by Bill Rowley | Jul 18, 2023 | Entertainment
This summer, millions of people across the world will be absorbed in a highly anticipated, years-in-the-making, high-fantasy adventure featuring evil sorcerers, legendary swords, dragons, and a classic struggle between good and evil. It is widely expected to sweep the...
by Travis Dickinson | Jul 11, 2023 | Doubt, Faith
Many Christians are terrified of doubting their faith. We avoid questions and challenges in favor of keeping things comfortable and familiar. We worry that if we open ourselves up to the possibility of Christianity being false, we’ll struggle and risk walking away. So...
by Alan Fadling | Jul 4, 2023 | Life, Prayer, Spiritual Formation
I’ve often shared the story of my first experience of solitude and silence at the beginning of 1990. It was led by one of my mentors, Wayne Anderson, as part of a class I was taking at Fuller Seminary. I tell a little of that story in An Unhurried Life (see p. 20ff),...
by Scott Bullock | Jun 27, 2023 | Masculinity, Storytelling
Spoiler Alert:This review contains some minor spoilers about the plot of Ted Lasso. Content Alert: Ted Lasso contains adult themes, sexual content, and strong language. I’ve read at least six articles and op/ed pieces in the NYT on the AppleTV+ hit series, Ted...
by Colleen Strachan | Jun 16, 2023 | Culture, Entitlement
What do the royals and a Rorschach test have in common? Both provoke reactions that tell us more about the attitudes and beliefs of the beholder than about the object of their gaze. This is not to say that the royals, particularly British royals, are a neutral...
by Claude Alexander | Jun 13, 2023 | Habits, Life, Ministry
Blog post adapted from Necessary Christianity by Claude Alexander, Jr. Adapted from Chapter 5, “I Must Be Diligent” The life of Jesus reveals that God’s call and God’s claim on the believer’s life are imperative in nature and not simply indicative. Hence,...
by Dan Baumgartner | Jun 6, 2023 | Sabbath
Have you ever been driving and inadvertently blown right through a stop sign? It happened to me recently. Anne and I were down in San Francisco meeting some friends, I was driving in unfamiliar territory and there were multiple 2-way or 4-way stop intersections. One...
by Scott Bullock | May 26, 2023 | Preaching, Sermons
How do you choose what to preach on any given Sunday? Are you a… Lectionary Preacher? Occasional use of the lectionary, select seasonal use of the lectionary, or full-throttle every Sunday and any mid-week service in-between lectionary? Walk-Through-The-Bible...
by Alan Fadling | May 23, 2023 | Life, Prayer, Spiritual Formation
It’s summertime, and here in Southern California it begins to get rather hot. And I find myself thirsty a lot. I’ll get out and cycle 20 miles and come back parched. It makes me think of these psalm lines:  Like a deer that longs for springs of water, so my soul longs...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | May 16, 2023 | Movie Reviews
Spoiler Alert: This review contains some minor spoilers about the plot of The Last of Us. Content Alert: The Last of Us contains adult themes, graphic violence, nudity, and strong language. The Last of Us begins, not where we might expect, but in a restaurant in...
