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 blog post, cancel your plans for the next 1h 41m, watch the film, and then resume […]
We have a maddening habit of popularizing, promoting, commodifying, and consumerizing EVERYTHING. We do this because we’re rampantly insecure, and we’re desperately compensating. We’re incessantly groping and clawing for ‘fulfillment,’ but we’re never full. We even attempted to popularize and commodify God in the flesh! …But He makes it impossible for us. Our popularity paradigm […]
Once upon a time a couple of guys named Paul and Barnabas traveled to a city called Lystra. They came across a crippled man. This guy was born crippled, he had never walked a day in his life. Paul told the guy to stand up; which is a really mean thing to say to a […]
Let’s think about the motion picture Nacho Libre. The film is loosely based on the story of Fray Tormenta (“Friar Storm”, a.k.a. Rev. Sergio Gutiérrez Benítez), a real-life Mexican Catholic priest who had a 23-year career as a masked luchador and competed in order to support the orphanage he directed. There are a few things […]
Life requires gumption. At the end of the 11th chapter of Hebrews God talks about how a myriad of risk-takers, and reckless by-faithers (whose stories are chronicled throughout the saga of Scripture), did not receive what was promised in this life – because God intends to provide the better (perfect) experience for them, and all […]
We had been through some tough stuff leading up to the Keilah incident. In fact, we’d been navigating formidable stuff our whole lives. We were the like people who came from Nazareth! We were the public school kids! We were a society of distressed, indebted, bitter souls. There were approx. 600 of us. And at […]
I recently received the following email from a former member of ecpc… “I am planning a dinner activity for my husband’s ordination reception. My hope is to have a slideshow playing with “trivia questions” that everyone getting ordained must know. Would you consider helping me?” – Former Member of ECPC Below you find the questions […]
Here’s what Paul said to the church community in Corinth, “I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. For I made […]
Our primary conversation partner tends to be our phone. Doomscrolling. Social media binging. Fox News fretting. CNN hysteria. NPR self-righteousness and victimizationism. Etc. We need to limit our conversations with these outlets. They are toxic. They are not constructive. They do not cultivate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, or self-control. We cannot […]
God has taken on flesh! This is inescapably scandalous and offensive, but it’s true. That which is from the beginning (i.e. God) has become human! All the gritty details of being embodied apply to God! Just think of all the regular maintenance your body requires: everyday you have to brush your teeth, digest food, use […]