The age of 33 years has been marked as a significant milestone for a disciple of Christ, based on the common assumption that Jesus completed his earthly ministry at around that age. Some have tagged thirty-three as the “Jesus year.” The current issue of Christianity Today features 33 followers of Christ who are recognized as …
A seminary student criticized the administrative practices of the leaders in his church: “You are doing things wrong. Your way is not what I have been taught in seminary. You must listen to what I am saying.” Not only did the seminary student criticize the leaders of the church, he also insisted on imposing his …
Huh!? That may well be your initial response to the title of this Ponderings. But please bear with me. A Manila Times article quotes psychology teacher Art Markman: You probably don’t know as much as you think you do. When put to the test, most people find they can’t explain the workings of everyday things …
Driving home after dropping off Grace at her workplace, I switched on the car radio and heard the following declaration in song by Matthew West: I am no longer defined by all the wreckage behind. The one who makes all things new has proven it’s true … Hello, my name is child of the one …
In 2009, Mark Galli wrote an article in Christianity Today entitled “Yawning at the Word.” The title of the article gives the picture of a person who is bored by lessons that demand focus and careful attention to what the Word actually says. Galli writes about the human tendency to sidestep serious study and deep …
So many significant sports events happening as I write—the U.S. Open (golf), the NBA Finals (basketball), and the Word Cup (football/soccer). If they can help it, serious fans will not miss any of the games. They get excited with the thought of game time. They do everything they can to watch the games of their …
I recently was in a conversation about attitudes concerning one’s task in the workplace. Someone commented that there are people who, when asked to perform some specific chore, would retort with the words, “It’s not my job.” And as I later reflected on this conversation topic, I realized that these words often reflect a specific …
The Lord has been calling the church leadership to take on the task of leading the church to become more missional in outlook and character. During our first meeting this year we considered the issue of “Christian consumerism” as an obstacle to a missional spirit. We pondered Jen Hatmaker’s warning: “Consumerism is a cancer to …
We want perfection. And humans pursue perfection in almost everything—physical beauty, fashion, sports ability, technological design, culinary creations, even spirituality. We celebrate those who appear perfect, or at least come close to our picture of perfection. We envy them and try to be like them. We may say that we pursue perfection with a vengeance. …
I’ve been thinking about the questions we ask and how they reveal our mindset (our assumptions of how the world works, and what is truly important). And the questions we ask often predetermine the answers we want. In a recent sermon I suggested that Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ question about divorce (Mark 10.1-12) redirects …
