It's no secret to anyone that I love U2 and that I love reading the works of Eugene Peterson, the author of The Message. Some folks may know that on recent U2 tours when Bono quotes from Scripture he has generally quoted from The Message paraphrase. In fact, at a celebration of the completion of …
John Perkins
Many people have heard of the ministry of John Perkins through The Ave's connections with Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM) in Jackson, MS. Every Spring Break, we send groups of students down to Jackson to work alongside of the year-round staff of VOCM to demolish and rehab homes in the neighborhoods of West Jackson. Christianity …
The Emerging Church
I am often asked for a concise summary of what the emerging church is all about. Scot McKnight, a professor at North Park Seminary on the north side of Chicago, recently published an article in Christianity Today that I found to be a helpful summary of the movement. This is a feat of wonder given …
Amazing Grace
Just saw the movie Amazing Grace with some friends yesterday. While not fast-paced at all, it was a pretty profound account of the life of William Wilberforce. Wilberforce was one of the chief activists in England in the early 1800s working for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery. The movie tracks his life, …
Prayer? – talk to me
I'm working on an upcoming message on prayer for The Ave and wondering if I could get some feedback on it. Here is my description for the message right now: Prayer. The very word conjures up so many connotations for every person. Some people say that prayer is one of the most natural things any …
Matthew Erickson 