Category Archives: Gospel

Daring Faith: Christian Consumerism

In a recent study included in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, children were shown to overwhelmingly prefer the taste of food that comes in McDonald’s wrappers. In the study, preschool children sampled identical foods in packaging from McDonald’s and in … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture, Disappointment, Discipleship, Faith, Gospel, Hard Sayings, Jesus, Scripture | Tagged | Leave a comment

Daring Faith: The Heart of Worship

A ballet company based in Providence, Rhode Island, has been putting on performances of the Christmas classic The Nutcracker for almost 40 years. Last November, however, they experienced a major setback when thieves took more than 50 costumes and headpieces — including … Continue reading →

Posted in Church, Culture, Devotional, Faith, Gospel, Jesus, Love of Christ, Missiology, Scripture, Social Issues | Tagged | Leave a comment

Daring Faith: Born Again

In August of 2010, Judy Rivers of Logan, Alabama went to her local bank to open a new account. As the clerk input Rivers’ personal information, everything seemed to be going smoothly, but then the woman behind the desk stopped … Continue reading →

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Daring Faith: Word

One word makes all the difference. Marketing experts preach the importance of putting the customer in the present. They say you need to help the customer imagine themselves actually using your product in the here and now. So when you’re … Continue reading →

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Fixer Upper: The Hope of Creation

We’re suckers for home renovation shows. A dozen years ago, it was Trading Spaces. (Remember that show? It kinda put TLC on the map.) Then it was the Extreme Home Makeover craze. About five years ago, Sunny and I fell in love with House … Continue reading →

Posted in Eschatology, Faith, God, Gospel, Scripture, Television, The Story, Theology | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Theological Reading of “In the Sanctuary of Outcasts”: Church

I just finished Neil White’s fantastic memoir In the Sanctuary of Outcasts. White spent 12 months — spring 1993 to spring 1994 — incarcerated at the minimum-security Federal Medical Center in Carville, Louisiana. What made this incarceration unique was the “convergence … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Church, Faith, Gospel, Love Others, Missiology, Theology | 1 Comment

A Discipling / Missional People

Before His ascension, Jesus left His followers with a mission to make disciples. We’ve spent much of this year discussing what it means to be missional. When we talk about being missional, we’re not referring to one particular activity or … Continue reading →

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The Power of Missional Conversation

  People who have been shaped by the Good News of Jesus have a responsibility to embody the Good News of Jesus. And one of simplest and yet most powerful ways we can embody the Good News is through our … Continue reading →

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Love Is Our Mission: Pulpit and Paradigm

John Howard Yoder once wrote that the mission of God is to create a people who are both “pulpit and paradigm” of a new humanity. What does that mean? It means God’s mission is to create a people who both … Continue reading →

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Love First: Compelled

On October 25, 2013, British explorer Ben Saunders and his fellow adventurer Tarka L’Herpiniere set out to retrace one of the most ambitious and dangerous polar expeditions of all time. In 1912, British explorer Robert Falcon Scott attempted to journey … Continue reading →

Posted in 2 Corinthians 5, Church, Devotional, Faith, Gospel, Love First, Love of Christ, Scripture | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment