"Come with me. I'll make a new kind of fisherman out of you." (The Message)There is a Latin word—vacare—meaning "to call." This is the root from which we get our word vocation.Usually when we a...

Luke 15 is one of the most familiar and compelling passages in all of Scripture. Jesus tells the story of the rebellious son who asks for his inheritance, wastes it on wild living, finally decides to come h...

One of my professors stopped me and my roommate in the hall during graduation week from seminary and said, "I don't know you two very well, but I have been watching both of you for three years. I have an observ...

I sat listening to her in an abandoned school building in our neighborhood. Bible verses, scrawled in Spanish, were left as blackboard relics of some former evangelism class. They were intersected by expletives...

An odor blew across my fence on a recent Wednesday afternoon, interrupting my pruning. I looked under the tangerine tree long enough to realize I didn't just get sprayed by a skunk. I smelled weed.Cannabis is a...

When I was a teen, I invited several friends to our youth group. Nobody told me to invite them. I just wanted them to have what I had: a solid faith and a wonderful group of friends where I felt accepted and l...

Recently, some churches have begun calling themselves missional. In truth, however, aren't all churches called to join in God's mission? If so, then what's the difference between doing missions and being missio...

One of the better books I've read recently is Souls in Transition by noted sociologist Christian Smith. He is studying the age characteristics of the emerging adult. They are choosing to navigate life in a...

Author's Note on Big Bible Words: Every once in awhile  a pastor or teacher will use a big word to describe a biblical or theological concept. These words are usually at least three syllables and almost always...

What Do You Hope to Achieve?Get downloadable PDF.Get downloadable PowerPoint presentation.About/DisclaimerWhat Happened:The American Dream…for decades, it's been an easily defined goal for most Americans:...