Category Archives: Spirituality and Formative Practices
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
The Inseparability of Contemplation and Mission
August 16, 2012
In fact, for the past 12 summers or so, I’ve drowned myself in the mystics, sitting at the feet of St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Henri Nouwen, the Dutch Reformed mystics such as the a’ Brakel’s, … Continue reading
no kingdom without a cross
July 2, 2012
There is no rescue without suffering, no transformation without a wilderness, no kingdom without a cross. This difficult message, more often than not, is rejected by Christians, not by skeptics. Skeptics, in fact, are strangely attracted to the Jesus of … 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
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
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
Facing the Fraud
May 16, 2011
At some point in life all of us, no matter our vocation, feel as if we’re frauds. It often emerges as a battle to be an authentic human being. By authentic, I mean wholehearted, integral, one. And it’s precisely when … Continue reading
Love at the Core :: Loving our Enemies
May 3, 2011
Of the many quotes and Bible verses being tosses around the Internet and Twitter since the announcement of Osama Bin Laden’s death, one has risen to the top. It is actually an incorrect quote of Martin Luther King, Jr., but … Continue reading
what’s wrong with your pastor?
November 9, 2010
“The antidote to exhaustion is not rest but wholeheartedness.” David Whyte + + + The poet David Whyte has become a hero of mine, not least for quotes like these. Who would have imagined that rest was not the antidote … Continue reading