The Life of the Beloved is a life of being chosen, blessed, broken, and given. Today we consider he most difficult of those four: brokenness. Of all the quotes attributed the Scripture that aren't actually in Scripture, like "God helps those who help themselves" or "God works in mysterious ways," here's one that is close to … Continue reading Life of the Beloved: Broken →

Chosen, blessed, broken, and given. That is the life of the beloved, according to Henri Nouwen. Today we'll talk about being blessed. We are blessed. If this statement sounds false, or at least not the whole truth, that's okay. But it is true. The greatest blessing is that God calls you the beloved. But this … Continue reading Life of the Beloved: Blessed →

Last Fall, we held a book study on Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen. In this book, Nouwen tells us that the life of a Christian is one of discovering our identity as God's beloved. That identity has four movements, which he parallels to the movements of communion. Like the body of Christ in communion, … Continue reading Life of the Beloved: Chosen →

#ThinkAheadThursday The last shall be first. What you do to the least of these, you did also to me. Love your enemies. Blessed are the poor. Christ is Lord. These are phrases from Scripture you are likely familiar with. By now - some 2,000 years after they were penned - they seem normal. But these … Continue reading Turning the World Upside Down →

Recently, I've been thinking about the importance of movement. I've been thinking mainly about the movement of our bodies, especially in the midst of sheltering in place. Personally, over the last two years, I've found weightlifting to be my favorite physical outlet. With gyms closed, and an aversion to running, I've had to think of … Continue reading Movement →

Since hearing a convicting sermon series on Sabbath when I was in High School, Sabbath has been an important spiritual discipline in my life. Being the fourth of the Ten Commandments, Sabbath is crucial to our life with God. But how seriously do we take the day of rest? I'm currently listening to an audiobook … Continue reading Spiritual Practice: Sabbath →

#ThinkAheadThursday We can celebrate Easter by celebrating and cultivating life. God's resurrection power is most powerfully evident in raising Jesus from the dead, but it is not limited to that. In this week's reading, Acts 3:1-10, we see that resurrection power also improves life as the disciples heal a man lame from birth. For this … Continue reading Life – Celebrating Easter →

I would like to ask you all to pray for the following groups of people. This list is certainly not exhaustive, but these folks have been on my mind and in my prayers frequently in these days, and I'd love for you all to join me in praying. For students and parents in the midst … Continue reading Prayer Requests →

Okay, I might have made this one up. Not the substance, but the title. This one will be brief, because I'm already running late on this post today! I want you to reflect on this quote from Frederick Buechner: Here's what this quote leads me to do in terms of spiritual practices, and it stems … Continue reading Spiritual Practice: Celebrating Resurrection →