Lighten Up: Um…

No Room for Judgment June 22, 2016

In the light of the horrible violence in Orlando, and in response to the sickening judgmental statements that some Christian leaders have been making since the mass shooting about the victims who belong to the LGBTQ community, this is a time to remember our calling to revolt against all judgment as kingdom people. In the…

Lighten Up: And So It Began December 20, 2013

Who You Are Reflects the Kind of God You Worship February 26, 2015

We always reflect the mental picture of God that we envision, for better or worse. If you have a fear-based picture of God, it will even affect the structure of your brain. You become the kind of person that you worship. If you have a threatening picture of God, you become threatening. If you have a…

The Cruciform Center Part 2: How John’s Gospel Reveals a Cruciform God January 9, 2014

In the previous post, we looked at how the Synoptics illustrate the centrality of the cross. While the Gospel of John varies in its structure and language from the Synoptics, the cross remains at the center. This centrality is expressed in a number of different ways. 1. The role that Jesus’ death plays in glorifying…

The Cross is Revelation and Salvation July 25, 2017

The way Christ saved us from the curse of the law was “by becoming a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13). So too, the way Christ freed us from the condemnation of sin and enabled us to “become the righteousness of God” was by becoming sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21). Getting this point is crucial…

God’s Ways Are Higher Than Ours October 15, 2019

A frequently quoted passage from the Old Testament comes from Isaiah 55. It reads: …my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways… As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (vss. 8-9). I’ve often heard this passage…