pastor || writer || speaker
In The Fellowship of the Ring, the first volume of J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy, we learn of a powerful enchanted ring threatening the collective peoples of Middle Earth. After the ring’s discovery, representatives of various peoples eventually agree it must be destroyed by traversing torturous difficulties to cast it into the fiery …
Continue reading "Choosing Wise Guides for the Spiritual Life"
Put two fingers on your neckand feel your pulse—the current of blood coursing lifefrom your heart throughout your body.You did not think to your heart, "Beat!",or to your blood, "Move!",and yet here you are:alive, upright, and living.Quiet yourself amidstthe din of the worldand listen to your beating heart.In every beat, God whispers,"I love you! I …
Continue reading "Your Pulse and Your Breath as Pathways to Prayer"
The sermon Pastor Ruth Carver shared this past weekend at Eastbrook Church, "Revival in the Ruins," has left me reflecting on the topic of revival quite a bit. One reason it is on my mind so much is that this longing for and experience of revival has touched my life in some important ways. I …
Continue reading "Revival: some personal thoughts and resources"
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian monk in 12th century France, rose from relative obscurity to wide-ranging influence, shaping many aspects of church life during his time. Born within a family of the lower nobility, Bernard forsook all of that to enter a small monastic community in Cîteaux. Influential even at this stage of his …
Continue reading "Learning God’s Love with St. Bernard of Clairvaux"
Many of us make resolutions for growth and change in the New Year. Unfortunately, statistics show that most of these resolutions do not hold for long or really make much long-term change. I believe this is in large part because we do not include the Living God in this process of resolution, and also because …
Continue reading "New Year: Questions for growth, reflection, and prayer"
Matthew Erickson 