The safest place to be is at the center of God’s calling, no matter how difficult or dangerous. The most dangerous place to be? Anywhere else. When God calls a man to a vocation, God is not primarily concerned with the things the man himself was concerned about before receiving that call. God is concerned with … More The Calling
Carry us, O sabbath Lord, when sabbath days are awful few. Oh, help us rest, and rest assured, in sabbath’s story, long and true. That seventh day, from heaven’s throne, you looked upon a world made. Your restful satisfaction shone o’er heav’n and earth, in joy surveyed. From Sinai’s thundering mount you gave a law … More Carry Us to Sabbath
I do not have the answer, friend. I do not think I ever will. The only thing I have to lend: my ignorance, an inkless quill. I dare not lay an empty word upon your throbbing mystery. I dare not bare a blunted sword in answer to your inquiry. But maybe presence speaks a truth, … More The Ministry of Presence
I am the resurrection and the life. —Jesus of Nazareth From all appearances, Jesus arrived too late. Far too late. And not fashionably, stylishly late, but wrongfully, neglectfully late. His friend Lazarus had been sick—critical condition—and Jesus waited. He didn’t rush to Bethany, like a real friend would’ve done. He didn’t come right away, like … More The Resurrection and the Life: Lazarus, Harvey, and the Love of Jesus
The words we threw around today, the curses and the blessings both, Were not a verbal game to play— a trifled breath, an empty oath. Instead, life’s current carries now the poisons we released so free; The fire careless words allow, consuming us from sea to sea. We know not how the cost will rise, … More Let Words Be Few
The strength he gives us for today is for today, and nothing more; At morning dawn without delay, like manna on the desert floor. Like manna from the desert sky, these daily mercies never fail; His promises, which never lie, sustaining ours, which ever fail. Tomorrow’s troubles threaten, loud, to shut the sky and seal … More Strength for Today
As Hurricane Harvey made landfall along the South Texas coast ten days ago, the Nashville Statement produced by the Council for Biblical Manhood and Womanhood (CBMW) was picking up steam online. This statement is a multi-authored document with many noteworthy signatories seeking to articulate a concise biblical defense of traditional views relating to gender and sexuality. … More Hurricane Harvey and the Nashville Statement
BridgePoint Bible Church has been in transition for years now. Several associate pastors transitioned to other ministries. The senior pastor transitioned to an associate role. The women’s coordinator transitioned, the facilities director transitioned, and I transitioned from the professorate in Louisville to the pastorate here. “Transition” has been the buzzword around BridgePoint. And we were … More Ink from the Sky
I never imagined I’d be sloshing through two feet of brown floodwater in our church building two weeks after my installation service and three months after we moved to Houston. But there I was this past Friday, with my brother Mike, kayaking across the parking lot and gliding through the glass doors and then wading … More Singing in the Rain
In recent months I’ve seen an upsurge in tweet-threads among those I follow on Twitter. The increase has been obvious, within my (very) limited sphere. If your first thought is “Who cares?!” I applaud you. You’re likely living a happier life than those who do care. My interest, though, is not Twitter itself but what … More The Rise of Tweet-Threads and the Quality of Public Discourse
When a moral crisis engulfs a nation, that nation needs many things: collective self-restraint, urgent and wise dialogue, swift and righteous decisions, and an unbending commitment to unoppressive order and impartial justice. But as much as any of these things, if not more, a nation in moral crisis needs leaders with public moral credibility. No … More Moral Credibility, Moral Crisis, and the Leaders We Need
Last night I went for a walk along the bayou near our street, trying to decompress and straighten out my mind. There, in the humid twilight of a Houston summer night, I found myself in a familiar place: struggling to pray. It’s not that there’s too little to pray about; if anything, there’s too much. … More When You Don’t Have a Prayer
I don’t plan to make Sunday morning statements about most noteworthy events that make national news. I hope my brothers and sisters at BridgePoint Bible Church can appreciate when I do decide to make these statements without expecting that every injustice that tops the headlines will receive a focused response in our Sunday gatherings. But … More My Sunday Morning Comments about Charlottesville
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. — Hebrews 1:1-2 Holy Father, Your word is light — let it rise, let it shine, let it show. Your word is health — let … More A Preacher’s Prayer
This weekend, every major news network is covering the thousands of white supremacists who’ve descended on Charlottesville, Virginia. Their local micro-protest is the removal of Confederate statues and names from public parks and spaces. But their larger macro-protest is the increasing diversity of a nation they feel is squeezing out the white race, whom they deem … More Charlottesville, Racism, and the Church of Jesus Christ
How much does it hurt when someone slanders you? How long does it stay with you when someone shares negative things about you with others? How deep does it go when someone slices into your reputation with twisted words you know don’t represent the truth? Slander is serious business. It poisons hearts and fractures friendships. … More Five Slippery Steps toward Slander
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