Anyone who has experienced Tony Campolo in person probably has Tony Campolo stories. Not stories about him, but stories he tells that you retell. Yeah, me too. Since I claim over two million airline miles during my life–a small amount…
Decided. Or have we become what we thought we would be
At the end of every semester, like clockwork I suppose, it happens. Amidst the speeches, the tasseling (oh, the TASSELING!), the pomp and the circumstance. Amidst the youthful expectancy, the Quixotic hubris, and the endless marimba ring screeching disturbingly from…
So Very Kind of Pretty Much Thankful
On the one hand, I have an easy time giving thanks. On the other hand, I have a difficult time giving thanks.
Giving Thanks: More Than a Holiday Slogan
Giving thanks is more than a holiday slogan. Like a catalyst, real gratitude re-shapes our attitude and reconfigures our personality. Elie Wiesel proposes that, “When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity. A person…
on mega-churches, millennials and modernism.
In my hometown there is a church. This church has a sanctuary. A steeple. A large staff of religious professionals. A jet. A hashtag campaign for each sermon series. A fleet of boats. A “membership” of over 8,000. And at…
Lessons on Community from a Solitary Walk in the Woods
I had the opportunity recently to go up to Crossroads Camp and Conference Center in Lowesville, VA for the Gathering of Silence hosted by the Virginia Baptist Epiphany Institute of Spirituality and sponsored by the WMU of Virginia. This week…
Soar past tithing on your way to becoming wildly generous
Should we forget tithing? Is it passé? Does it set up an artificial target on which too few people actually agree? Tithing seems like an obvious principle–10 percent of your income–yet too often it becomes a negative point for confusion,…
the jar is always smaller than the sky.
As a kid growing up in East Tennessee, there were few better ways to enjoy an oppressively sticky late summer evening, than attempting to catch lightnin’ bugs*. (*NOTE: I realize some of you may not be familiar with the colloquialism “lightnin’ bugs,” as…
What happens when life and scripture diverge?
As I suspect has been the case with many BNG readers, I have been following Dr. David Gushee’s recent series of articles making what he sees as the case that homosexual relationships should be given a moral status that is…
i’m not rob bell.
I had this somewhat obvious epiphany the other day. I’m not, nor have I ever been, Rob Bell. I know, I know, groundbreaking. I’d probably give this one a “discovering you have enough change in your late model civic’s ashtray…
Dying well, part 2
In part one I asked some big questions, shared the tragic story of Brittany Maynard, and offered a quick explanation as to why we as Christians cannot support her decision to end her life “on her own terms.” In this…
Dying well, part 1
Do you want to die well? Do you want to die with dignity? I suspect that desire resides in the hearts of just about everyone. But, what does it really mean to die well? I’ll admit, at 32 and healthy,…