I resonate with Parker Palmer, who notes that writing is one of the ways we collaborate with life. It’s an unfolding of what is going on inside. That’s what I have been doing on this blog for some fifteen years. It’s what I have been doing in my books. Processing, clarifying, advancing. It is what[…]
Read MoreJohn, I appreciated your helpful reflections on the subject of character. Thanks for your keen insights!
Last night, a violent storm passed through with the usual stuff–driving rain, flashing lightning, and high winds. It happens up here in the wilderness. Thankfully, things held. Right now, it feels like our nation is in a storm, and you can’t help but wonder if things will hold. The injustice done to George Floyd,[…]
Read MoreJohn, the wonder of the internet allows me to reflect on your thought, something I long longed for many times…
Does personal presence really matter? Is physical proximity an issue? Is virtual enough to satisfy your soul? Ministries are asking these questions. Who would have imagined a day when worship services are online, viewed from our smartphones? Since the internet campus was introduced fourteen years ago, technology has equipped the church to bring its ministry[…]
Read MoreI’m still thinking about the young woman I met in Beirut last Fall. She was taking my class in pastoral theology, and she mentioned in passing that she and her husband drive eight hours each way to church every Saturday. She is from Saudi Arabia. It may be that they lack the technology to provide[…]
Read MoreJohn, you know I have always valued your thoughts and your opinions....I may not always agree with you, but I…
This is a longer post, but bear with me to the end. Thursday I saw my eye doctor. Ever since a previous surgery, my eyesight continues to diminish line by line. Things once clear have become more a blur. As concerning as this is, there is a deeper blindness, one afflicting our culture. We are[…]
Read MoreTravel book writer Rick Steves notes, “You learn a lot about your country by leaving it and looking at it at a distance.” He’s right. You can’t help but see how incredibly rich we are. How ethnocentric we can be. How vain we must seem. We sometimes believe the world revolves around us—until we go[…]
Read MoreBefore beginning class this morning, I asked these Nepalese students—most of whom are pastors—to tell me some of the daily challenges they face. In a Communist country where Hindus and Buddhists make up most of the population (and followers of Jesus make up approximately one percent), it can’t be easy. Here were some of their[…]
Read MoreIn the stifling heat, I set out today to visit a Buddhist temple. Buddhist temples are not hard to find in Kathmandu. They dot the landscape of most high places. Religion is everywhere you look. Hinduism and Buddhism have filled the city with their idols. Up the steps I walk, passing the vendors, the[…]
Read MoreWell said and so poignantly true John. We walked a number of those step together and I know I can…
Two days ago, I was in the airport terminal of Izmir, Turkey, reflecting with a friend. I have known Sandy since 1969. Our friendship goes back to ministry days in San Diego, but we have hardly seen each other since 1972. I left for seminary training in Portland. Sandy went on to become a Marriage,[…]
Read MoreExcellent read... thank you
Every week, I get the pleasure of dialoguing with future leaders of the church, a.k.a. seminary students. I am confident in them, though I fear for the contemporary church and its waning influence. These students will enter a world that is losing both its mind and its soul. They will step into churches, some of[…]
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