PATIENCE (a reminder for Advent) In the natural, patience wanes as we get older. In Christ, it grows as we get older. Patience is the 'reveal' of how we are living.

My latest (post 2 in the series) on recovering Hauerwas for the 21st century politics we're living in. Push back invited!! (link in the comments)

Goes without saying. Thx to Gov Beshear.

From Shane Claiborne's page

SIMPLE TRUTH ABOUT LEADERSHIP If you find yourself being more concerned about your profile on social media than the seriousness of the task that lies before you, you are already disqualified for leadership, and from participating in the Kingdom of God

My latest on 'Fitch's Provocations'. Link in the comments.

DONALD TRUMP IS NOT A PEACEMAKER. he's a dealmaker. For him, peace is for sale to the highest bidder, or to whatever benefits Trump the most. At its very core, this is the opposite of peace. #PrayForUkraine

American culture, and the church in America, has yet to come to grips with just how much power and money, the seizing hold of it and abuse of it by men, is tied closely to, and surely becomes manifest in, the sexualizing and using of women.

NEVER TRUST A LEADER who seeks after power for power’s sake. Seek a leader who serves. Discern the difference. Mark 10: 42-45

FEEL GOOD JUSTICE? Exploring the social dynamics of doing social justice projects at your local church. My latest at Fitch's Provocations Substack. (link in the comments)

AN ABSOLUTELY TRUE STORY OF AN EXORCISM. Written by Jason Micheli with his typical riveting prose and quick wit. Read this and be challenged (and encouraged) for the day. mbird.com/everyday/exp...

"The Dodgers didn't win the World Series tonight, they won a game." Blue Jays manager John Schneider

Mad Max reminds me of how I used to be on the golf course. And why I eventually quit. I was a really bad at golf. I'm so rooting for the intense man on the mound tonight. #GoJays

"Christians need two conversions: one from the world TO Christ and the other WITH Christ into the world" John Stott

DENOMINATIONS BY MEMBERS' INCOME LEVEL I always thought it was protestant mainline = the richest, holiness pentecostal = lowest income. I was close. From @ryanburge.bsky.social Check out his page.

NOBLE PEACE PRIZE. No one who truly seeks after peace, works at peace-making in order to win himself a Nobel Peace prize, or any other personal accolades.

"BAD CHRISTIANITY is very bad, and we need to be more upfront about that." Stanley Hauerwas.

CALL ME OLD-FASHIONED ... but I love seeing Sydney Crosby in a suit AND TIE coming to the rink. #RespectTheGame #HockeyTraditionRules

"It is the individualism and the epistemology of evangelical fundamentalism that drives the line that runs from the evangelical personal relationship with God... to a MAGA commitment." Explore this with me (link in the comments)

My 3rd and last post on "Charlie Kirk" the cultural symbol. May God grant us wisdom to lead our churches in this moment, wisely and courageously with great presence. (link in comments)

Canada puts a whooping on the Yanks. #GoJays #OCanada

"Because Americans always attend the church of their choice, church inherently lacks the ability to resist accommodation to economic and political powers." Stanley Hauerwas

Yep. My latest on Charlie Kirk as the cultural symbol of the missing church in America.(link in the comments)

"It was impossible to get a conversation going, everybody was talking too much" Yogi Berra on the importance of listening.

HOW EVANGELICALISM LOST ITS WAY: Theology On Mission podcast SEASON ELEVEN!! 1st episode hits this week with special guest Russell D. Moore. FYI this episode was recorded before the assassination of Charlie Kirk. open.spotify.com/episode/3a84...

Charlie Kirk said some good things, and bad things, did some good things and some bad. Let's be careful who we elevate. Can we be discerning of both? From one of the premier New Testament scholars of our day. Nijay K Gupta of Northern Seminary . nijaykgupta.substack.com/p/if-you-are...

LATEST FOX NEWS POLL. Some things are a-shifting? Source: @JesseFFerguson

CHARLIE KIRK THE CULTURAL SYMBOL The first of two posts. (link in the comments).

I'm on Allan Bevere's podcast today talking about the church and the problem of worldly power. Always enjoy being with this dude. (link in the comments)

“I don’t see how you can say ‘Christian nation’ and at the same time say ‘Jesus is Lord.’" Stan Hauerwas

When done well, the practice of reconciliation (Matt 18) unravels worldly power, exposes those who abuse it for what they are. I continue to explore the practice of Matt 18 and how it can can reshape a community. (link in the comments)

Yes sir.

I CONSTRUCT SERMONS around one rhetorical phrase (summarizing the Scriptural insight) that encapsulates the gospel for that day and I require that phrase to be understood equally by a 10 yr old and a 70 yr old.

WHICH CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS VOTED FOR TRUMP IN 2024? Observations? (from Ryan Burge )

By talking all summer about how fast the summer goes by, I was able to slow it down a bit. Now I'm OK with #GoodbyeSummer2025.

Lisa Cook. "You go girl!!" A majority of all Americans support you.

If you care about reconciliation, its practice, and abuse in the church. My latest on Fitch's Provocations. (link in the comments)

“A nihilistic culture is defined by the drive to destroy, by the will to power. And that definition now describes the American nation.” James Davison Hunter

YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE THE BAIT (friendly reminder) ... or defend yourself in every argument. Nehemiah responds to threats & unfair accusations with: “Why should I stop the good work I’m doing to argue with you? Nothing you’re saying is true. You’re making it up.” Nehemiah 6:3,8.

What does this tell you? (from the work of Ryan Burge)

While I was taking a nap this summer, my friend Wayne Gordon's new book dropped. Let's not miss this book. He's Professor of Urban Ministry at Northern Seminary. As if you need another reason to come study with us!! Not too late to sign up for this fall. (link in the comments)

The goal is not to read a book, or finish a book. The goal is to digest a book. What's you method?

THE STATE OF AMERICAN POLITICS is a joke. Can the church be different? Be a politic of Jesus himself that leads us out of this?

Per Ryan Burge percent of young Christians who go to church every week (they're rare)

My latest - on the weaponizing of Matt 18:15-20. And what to do about it. Link in the comments.

"Evangelicals often preach that what the culture needs is absolute truth, but what the culture needs is a church that believes the truth so absolutely it actually lives it out." The Great Giveaway (2005) p. 57.

ON DEPORTING FELLOW CHRISTIANS: Just FYI, as estimated by NAE, 80% of the 10 million undocumented immigrants who could be at risk of deportation from the U.S. are practicing Christians.”

Stir up hate. Play on antagonism. Spread conspiracy. There is a formulae by which one becomes an influencer on X and it is of Satan. We who follow Jesus, when engaging the world, go a different way.

"If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference. If the Holy Spirit had been withdrawn from the NT church, 95% of what they did would stop, and everybody would know the difference." A.W. Tozer

"Every church has either an altar or a stage. It’s either a sacrifice or a show." Dr Gavin Ashenden, former Anglican bishop/chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II,