Person A: “You should be obsessed with Jesus of Nazareth.” Person B: “Look, I have no problem with Jesus. I respect him. I don’t worship him, but I readily and unreservedly approve of him and what he stood for.” Person A: “That’s crazy!” Person B: “Why do you say that? Don’t you readily and unreservedly […]

To obtain maximum appreciation of this analogy you will need to partake of Wes Anderson’s 2018 film Isle of Dogs. If you haven’t already seen this film, it is heartily suggested that you (a) postpone your reading of this correspondence, cancel your plans for the next 1h 41m, watch the film, and then resume reading; […]

The prophet Habakkuk & the author Flannery ‘O Connor have a lot in common… They were both deeply distraught about the tartufferie of God’s people. Violently they cried out against the violence of the sanctimonious societies surrounding them. They pummeled God with questions. Questions like, “How long shall you make me see consumeristic corruption in […]

Immanuel was a strange and scary sight when He showed up on earth. His behavior and etiquette felt threatening and baffling to people. He arrived in the world He made, but the world was repulsed by Him. It would be like if an octopus showed up in Midtown Manhattan… this revolting creature from an alien […]

Is there anything commendable in the following story?… “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his possessions. And he called him and said to him, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your management, for you […]

“Sin is crouching at your door, and its desire is contrary to you, but you must resist it [תִּמְשָׁל].”[1] This post is about resistance. Perhaps one of the best, and most complex, stories of resistance is ‘The Life of Jonathan.’ Jonathan’s father was ruled by fear and darkness. Moreover, Jonathan’s father was the supreme leader. […]

True leadership—the kind that honors the living God—should look a lot like our National Parks. We need to be wide open to people showing up, stepping in, and actively participating in the wild terrain. The alternative is the modern, plastic church culture, which desperately wants you to be consumeristic, predictable, and entirely passive. They want […]

When I ponder the many sound, and sound sounding, words of Job’s friends I am compelled to consider the vast majority of the TE’s and RE’s in the PCA. Statistically – the overwhelming majority of us (elders in the PCA) are like Job’s friends. We DO INDEED have sound words, and YET there is something […]

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I find Paul’s decision-making in Acts 15 and 16 to be fascinating and full of tension. There is tension in Paul’s disagreement—and subsequent split—with Barnabas. And God never clarifies who is right, which only increases that tension. Paul’s decision to partner with Silas and Timothy, as opposed to Barnabas and John Mark, is also quite […]