Authentic Christianity
Living the Word of God in our daily life.
Related topics: Bible Literacy, Book Reviews, Theology, Worldviews
ananias of damascus: a sermon on a reading from acts 9
The Reading: Acts 9:1-20 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might...
a letter to the people of the Church in my community
As a student of the Living Word, a faithful servant of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a seeker of Truth, I, Dan, write this to the people of the Church in my community. Whether you attend casually, serve in the church at any level, or shepherd over any part of the...
the Church’s attachment disorder: finding peace in our relationship with God
"He's such a loving little boy," the caseworker told us. Before we met the boys we would eventually adopt, we got the quick personality rundown on each of them. The younger of the two brothers was described as one who just loved everyone. "He's so sweet!" And that...
some things aren’t worth compromising
“Dan, I know you love spending time with your family, but don’t let that get in the way of your career.” He flew me one thousand miles across the country to sit me down and tell me this. I knew that moment was the beginning of the end of a decade-long relationship...
that time my son reminded me how God is in control
[Tweet "Sometimes you just need a reminder that God is in control."] And sometimes God speaks to us in the most unexpected ways. That happened to Krista and I the other day. It's been a whirlwind of a week. If you told me a week ago that we'd have a newborn baby in...
last things
I am surprised my daughter didn’t think about what I assumed was obvious. She lifts a clean plate from the dishwasher, places it on top of the stack on the kitchen counter; among cans of pumpkin and a warm crock pot simmering with pulled pork for dinner. Holding a...
kingdom comes
It was a day not unlike any other. Dirt clung to the heels of the people who passed in the street and in the public places. Flies gathered around dogs' ears and water splashed as it poured from the well into jars. There were silent, knowing glances exchanged...
just beyond the bridge
Photo by Kelli Campbell I live in a landscape made for ghost stories. The weeping willow tree has turned the color of a copper penny. When fog curls around the trunk, I half believe the headless horseman will pass by. Perhaps the bright sunshine of summer washes...
untidy conclusions and the messy middle place
The first morning of the Great Darkness, I slid out the back door into deafening silence. The door shuddered down the track and then glided closed again with a groan. I reached up, up - stretching my leg muscles with tip-toed feet in worn sneakers - then down past...
God’s Word…
One Friday night when I was 18, a friend and I left to do one of those college visits, the ones to see if you want to spend huge sums of money on over four years, and most likely the twenty years following also. I had a soccer game that night, so we embarked on...
vagrant spirituality
"So easily 'spirituality' becomes a cafeteria through which we walk making selections according to our taste an appetite... confinement turns into concentration, illusion transmutes into hope, death changes to resurrection." - Eugene Peterson I'm a bit of a vagrant...
i have written no essay today
And I am sorry. I wanted to give you metaphors that sing, but I have only this empty page and a blinking cursor. I feel embarrassed by this blank page, as if it exposes something of which I am deeply ashamed. It seems to matter more than a blank page should. This...
when hope comes with an ultimatum
I remember 1987 as the year of desperation. It was also the year I graduated from college. Working part-time as a hostess in a restaurant to pay for tuition, I realized I was employed by the primary industry keeping the economy alive in Tulsa, Oklahoma during a...