Phil Steiger
Just a few days ago I had a fascinating day demographically. That’s an awkward sentence, so here is what happened. I had the privilege of doing the early morning devotional for a men’s residential rehab program. It is a ministry attached to a local organization that works with the homeless community, but this group of... Continue Reading →
Recently our staff wrestled with a philosophical shift. Like many churches our size, we have spent a lot of time and effort putting on events. Like calendar clockwork, we scheduled events for Easter, Mother’s Day, VBS, Fourth of July, Back-to-School, and the holiday season. After over a decade of doing that (something most church... Continue Reading →
Mark 4:26-27 “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts; he knows not how.” The Parable of the Growing Seed (ESV) I was reminded of this passage in a Dallas Willard video recently. Willard said it... Continue Reading →
Every human is a meaning-searching being. Some of us engage in the search overtly and often. Many of us think of it from time to time, but nonetheless look for places to ground ourselves and our sense of direction and value in life. These places of meaning do a lot of work for us. They... Continue Reading →
What an awful term. If you look up a definition, you will learn it means to remove someone from a list of friends on a social media site. But this is, to me, an unfortunate and corrosive use of the word “friend” and the bonds that are painfully severed when you cease to be friends... Continue Reading →
I have a background in economics (if a B.A. in the subject and a lasting enthusiasm count as a background) and have long been interested in the ways this discipline I enjoy intersects with my faith and vocation as a pastor. So, it has been encouraging to watch this connection become a fertile field for... Continue Reading →
Andrew T. Walker. God and the Transgender Debate: What Does the Bible Actually Say About Gender Identity? (The Good Book Company, Denmark. 2017) 174 ppg. The cultural issues swirling around the American and Western church require Christians and church leaders to have a new level of theological perception. If we believe our faith... Continue Reading →
Psalm 112 The righteous worker is: happy, delights in God’s law, lends generously, conducts business fairly, is unafraid, gives freely to the poor, he is gracious, compassionate, and righteous, and the wicked hate it. How do you think about the value of your labor? What do you think are the primary two or three... Continue Reading →
Skye Jethani. Immeasurable: Reflections on the Soul of Ministry In The Age of Church, Inc. (Moody Publishers, Chicago. 2017) 215 pgs. The American Evangelical church is easily tempted by shiny things. For decades now we have taught ourselves a theology of church and the spiritual life that is only tenuously connected to Scripture. In... Continue Reading →
In the recent wrangling over new tax bills, non-profit organizations have found themselves thrown into the conversation for several reasons. One is the modification of the Johnson Amendment, originally passed to prohibit non-profits from explicitly endorsing candidates during the “normal course” of their activities. (The passing of the Amendment itself has a dubious and politically... Continue Reading →
Every Thought Captive 