The Creator God is the God of wonderful reversals.  He grants a child of promise to old and decrepit Abraham and Sarah; he delivers a nation of slaves from the world’s most powerful empire by making a pathway through the sea; he defeats the champion warrior Goliath through David, the shepherd-boy; he crumbles the walls […]

*Given at Midtown Christian Community, April 4, 2009 Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk […]

Almighty God, we pray you graciously to behold this your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, and given into the hands of sinners, and to suffer death upon the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A personality profile once indicated that I tend to evaluate others on their verbal skills.  I’ll admit it.  I am indeed highly attuned to others’ facility with words. I try to avoid passing judgment, but verbal miscues arrest my attention, especially when they’re funny. Here are a few I’ve collected over the past few weeks […]

A colleague remarked to me the other day about the difficulty of writing dictionary articles.  A limited word count forces one to be concise and to the point.  Words must be chosen carefully and thoughts expressed concisely.  Other types of writing allow one to be less careful and, well, lazier. I thought immediately of prayer.  […]

*Given at Midtown Christian Community, March 15, 2008 Almighty and everliving God, in your tender love for the human race you sent your Son our Savior Jesus Christ to take upon him our nature, and to suffer death upon the cross, giving us the example of his great humility: Mercifully grant that we may walk […]

  Show us your mercy, O Lord;   And grant us your salvation. Clothe your ministers with righteousness;   Let your people sing with joy. Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;   For only in you can we live in safety. Lord, keep this nation under your care;   And guide us in […]

Over the last few days, I’ve been reflecting on an occasional comment I’ve heard from evangelical people.  I indicated that it comes from different angles, with different attitudes.  Sometimes it’s a complaint or something of a lament. Talking with people after an evening class in a local church, I’ve heard the wistful comment, “Wow, I’ve […]

Yesterday I wrote that I’ve been struck by a comment I’ve heard over the last several years.  It’s not that I hear it all the time, nor is it the only response I’ve heard from evangelicals (thankfully!).  It’s just that whenever I’ve heard it, I’ve thought it unusual, and I’ve wondered about the underlying assumptions […]

Over the past several years, as I’ve taught the Bible in various settings, I’ve heard something odd from evangelical people.  And I’ve heard it often enough that it seems fair to call it a pattern.  When I first began to hear it, I was baffled.  I couldn’t imagine the sort of mindset that would give […]