Holiness Reeducation

A federal judge has blocked some of the most controversial and contested portions of a new Arizona law regarding immigration. Illegal immigrants are a major issue in Arizona, and in many other states, for a variety of reasons. The issues at play here are complicated by individual liberties, law enforcement, and communal good. There is […]

Who knew Wild at Heart had an untapped violent gang market? There are reports out of Mexico about a gang leader who is using Christian spiritual disciplines and small group curriculum to shape his ultra-violent gang. The gang members are encouraged to pray and read scripture daily, to go through the study Wild at Heart, […]

Nothing says summer time like stuff blowing up, ridiculous chase scenes, and 3D glasses, so here are some blockbuster ramblings…. First, Just a Reminder That God is Good Yesterday we made it to the 5th commandment in our summer sermon series. Honor your father and mother. This is such an interesting commandment. First of all […]

Do you have a book that you think other people must read? We would love to hear about it. During the summer I typically slow down on my theological reading and go back through my favorite novels for a couple of months. This summer is no exception as I have spent most of my free […]

Two interesting facts for you today. Facebook now has more users that the population of United States, Japan and Germany combined. Amazon is now selling more digital books for its Kindle than hardcover books. Wow. What is truly remarkable about both of these stories is the exponential growth of this social networking giant and a […]

Sitting here in my church in a lumber yard warehouse I am really juggling my thoughts about churches and buildings. There is an article today about older congregations struggling to pay for the upkeep of too often crumbling buildings. So I am debating the future of church buildings today. On one side there is a […]

Here are some religious failures I have seen from across the web From Failblog a perhaps Joyous Future fail?!? Methodist Fail How about this story about the Claremont School of Theology, a UMC seminary that is now going to train rabbis and imams. The UMC is pulling its support of the school. Big time Christian […]

You know it is time to leave the mission trip when one of your middle schoolers tells you he has lost all of his underwear and you have to lend him a pair of yours. A Trip to Almost Canada, Michigan Last week I had the distinct privilege of taking our youth group on a […]

This is a really interesting article from Planet Money and Frontline about the damage caused to the Haitian economy by giving away rice. In short, many Haitians make a living growing, wholesaling and street vending rice. When a bunch of people start showing up and giving away rice for free it is hard to make […]