Comments
Being Happy for Jesus
There’s an element of the resurrection that is oft-overlooked when Christians celebrate Easter. Yes, the resurrection is good news for the world, and yes, it’s good news for sinners like us. But have you ever thought about how the resurrection is good news for Jesus? After all, he was the one who was dead! We’re […]
April 7, 2010 by 4 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons