Category: General

If you look up the Great Commandment, you will find references to Mark 12:30-31 and Matthew 22:36-40. Like so many other events in Jesus’s life, it appears in all three Synoptic Gospels. We just often skip past it in Luke. 25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he…

Yesterday, sitting in worship at First Presby and listening to testimony from three members, I reflected on my previous post and realized how inadequate it was. I know most people who read this are family or close friends, but even still: what do you care about how I read the Bible? Or any of the…

I listen to a lot of audiobooks while I’m running. I get them from the S&T library, which has OverDrive. I recently listened to Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller, subtitled “Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality.” Actually, I didn’t get to finish it because my checkout expired. Still, it opened my mind to a lot…

This past spring, I took a course on Reformed theology from the University of Dubuque as part of my studies towards becoming a commissioned ruling elder. Basically, we read the entire Book of Confessions, plus study materials. The final project was a statement of faith, with engagement of the confessions and of scripture. I’m not…

In our Dinner & Discipleship group at church, we are reading through Sabbath as Resistance by Walter Brueggemann. The first few chapters are focused on how we as individuals organize our lives. Chapter 4, which we just discussed, shifts the focus a bit to how the church behaves. Humans are tribal by nature. The ancients…

29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one;30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no…

I just finished Radical by David Platt. While there is much about it that I disagree with, I’m working on the challenge he makes at the end. The overarching theme is that Jesus’s call to His followers is far more radical than what most of us do. Coincidentally, this week’s lectionary Gospel reading is Luke…

Lately, I’ve been listening to an audiobook of The Book of Joy, which is based on interviews of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The section I just listened to addressed the role of suffering. The general theme was that suffering sets our joy in sharp relief, so that we may know joy. That…

I’m almost done listening to an audiobook of The Book of Joy. It was written by Douglas Abrams based on a week-long interview of the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. I highly recommend it. They talk at length about Eight Pillars of Joy: Perspective Humility Humor Acceptance Forgiveness Gratitude Compassion Generosity One theme that…

Merry Christmas! I’m visiting my in-laws right now. I am blessed with a great family–wife, kids, parents, siblings, and wife’s family. I know not everyone has such a loving family, or has had a falling out. I hope and pray for reconciliation. Know that we are all reconciled in Christ, and one day we will…