What does a call to ministry look like? Most of the call stories that get repeated are grand stories. One famous example is the call of Martin Luther. It involves a literal lightening bolt knocking him to the ground and an immediate commitment to become a monk. Now that is a call story! But must all call stories be so big? Many folks in ministry have only a small … [Read more...] about Small Call
Imperfect Leaders
Every leader I know, past and present, comes with flaws and failures (myself included, of course). Leaders from past generations have blindspots that make us blush now. Leaders from our day have their own peculiar shortcomings, too. So, how should we think of imperfect leaders? Should we follow them? Do certain imperfections require us to dismiss them altogether? Or, … [Read more...] about Imperfect Leaders
Bass on Sabbath
Rest and worship. One day a week - not much, in a sense, but a good beginning. One day to resist the tyranny of too much or too little work and to celebrate with God and others, remembering thereby who we really are and what is really important. One day that, week after week, anchors a way of life that makes a difference every day. (p. 43)Bass, D. C. (1997, Sep 01). … [Read more...] about Bass on Sabbath
The Essence of Praise
“This is the essence of praise: saying to God what God is. Giving praise is sibling to doing theology, the project of saying who God is, and what the Triune God is doing in Jesus Christ.” -Kevin Vanhoozer, Biblical Authority after Babel. … [Read more...] about The Essence of Praise
To Haddon Robinson
One of my favorite classes in seminary was also the one that intimidated me the most. It was "Preaching" with Haddon Robinson. The class was at 8:00AM. That was early for me. So I would sleepily shuffle in sipping coffee from a tumbler, my brain still yawning awake. Dr. Robinson would enter the room with pace and purpose. He would have been in his seventies then, spending … [Read more...] about To Haddon Robinson