Welcome to the “general” blog! Here you will find posts on spiritual formation and other thoughts on Christian living and growth. You can also browse two books in progress: In Pops’ Workshop and The Fog.
Extreme Makeover: Soul Edition
Home improvement or a new home? Better sin management, or a new, full life? We are offered what we cannot achieve on our own, but too often we settle for much less.
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Paradoxes
To die protecting my flaws and shame behand walls, or to live, exposed in the light.
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Becoming Resilient in a Disruptive World
We can become spiritually resilient in a disruptive world. If we learn to frequently check our spiritual compass, then when we are buffeted or disturbed in our following the way of Jesus, we can quickly get back on course.
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Transforming Beliefs: Lessons from Inside Out 2
“Inside Out 2” offers a compelling exploration of how our personal narratives shape our identities. Narratives, whether true or false, deeply impact our relationships with God and our spiritual growth. Tools like the Enneagram of Christlike Virtues can aid in uncovering false beliefs and fostering true narratives, ultimately leading to a more authentic sense of self and spiritual maturity.
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Fear Not
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. Jesus The Bible repeatedly tells us not to be fearful or anxious. How do you feel reading those verses? If you skipped over them just now, go back and read them again, paying attention to how they make you feel. Are you comforted by them or are you convicted of your inability to trust God? It depends on how we are reading those verses. The lens through which we read scripture will greatly influence how we interpret what we read. Most of us were taught to view the Bible…
Keep readingWhen God Breaks In
God will break in on your life. You may not understand it, you may not recognize it for what it is, but he will break in on your life. God is an ardent lover, and, as such, he pursues us relentlessly. He never tires of making himself known, in hopes that we will turn to him and be saved. When God’s love does break into our lives, when he gets in past the noise, clutter, hurry, and anxiety of our lives, what do we do? We usually respond in one of three ways. We can ignore it and simply carry…
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What Does God Smell Like?
We often picture God in our mind’s eye. Many of us hear God’s voice. But in a recent prayer time, I wondered, “What does God smell like?” Even as I write that, it feels like a weird question. Yet science tells us that our sense of smell is uniquely tied to our emotions and memories.1 So I sat with the question of what does God smell like. God smells like Incense and candles Grandfather’s pipe Grandmother’s floral perfume A lonely dirt road The forest after a rain Honest sweat A new-born baby An approaching thunderstorm Freshly fallen snow Baking bread…
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The Unlooked-For Good
Christmas is nearly here. This year, the approach of Christmas leaves me with mixed emotions. I long for a Norman Rockwell Christmas: a loving family gathering around a fragrant balsam, feasting, good-natured ribbing, games, laughter, making new memories, and sharing remembrances of Christmases past. That fantasized Christmas is rarely, if ever, anyone’s reality. I have come close to it a few times. But the truth is that our dream of the perfect family Christmas, a wistful melange of Rockwell, Hallmark, and Hollywood Christmas classics, is not likely to be realized. Nonetheless, we look for it, we hope for it, and…
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Pursuing Grace
My Desire is herejust beyond my reachI see itI sense itI need itWith each movement toward it, it retreatsLike a wary bird, staying just our of reachA slow reach toward it, a slow retreatThrusting out my arm, a dash awayA violent rushing grasp falls on empty airEver fleeing; never leaving.Always returning, resting tantalizingly close.I want it; I need itA siren song I cannot ignoreYet every move to take it failsStymied, I sitWatchingWaitingWonderingPlanning my next moveIn my quietude, my Desire moves ever closerComing to rest on my open, outstretched handMy chance!My hand snaps closedTo hold my treasure with an iron grip.My…
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The 23rd Psalm for the Anxious Life
Anxiety seems to be an inescapable fact of our times. The vast amount of information available, carefully curated by algorithms to keep us engaged and coming back for more, seems destined to drive up our anxiety. Nearly everything is hyperbolic. Death, destruction, danger, and peril are presented as always just around the corner. Surely we do live in fraught times. We have deep and seemingly unbridgeable chasms in our society. Politics, race, gender, and religion all seem to be pulling us apart. It is no wonder we are anxious. As real as our perils are, we amplify them in our…
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Rethinking The Law: Courtroom or Classroom?
When you read “Law and Gospel,” what comes to your mind? In my initial formation, I learned that Law and the Gospel were connected in a quasi-symbiotic relationship. The Law was there to convict us. It laid out the impossibly high standard for righteousness, a standard we could never meet. Its ultimate purpose was to show us our wretchedness and our need for a savior. The Gospel was the other side of the same coin. We were in line for eternal punishment due to our transgressions, but the good news of the Gospel was that Jesus paid the price for…
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Sunrise
A parable of one who, with the accompaniment of a friend, experiences the beauty and majesty of the sunrise.
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Thinking About Repentance
Thinking about repentance seems natural during Lent. In liturgical traditions, the Lenten season is forty days preceding Easter. It commemorates Jesus’ forty-day fast in the wilderness before he began his public. It is a time of reflection and introspection. A discipline of self-denial during Lent can drive our introspection as we learn just how weak our wills really are. As we come to grip with the weakness of our wills, our thoughts often turn to repentance. Jesus begins his ministry by declaring: “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” How do you hear that declaration? We may hear…
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Swimming
The Lake is immense, deep, and still. I cannot guess its size or its depth. I am drawn to it; I desire to somehow be “with” the Lake and be as close to it as possible. Initially, I get only as far as the shore; I am content with being near the Lake. I see its shimmering surface. I hear the gentle sound of waves lapping up against the shore. I smell its watery scents. My desire is not satisfied, but I am not ready to get any closer.
Keep readingThe Wagon
I journey each day on a horse-drawn wagon. It is a fine wagon, and I do all I can to ensure that I will go smoothly to my destination. I pack the wheel bearings with grease. The horses are well-shod and seem to be well-suited to their task. Their harnesses and traces are all in good order. I review my map and carefully plan my route. Yet, each day ends the same. I start off sure of my driving and my direction. No matter how diligently I apply myself to driving the team and following my route, I always end…
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Discernment, Self-Deception, and Redemption
Discernment should be easy but we can make it quite hard. What are the ways that we can be our own worst enemy when we try to discern God’s will for us?
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New Colors or True Colors?
This morning, I watched a news program that took us to Aspen, Colorado, to see the stunning reds and golds of the namesake aspen trees as Summer gives way to Fall and Fall to Winter. I was reminded that trees don’t really change their colors in the fall. The brilliant hues we flock to see are there all along; they are hidden by the chlorophyll green required for photosynthesis. As summer ends, the chlorophyll is drawn back, revealing the reds, oranges, and golds that were there all along. That can be a way to look at our spiritual growth. We…
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Our Times Have Always Been Uncertain
If we seek stability and certainty, we must end in one place: God. God does not change. In Him we have certainty and predictability. If we keep our eyes on Him we can anchor ourselves to an immovable rock in a sea of change, uncertainly, and turmoil.
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From Pops' Workshop 