One of my favorite portions of Scripture is Psalm 136. The call and response of the musical poetry of this psalm is both refreshingly focused and hypnotically reflective. On this Thanksgiving Day, when we focus as a nation on things we are grateful for, join me in giving thanks to the Lord, for He is …
The Elusive Midwestern Identity
This past May I traveled to a Pastor's Conference at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, as part of my sabbatical. While there, I had numerous opportunities to answer the question, "Where are you from?" Since most of the attendees were from western Canada or the Pacific Northwest, it was always entertaining to explain where …
Excerpts from Henri Nouwen’s The Way of the Heart
During my sabbatical, I re-read a book for the fifth time. That's not a very common occurrence for me, but Henri Nouwen's book The Way of the Heart is that sort of book for me. As I was looking through my sabbatical journals, I found excerpts from this book over a long stretch. So, as much for …
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Psalm 121 by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir
This powerful rendering of Psalm 121, "My Help (Cometh from the Lord)," was written by Jackie Gouche Farris and is performed here by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir. I was not as familiar with this song until I began preparing for my message on Psalm 121 entitled "Help" as part of our series "Ascend: the Psalms …
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Self-Control, anyone?
With all the hullabaloo in the news these days about failures on the right and on the left, abuse of power, and the angst over unacknowledged sexual abuse, it was ironic that last Thursday I spent time with young adults at Kaleo talking about self-control. I hate to say it's not surprising to me that …
