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This week, I am sharing some spiritual practices for reflecting on the previous year and stepping forward into the new year. Stepping Forward with Dedication Related to this focus on God is a dedication of our lives from the inside out. Psalm 86 is a one of my favorite psalms. Verse 11 has become particularly …
Continue reading "Stepping Forward into 2021 with Dedication and Praise"
This week, I am sharing some spiritual practices for reflecting on the previous year and stepping forward into the new year. Looking Back: Lament Sometimes, however, when we look back over the year, particularly in this devastating last year, even while we’re trying to give thanks, we remember experiences, events, or relationships that we’d rather …
Continue reading "Looking Back at 2020 with Lament and Repentance"
An article I wrote for Preaching Today on preaching the Psalms of Ascent came out last week. This article came to life through my own journey of preaching the Psalms of Ascent at Eastbrook Church in late 2017 through a series entitled "Ascend: The Psalms of Ascent." Thanks to Andrew Finch and Matt Woodley at PT, who …
Continue reading "Preaching the Psalms of Ascent: A Soundtrack for the Pilgrimage of Faith"
There are times when God feels distant. There are moments, particularly in times of suffering, when God seems silent. To enter into the stillness of God and to attend to the silence of God requires patience. God is not a Labrador retriever who comes when we call. God is sometimes like the rain that comes …
Continue reading "Why Does God Seem Distant?: The Holy Pursuit of the Hidden God"
One of my favorite theologians is Dietrich Bonhoeffer, author of Discipleship and Life Together. I encountered his writing very early in my life of faith when my older brother came home from college with Bonhoeffer's book on discipleship. Shortly after that, I found a short book by him entitled The Prayerbook of the Bible, which transformed …
Continue reading "Joining Jesus in Prayer: Dietrich Bonhoeffer on Praying the Psalms"
Matthew Erickson 