Four weeks ago, Hurricane Harvey made landfall south of Houston. Three weeks ago, I was kayaking up to the doors of our flooded church building. Two weeks ago, some church members were finally seeing the waters recede from their homes. One week ago, we were preparing for our first Sunday service in our new temporary … More Ten Brief Updates from Houston
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
The best way to read a book is one page at a time. Sure, if you’ve been through grad school or seminary or a PhD in the humanities, you know there are many different ways to read. But if you want to read a good book with an intricate plotline and a meaningful ending, the … More One Page at a Time
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 days seem to blend together now. Like discernible raindrops slurred into murky floodwaters, the calendar itself has lost its shape. Repeatedly over the past couple weeks, I’ve heard Houstonians confuse the days, just like the rain confused creeks and bayous and reservoirs with streets and neighborhoods and homes. Harvey, and now Irma, are slowly fading … More Hope and Help When It’s Hard
What God will do is not ours to tell. We don’t know, and we can’t know. We see him from below, and we await the revelation of his plan. At the same time, what God will do is truly foreseeable. We do know, because we can know. He’s revealed himself from above, and we have … More What God Will Do
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
When I think of 9/11, I think of many things. I remember where I was when I first heard about the attacks—walking to my 8 o’clock class with Dr. William Varner at The Master’s College on the West Coast. I remember the striking images playing out on television. And I remember the first responders. I … More The Spirit of First Responders
The water has finally subsided from our building. Like Noah’s dove (Genesis 8:12), we now land and begin exploring the new chapter God’s writing for us. We exit this ark with some trepidation, to be sure. But we also step out with great confidence, knowing that God loves bringing a new creation up from the … More The Dove and the New Creation: Our Next Chapter at BridgePoint
“How can we pray for you?” This gracious question has echoed through our emails, texts, messages, and calls the past two weeks. With the Harvey sprint downshifting into the post-Harvey slog, here are some ways you might pray us forward in coming weeks and months. 1. Wisdom Like Solomon, we need wisdom. The task was heavy … More How to Pray for Us
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
I never thought I’d have a favorite meteorologist, but I do now. Amidst the devastation of Hurricane Harvey, many heroic servants emerged. I’d like you to meet one—the guy Houstonians fell in love with this past week. Jeff Lindner looks like the guy you don’t remember. Nothing really stands out about him, even after watching … More The Legend of Jeff Lindner
The South Texas catastrophe stemming from Hurricane Harvey has just begun here in Houston. The clouds over our home parted this evening and the sun shone through for the first time in five days, but make no mistake: high floodwaters are still filling much of the city, pregnant creeks and rivers are still sending runoff … More Tuesday’s Reflections from Houston
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