Little girl, I'll never forget the first morning you stepped inside my front door. I noticed your hesitation, and I didn't blame you, for you had been in too many homes to count. You later told me that you didn't like any of them except for one. How could you know if I would be …
Tag: Christ’s body
Is Christ divided?
One Sunday morning some years ago, I leaned against the back of a church pew, and with tears in my eyes confided to a friend. This woman is a sincere Christian, even though she's not a member of our congregation. She tries to dress like us, and faithfully comes to church. Yet she's not allowed …
God’s gifts
The blog has been quiet for a bit, but hopefully that is about to change since the UPS man arrived yesterday. What does the UPS man have to do with my blog? Simple enough. He brought me a present from God. About a month ago, Elijah picked up the computer from the end table beside …
God’s Voice and the Inspiration of Scripture
After writing my series on hearing God's voice, I got some pushback from readers who thought that I was undermining the importance of Scripture. In the series, I describe God's voice as something that comes to us in a variety of ways, as modeled for us in Scripture. I was a bit puzzled by the reactions …
Continue reading God’s Voice and the Inspiration of Scripture
To leave or not to leave? A perspective.
From time to time, I walk alongside someone wrestling through the question of whether they should start attending a different church group. I sympathize, because I have been there myself, and know that it can be a difficult decision. Staying can be hard, and leaving can be hard. I'd like to share some thoughts from my own …
To my band of question-askers
You asked so many wonderful questions! Will you please come sit around my table for a piece of pie and a long talk? It's hard to describe the longing I felt as I read the questions as they came in. I kept thinking, who WOULDN'T want to discuss such great questions? Too many of us …
A Question Without an Answer
When are you going to write about sexual abuse? they ask me. I don't know, I say. I know so little about abuse. I've lived such a sheltered, coddled life. Yes, I've had my share of pain, but life has been kind to me in that area. What would I say that would not be trivial, meaningless, …
A Model for Missions
In Nik Ripken's book The Insanity of Obdedience, he describes three important elements of a mission effort: the needs of the lost (people without Jesus), worker concerns, and the sending body/agency. One of these elements will be the top focus of the mission, and the other two elements will supplement the main goal. In a worker-concerns oriented mission, the …
My Church
“Tell me about the church you go to,” you say. The words hit me with an unexpected jolt; I realize that for the first time in my life, I do not see church as something I go to. If you're talking about connecting with other believers, church is so much bigger than a Sunday-morning event …
Misfit
"Are you going to fit the culture and be small inside, or are you going to be a misfit and unpack the treasure within you?" -Arthur Burk How does a culture grow smallness? American, Mennonite, or otherwise? What's the difference between cultural sensitivity and an unhealthy assimilation into a culture?
arabah rejoice 