Author: S&P

While talking with my pastor recently, we discussed my increasing burden/passion for pastoral ministry. As we talked, he looked at me and said: “You need to bloom where you are currently planted.” I didn’t realize how much I needed to hear this. I’ve been looking toward ministry for so long that I’d missed something incredibly important: God wants to use me where I’m currently planted to produce p...

Someone once quipped that an ambassador is a politician who was not elected to office but was given an office on the condition that he leaves the country![i] When we hear the word ambassador today, we naturally think of an American ambassador to another country. In ancient Rome, an ambassador was a representative of Rome to imperial provinces, sent with a message that declared the terms of peace w...

Male violence against women is a real problem in our culture, one the church must address. Our responsibility here is not simply at the level of social justice but at the level of ecclesical justice as well. We must teach from our pulpits, our Sunday school classes, and our Vacation Bible Schools that women are to be cherished, honored, and protected by men. This means we teach men to reject ...

When theology is mentioned in a circle of women I have often found the response to be less than enthusiastic.  Mention books on homemaking, marriage or parenting, on the other hand, and everyone seems interested. Why is that? I have heard comments like, “I’m just not smart enough”, “I will leave the study of theology to the men”, or  “I don’t need theology I just need to read my Bible.”&...

Superficial relationships in the church are a tragedy. The church is the last place humanity should be allowed to anonymously pass by each other. As Christians we live in the eyes-wide-open panorama of the cross of Christ (1 Cor. 1:18). No longer stumbling about in the pervasive darkness blind to the sin that plagues our existence. We now walk in the light (Eph. 5:7-8). We see each other clearly w...

Of all the chapters of the Qur’an that we memorized as Muslim children, there was one we recited more frequently than any other. It wasn’t long, only 4 verses, but Muhammad taught that it encapsulated a third of the Quran’s teaching, making it the weightiest chapter of the scripture and a core doctrine of the Islamic faith. It is Surat-al-Ikhlaas, chapter 112, and its second verse contains the mes...

Was this August the worst month ever? A brutal beheading of an American New airstrikes in Iraq The first Islamic terrorist state is formed Thousands dead in the most recent Israel/Palestinian conflict Hundreds dead from Ebola Robin Williams suicide Rioting, looting, and more division than ever following Michael Brown’s shooting We could go on…and on. Little wonder that Fastcompany.com as...

A few months ago I was privileged to chaperone my 4 year-old-son’s pre-school field trip to the zoo. In my experience, most trips to the zoo are spent walking for what feels like miles and just to peer in on nearly non-existent, or sleeping animals. This trip was different. The first place we visited was the big cats area. As we walked into the exhibit, I expected to maybe see the mane of a sleepi...

James Turnbull in G. K. Chesterton’s 1909 novel The Ball and the Cross had been attacking Christianity for years in his magazine, The Atheist. The “fiery little Scotchman, with fiery, red hair and beard” worked hard at it, but no one paid any attention to him or his tireless assaults on the Bible and the Faith hung prominently in the plate glass windows of his office for all to read. “He had said ...

Isaiah 40:31 says: “But they who wait for the Lord renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” This is one of the most celebrated and shared verses of the Bible. I’m sure you’ve seen it on greeting cards, framed pictures, and tees garnered with a picture of a soaring eagle. If you’re like me you’ve had different...

“So… what can I do to help the poor?” Let’s be honest: no one with a firm grip on reality looks at the world and says, “Yep, everything is running exactly as it should.” When we millions of people go to sleep each night unsure if they’re going to eat the next day while others have an abundance beyond what they could need for a thousand lifetimes, we know something’s not righ...

Whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Foursquare, Flickr, LinkedIn, Reddit, Tumblr, Imgur, or whatever comes next—social media have changed our relationships in significant ways. With the touch of a button on a small device I carry in my pocket, I can instantly discover what’s happening with friends on the other side of the world. Drawing from personal experience, pastoral conversa...