Holiness Reeducation

In Shane Hipps very well crafted book, “The Hidden Power of Electronic Culture“, he talks about the effect different media have on our spiritual lives. While exploring the affects of the printing press on our culture he delves into a quick conversation about the personal and corporate nature of our faith. Hipps says, “With the […]

There is a place on my hand; long its been there It is a wound, deep and long, a remnant of an old battle It just won’t heal; I pick and pick at it, never letting the scar fully form It sits there, aching, stinking, hurting, reminding me of what I am not   Thing […]

As Christians we live as Stanley Hauerwas has put it, as resident aliens in this world. We are in this world, and yet we are also part of the Kingdom. We live in our culture, in a specific time and place, and yet through Christ we are at the same time part of eternity. This […]

Jesus came into a religious system obsessed with Holiness. The Jews took God quite literally, as they well should have, when he said, “Be Holy, as I am Holy.” So they worked extra hard to make sure that they were holy. If they were going to be holy, it would be hard work. After all, […]

So the latest controversy surrounding Madonna involves her current Confessions Tour. Always a lightning rod for controversy and sacrilege, Madonna once again uses Christian imagery throughout her show to accomplish varying degrees of shock, some sort of artistic statement, and well in certain ways she seems to just be reminding us of her history. Her […]

Romans 8:28-31 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And […]

I saw a man with no arms mowing the grass today. I am serious, as I was driving, there he was, on the side of the road, working at his job and mowing the grass, without the benefit of arms. The site was so striking that it got me thinking about the things in life […]

Often our lives are overwhelemed by chaos, planning, working, scheduling, cleaning, and going. In the midst of our whirlwind of doing we miss out on being. We miss out on the simple pleasures of our existence. For the last week, I have been compiling a list of simple things to be thankful. These are the […]

The world seems a sadder place today Steve Irwin the Crocodile Hunter was killed while diving in Australia. Apparently a sting ray stabbed him in the heart with its 10 inch poisonous barb. Stingrays are almost never lethal, so his death in such a manner is a huge surprise. Most of us know Steve with […]

As an elder in the Church of the Nazarene, my life involves a lot of time thinking about my denomination and trying to understand who we are and where we are going. Spending the majority of my time these days with Methodists and an assortment of other non-Nazarenes, there is a struggle within me to […]