The Middle of the Marathon

This morning I got up a little earlier and after my morning devotions spent some time reading through every one of my journal entries between March and September 2010. That was a difficult season of...

2012 Projects

If I get into Fuller, I will be starting Phd seminars this fall. That means my “out of school” phase is likely drawing to a close. Its been an awesome season to have more freedom...

Reflections on Mere Christianity

I’m looking back through Mere Christianity these days, one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors. Some miscellaneous thoughts: 1) Lewis’ appeal to mere Christianity was not tantamount to doctrinal minimalism, as...

Christmas 2011 and Reading Projects

Esther and I had an awesome Christmas vacation in Nashville. I got lots of great time with Esther, friends who were also in Nashville, Esther’s family, and my parents. It was also great to be...

Baptism and Membership

What’s new about Pentecost?

A question I have been reflecting on since my second year of seminary is, “what’s new about Pentecost?” In other words, in what ways is the activity of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 continuous...

Philemon and Slavery

You often hear people in our culture reference the Bible’s alleged endorsement of slavery, and it seems like they usually have in mind Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 6:5-9 and Colossians 4:1. Usually the point is...

Some Thoughts on Christian Smith’s The Bible Made Impossible

I’ve been looking a bit at Christian Smith’s The Bible Made Impossible: Why Biblicism is not a Truly Evangelical Reading of Scripture (BrazosPress, 2011). I agree with many aspects of Smith’s critique. While I consider...

Face to Face with God

Here’s another great quote from Lovelace’s Dynamics of Spiritual Life, concerning the often neglected role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer. The metaphor in the third paragraph below is particularly interesting...