In the midst of this pandemic, I’ve noticed a response from some Christian leaders that strikes me as unhelpful (and unhealthy). I admit it is something in me as well, so I’m not just pointing fingers but seeking a more excellent way.
[Read more…] about Seeking Control During the Coronavirus Pandemic
When I slow down with others so I can hear their stories, I often find out where people are really at in life: what they’re celebrating and what they’re struggling with. And because people are more influenced by what they want than what they think, there’s simply no way to disciple someone if you can’t talk about desire.
[Read more…] about Why Listening is a Key Practice For Evangelism(This is the second story of what it sounds like to share the gospel of allegiance to Jesus in real life. You can read the first one here.)
I was recently talking with a few of my friends in the neighborhood about life and faith. One of my friends appeared a little agitated and then blurted out, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about this. All this talk about God and what he is like and what he might want from us. Who’s to say God just doesn’t want me to be happy? If I enjoy going to strip clubs and seeing naked women why wouldn’t God be okay with that? Maybe your view of God is just too narrow, Gino. Maybe your God is no fun.”
[Read more…] about Proclaiming the Gospel of Allegiance: Another Story
Have you ever heard someone say, “In his first coming Jesus came as a lamb and in the second coming, he will return as a lion!” The implication is that Jesus has a lamb-like nature (love, gentleness, mercy) and a lion-like nature (power, judgment, wrath), and these are different aspects of who God is.
READ MOREAs a young child, I can clearly remember feeling that the height of failure was to be bored. Being bored meant missing out on the fun that others were having or lacking the creative juice to make fun happen right where I was. Somewhere, someone else was not bored and my boredom was evidence that I was missing out on the fun, or lacked the skills to be fun.
Many years ago I heard John Piper lament that in his experience, many Christians could not speak intelligibly about the holiness of God for longer than a few minutes. I was “young, restless, and reformed” at that point in my life, and so I took his words to heart.
[Read more…] about Getting to Know the God Who Looks Like Jesus
