Here is the next recording in my ongoing series of discussions regarding the struggles of the Christian life. In this recording, I chat with author Sarahbeth Caplin about her book "Spinning Crap into Ferlizer: How American Christianity has forgotten the necessity of suffering." Sarabeth has many insightful things to say about the cross, the prosperity … Continue reading In Conversation: Sarahbeth Caplin
Christian Life
Being Kingdom-Minded
Is this there a way to break out of this type of life? Can we combat the overexposure of sights and sounds, the barrage of messages highlighting self-indulgence, and that internal sense of being overwhelmed? Can Jesus lead us into a different way of living?
Lessons in Prayer 2: The invitation to be dissatisfied
Have you ever felt dissatisfied with your prayers? Have you felt that despite your best efforts you have never plumbed the depths of everything that prayer can offer you? Have you looked longingly to the saints before you, wishing to uncover a fraction of the prayerful intimacy they seemed to enjoy? I know I have. … Continue reading Lessons in Prayer 2: The invitation to be dissatisfied
Lessons in Prayer 1: A longing for communion
Prayer is communion with God. It is an enacted relationship, a reaching out to Jesus. “Prayer is the natural outgushing of a soul in communion with Jesus”, says Charles Spurgeon.[i] One cannot pray and remain cut off from the presence of God. The intimate presence of God, understood and experienced in our lives, is the … Continue reading Lessons in Prayer 1: A longing for communion
The day I fell out of love with contemporary praise music (again)
I remember distinctly the day I fell out of love with contemporary worship music. It was during my first year of university. While always a Christian, my faith grew in passion and energy through the Vineyard explosion of the 90’s. This deepening of my faith coupled with my learning to play the guitar. Almost instantaneously … Continue reading The day I fell out of love with contemporary praise music (again)
Are Disciplines Necessary?
This post is based on a presentation made at the ACW Regional Retreat in September 2020. Are Spiritual Disciplines really that important? Why are Spiritual Disciplines important? Is not believing in Jesus enough? Are disciplines just a form of works righteousness, some mistaken attempt to earn our salvation? Do we really need to worry about … Continue reading Are Disciplines Necessary?
O Blessed Boredom: Isolation and the dethronement of idols
This article first appeared at http://www.medium.com/ministrymatters It’s been over two months of lock downs, isolation, physical distancing, and mask-wearing. Depending on where you live, you may be facing this for the foreseeable future. For myself, I have long moved past my initial bouts of irritation. Being unable to run down to the local mall and … Continue reading O Blessed Boredom: Isolation and the dethronement of idols
The Way of Discernment
This post first appeared in "Ministry Matters" under the title: "Discernment: it's not just pointing at random verses" on Medium.com Whenever we aspire to live the Christian life with any intentionality, an inevitable question arises. How do I know what God wants me to do? How do I know I am making the right decisions? … Continue reading The Way of Discernment
A Rule of Life: A Happy-Plan for Christian Living
In December of 2019, the Seattle Times noted that sales of daily planners and organizers rose to a whopping revenue of $386 million. And this was just for the planners themselves - the books of blank pages and organizational spaces. Sales of planner accessories is a whole other matter. The stickers, the insets, the bookmarks … Continue reading A Rule of Life: A Happy-Plan for Christian Living
Take up and Read: Exploring Spiritual Reading
A few months ago, I wrote a blog entitled “When Words Speak”, which detailed five books that helped inform my faith. It was a pleasure to go through my library and note the books to which I continually return. The spiritual lessons I gleaned from their pages have largely shaped the outward expression of my … Continue reading Take up and Read: Exploring Spiritual Reading
