by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Apr 12, 2022 | Lent, The Founder's Desk
In the past week, I (Stu) have experienced some rather wild circumstances. The most significant was waking up last Thursday with incredible stomach pain in the middle of the night. After trying to “gut it out” (pun intended), I eventually relented, woke my...
by Bill Gaultiere | Apr 1, 2022 | Uncategorized
Have you ever walked and prayed through the Stations of the Cross at a retreat center? Or done a virtual “prayer walk” using the stories and prophecies of Christ’s passion that go with the ancient Stations? I have. Many times. It’s truly unforgettable. Divine mercy...
by Scott Bullock | Mar 29, 2022 | Politics, Power
One of the three diabolical tests of Jesus in the Judean wilderness is the “temptation to be powerful” as Henri Nouwen puts it in his 1989 reflection on Christian leadership, “In the Name of Jesus.” Satan’s offer to grant Jesus subordinate authority over the kingdoms...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Mar 29, 2022 | Lent, The Founder's Desk
I think it was about a year ago I was talking with a close friend from seminary and he said something that has stuck with me ever since. What he said was something to the effect of, “I really look forward to Lent these days because it’s a chance to...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Mar 29, 2022 | Lent
As someone who grew up Catholic but who “crossed the Tiber north” in middle school (to Presbyterian land), I’ve experienced at least a few different perspectives on whether or not Christians should participate in the season of Lent. The argument I...
by Bill Gaultiere | Mar 25, 2022 | The Beatitudes
I don’t like to be meek. I like to be in control. I like to be right, independent, strong, organized, able to handle whatever happens to me, viewed positively by people and on top of my emotions. I am a “Gut” personality on the Enneagram. That includes Perfectionist...
by Bill Gaultiere | Mar 18, 2022 | Uncategorized
We may (mis)use Jesus’ beatitude to be a people-pleaser, conflict-avoider, referee for other people’s conflicts, or fixer of problems. But in Matthew 5:8 Jesus is not saying, “Be a peacemaker and God will bless you.” As I explain in my booklet Jesus’ Greatest...
by Mark Roberts | Mar 16, 2022 | Third Third of Life
Last week I spoke to a retreat of pastors and other church leaders who are working on innovative ways to help their congregants understand and live their vocation in the world. The retreat was part of The Soundings Project of Baylor University, which is being directed...
by Bill Gaultiere | Mar 11, 2022 | The Beatitudes
Following Dallas Willard’s line of thinking in The Divine Conspiracy, we don’t believe Jesus is saying, “Be merciful and you will be blessed.” Rather, his idea is, “As a tender-hearted person you get stepped on and burdened by people’s pain, yet the Father of mercies...
by Bill Gaultiere | Feb 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
It was so embarrassing. I had a PhD in psychology but I was working as a security guard! While I was completing my degree, I had been building my psychotherapy practice, but when I was done with my schooling my client load dropped from fifteen clients a week down...
