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We are all defined by something or someone. Maybe we define ourselves by our job or maybe by our family name. However we define ourselves, this definition often determines much of our lives. Therefore, one of the most important questions anyone can ask us is “Who are you?” One of the beautiful things about the Christian faith is that we are not just called out of something but into something. The old is not just gone but the new has come. Check out how Paul of Tarsus puts this in 2 Corinthians 5: From now on, therefore,  we regard no one according to the flesh.Read More →

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In 2 Corinthians 5:11 says, “Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience.” This verse is interesting because it points us to a couple of significant truths that we must grapple with. First, we have this phrase, “fear of the Lord”.  The word here translated as “fear” carries with it the connotation of respect, reverence, awe. It is not an irrational fear, the kind of fear that I have for needles for instance. Fear of the Lord is something that is the result of whatRead More →

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There may be no more important question that someone can ask you. “Who are you?” How do you answer it? One man answered it this way: If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. — Saul of Tarsus Paul was the man. He was as good as it gets. He knew he was. He could answer this question without hesitation or doubt. Then he met Jesus andRead More →

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There was a disciple in Damascus by the name of Ananias. The Master spoke to him in a vision: “Ananias.” “Yes, Master?” he answered. “Get up and go over to Straight Avenue. Ask at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus. His name is Saul. He’s there praying. He has just had a dream in which he saw a man named Ananias enter the house and lay hands on him so he could see again.” Ananias protested, “Master, you can’t be serious. Everybody’s talking about this man and the terrible things he’s been doing, his reign of terror against your people in Jerusalem!Read More →

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It is no secret that I love baseball. It is my son’s chosen sport. He loves to play and I have grown to love it as well. As with most anything I do, I haven’t gone half way on my engagement with baseball. I love the history and I enjoy learning how to help my boy become better and better. Over the years I have seen a large number of baseball games from youth levels up to the professional. I have come to appreciate defense and pitching much more than the offensive aspect of the game. Baseball Tonight’s “Web Gems” is one of my favoriteRead More →

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Thursdays I spend time with many of the significant leaders of The Antioch Movement. I was driving home this past Thursday and rejoicing over the reality that I don’t feel alone. Yet, in that joy I remembered something I had written a couple of years ago and realized how much God has changed me. I am so grateful that he has brought me to a place where I am not hiding anymore. I am embracing openness and it is amazing. Here’s the post… Loneliness, according to Dan Allender in Leading With a Limp, is one of the things that any leader will bump into. He canRead More →

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Jackie Robinson has become a family hero of ours. We were able to get to know his daughter, Sharon, a bit when our son won an essay contest in Jackie’s honor. The highlight for me was watching Sharon talk with the children of Ethan’s school answering all kinds of questions. She did so with grace and understanding. I was amazed by the stories. Leading up to Sharon coming we watched the Ken Burns episode on Baseball regarding the breaking of the color barrier. The stories are heartbreaking, encouraging, and you’re left jaw slacked. Today 42 opens. It tells Jackie’s story of courage, courage not to fightRead More →

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I really enjoy sports. I like to play them and watch them. Recently the University of Michigan played for the college basketball national championship. They lost. I remember the last time they played for the national championship. They lost. My reaction to these two games are totally different. For many years when my teams would lose I would be angry. I mean, slap your momma angry. I would be in a funk for days. My emotions were completely caught up in the moment and the team and experience. Sports would arouse my affections. They captured my heart. A few years ago I began wrestling withRead More →

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I remember the day. It was a spring day and the sun was shining. I walked to the end of my driveway and opened the mailbox. In it was a yellow envelope that contained a book I didn’t order. The book you ask? Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller. I sat outside a small coffee shop near Illinois State University and read the book in about six hours. Over the next few days I read it again and again. Inside that book I discovered grace in a way I never had before. Blue Like Jazz, was for me, Martin Luther’s commentary on Galatians or Packer’sRead More →

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Recently I started working out again. It is something that is not always what I would consider fun. Our gym gives you two free sessions with a trainer and it gives you a taste of what it would be like to have one regularly. Trainers don’t care about your comfort. They care about helping you achieve your goals. They intentionally make you uncomfortable. Each time you meet with them you are put into different situations and your body is pushed in a different direction. They are able to help you do things that you aren’t willing to do on your own. In our journeys ofRead More →