I used to think that I would eventually figure out God’s will for my life. For a little while I had everything well planned. I was in the right place at the right time and getting to know the right people. When the carpet was pulled out from under m…

Who does theology? In short, everyone does! And everyone is a theologian, even those who never realize it! Any thought that is related to the ultimate questions in life is inherently theological. Someone might say, “I have my Bible and the Holy Spirit. I pray to my God and He talks to me. I don’t […]

I am an R.P.M. (Recovering Professional Minister), and I have a few confessions to make. I have been working as a teacher in public school for a little over a year now. I have also become a normal member of a large church with no “official” ministry responsibilities. The experience has helped me recognize several […]

Well, once I defended my dissertation a few weeks ago I slipped into a much-needed virtual-realm-lethargy! And man did it feel nice! I now have 500+ emails in my inbox, dozens of Facebook wall posts and messages to reply to, a barren Twitter page, and a few silent weeks on the blog. After this vacation […]

I have been thinking about the word/concept of reconciliation of late. Really it is more like I have been bombarded with it than contemplating it, seeing its evolution in others as well as in my own relationships. One of my mentors long ago when we wer…

I have a confession to make (well, I have many, but let’s start with one); it is easy for me to get worked up. Especially over church stuff! On one hand I think this is good, for it reflects my earnest passion that the church be everything the Lord w…

Over the past twenty five years our church has been involved in numerous outreach and mission oriented ministries, among them the planting of new churches. In 1998 we partnered with then Youth Pastor Chris Sustar to plant a church in Anderson, South Ca…