Driving the kids to school on Wednesday, we were listening to “Hometown” by twenty one pilots. Having recently read Amos and Ezekiel the following lyrics were particularly engrossing: Put away, put awayAll the gods your father served todayPut away, put awayYour traditions, believe me when I sayWe don’t know, we don’t knowHow to put back […]
I have always hated disappointment. I live as if man’s chief end is to avoid disappointment at all costs. My intuitive belief is that joy and disappointment are completely at odds with one another, and thus I am compelled to develop robust systems of defense against disappointment. For example, the devil prowls the earth like […]
I have a rock climbing buddy named Roth who loves to read. As we’ve ‘talked books’ he’s mentioned that certain books ‘really do something to him.’ There are hilarious books, riveting books, inspiring books, intriguing books, ruminative books, etc. But then there are books that intimately impact you, and convert you to a cause, and […]
Carrie & I were on a walk yesterday and we crossed paths with our neighbor (and ECPC regular attender) Jacob. We stopped to chat with Jacob and his buddies for a few minutes, and Jacob asked, “How do I avoid being a lukewarm Christian?” How should we answer Jacob’s question? Let’s start by rejecting any […]
“The more stupid one is, the closer one is to reality. The more stupid one is, the clearer one is. Stupidity is brief and artless, while intelligence squirms and hides itself. Intelligence is unprincipled, but stupidity is honest and straightforward.” – The Brothers Karamazov [Fyodor Dostoevsky] Tyler’s commentary… truth is often disdained and dismissed in […]
I was chatting with my friend Peter this morning, and he said, “I aim to stir up your sincere mind by way of reminder.” And I was like, “Why do you talk like that? Why don’t you simply say, ‘I wanna remind you of something’?” And Peter said, “Don’t be cheeky. Just listen.” So I […]
I once was the proud owner of a forest. The formation of my forest came about quite naturally, for it was a forest of egotism. When it comes to egomania I’ve always been a natural – I don’t even have to try …it’s effortless! Every square inch of my self-serving sanctuary grew up naturally …no […]
After all His inflammatory statements in chapter 10[1], it is nice to see Jesus taking some time to reflect and pray. Perhaps Jesus will realize that He has been a bit harsh, and maybe, just maybe, He will make some key adjustments to His tone and style of communication so as to avoid grossly offending […]
He went every week. He went religiously. Did he enjoy and endorse everyone who attended? Nope. But that didn’t stop him from being thoroughly involved. Bottom line, it was chalk-full of complexities and bewilderments, AND it was his custom to actively attend. For instance, one time he went to the synagogue (as was his custom) […]
[follower] “What’s on the agenda for today?” [leader] “Today we dine with uptight self-righteous people.” [follower] “That’s gonna be awkward.” [leader] “Yup.” Later that day, during dinner… [uptight self-righteous people] “Why do you flagrantly break God’s rules?” [leader] “I don’t.” Awkward silence… [leader] “I got a story for y’all. Once upon a time there was […]