Category Archives: Community and Relationship
Why Telling Our Stories Matters | Leaving Egypt Bonus Track
October 3, 2012
“What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we also fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time … Continue reading
Men, Women, and the Way of the Cross
May 10, 2012
Some pastors have been asking me to blog a bit on my thoughts re: complementarianism, egalitarianism, male/female roles, why it’s become such a polarizing topic, and perhaps even why it’s become a new litmus test of fidelity to the Gospel. … Continue reading
Moving Beyond Polarization into Mission
January 23, 2012
I’m moving on. I’ve spent the last decade-plus in the midst of a sad and frustrating polarization. In other posts, I’ve talked about it as the Emergent-Resurgence polarization. It’s the newest episode in a long series of polarization-episodes. We, Christians, … Continue reading
(Christian) Family Dynamics
January 6, 2012
We all know Newton’s third law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Or, at the least, we know it in our relationships. Family Systems theorists have argued for decades that a principle of polarization exists in … Continue reading
on self-compassion, inner critics, and becoming the beloved | 3
September 6, 2011
I heard an interview with a struggling baseball player the other day. The radio personality interviewing him said, “It must be tough right now.” The player said, “It’s always tough. We work in a profession where succeeding 3 out of … Continue reading
On Self-Compassion, Inner Critics, and Becoming the Beloved – Part 2
August 21, 2011
I love this poem by Fleur Adcock. Take your time and read it. I’ll share some thoughts after it… Weathering My face catches the wind from the snow line and flushes with a flush that will never wholly settle. Well, … Continue reading
On Self-Compassion, Inner Critics, and Becoming the Beloved – Part 1
August 19, 2011
I’m beginning a new series of blog posts on self-compassion, recently requested by some friends and clients. It’s an odd concept, particularly if you’re a Christian. In fact, it may ring of a kind of secularized bastardization of God’s love. … Continue reading
Pastors and Depression
August 10, 2011
In just the past month, I’ve spoken with three depressed pastors. Consider this startling data from Barna, Focus on the Family, and Fuller Seminary: Fifteen hundred pastors leave the ministry each month due to moral failure, spiritual burnout, or contention … Continue reading
Practicing Wholeheartedness
July 1, 2011
A personal theme for the past 2 years or so has been living with wholeheartedness. If you’ve read my blog, you’ve probably noticed the theme coming up time and again in different contexts. The launching point for it, of course, … Continue reading
what’s love got to do with it?
June 12, 2011
As Pentecost Sunday approaches, I’m reminded again that Jesus had to leave for us to experience the more intimate, the more intense, and more personal union with the Spirit that God promised and that, perhaps more important, that God knew … Continue reading