I'd like to steal from myself this week. I've been thinking about how God can move within us and not just outside of us — change more than our minds, but transform our minds by reshaping our hearts. I remembered a story that I'd written about before, and I felt like I wanted to share it again. So here it is, a story retold. It's excerpted from Where the Light Shines Through (Brazos Press, 2005), pp, 16-18: I knew an Englishman I’ll call Reggie. He told me of an event that still puzzled him. I knew Reggie to be an intelligent and committed person in general, but in telling me this story he appeared more aware and attentive than usual, full of consciousness and sensation. Now Reggie had for some time been an active member of the SWSO (called “Sweezo”), the Socialist Workers Student Organization in Britain. His membership in this organization was a well-considered expression of his theologically...

No, this is not a Christmas-themed reflection. Although, be truthful, didn’t the thought of the need of a sweater or extra blanket or curling up near a blazing fire bring you a wee bit of relief from our record summer heat? Me neither. This is, instead, a message about vocation. As we near Labor Day, I thought I might share a few thoughts on the calling of each of us. In fact, the word vocation is Latin meaning “a call or summons.” It is, according to Wikipedia, “an occupation to which a person is specially drawn or for which he or she is suited, trained, or qualified.” Which of these definitions best fits you? A few years ago when I volunteered with Junior Achievement, one of the activities I did with my seventh graders was a vocational grid. On one axis was how much you liked or disliked an activity and on the other axis was whether or not you were good at the activity. I then...

Theologians like to make up words — or use old words differently. Some folks call these "neologisms" (how's that for a word?). Every once in a while one of those words catches on, goes viral, and makes a difference. The word "missional" is one of those. It's spreading through the church, with impact. Books written (Missional Church; Cultivating Missional Communities; A New Missional Era; The Missional Church in Perspective), conferences had, websites put up, and blog articles written. Over the course of about 20 years the word has become a part of church culture, at least among "mainline" (or "oldline") Protestants. Alongside this word "missional," another term has also arisen, and that's "emergent." Coming from different sides of Protestant life — "missional" coming out of the mainline and "emergent" coming out of Evangelical churches — the two terms try to describe a singular phenomenon facing...

As I planned my spring Bible study on the book of Revelation, I felt led to include a personal challenge each week to those attending. Not so much that they might take on the challenge but that I might test whether my faith and learning was having an impact on how I live each day. It was a way to be held accountable by others. The first week of our study book had a line that stood out to me – “believe more recklessly and behave more playfully.” We talked a bit in class about what that might look like. I was pleased to see Sarah’s sermon title for Sunday, Reckless Love, thinking this would give me more examples of how to live out this instruction – and it did. There it was again – RECKLESS. That is not part of my...

Is it personal or is it social? The question rings through debates that have vexed much of the church over the past couple centuries. It's been a debate over the message itself. What have we to say to those who ask? Which side are we on? Why is the other side so wrong about Jesus' message? But what if neither side is wrong, except in rejecting the other? What if it's both, and there's a big, wide, whole message to tell? What if the important question is not if the gospel is personal or social, but how it is personal and social? Jim Wallis, from the Sojourners Community, became famous for his swiss cheese bible. He took scissors and cut out each verse of scripture that speaks of God's call to tend to the poor, and the stranger, and the homeless, and the hopeless. With 2000 verses cut out, there were a lot of holes in his bible. And the verses missing weren't just about giving a cup of water or your second coat away. They were also...

My friend Lillian Daniel is a United Church of Christ pastor outside of Chicago. She's good with an acerbic quip, and she excels at giving words to a disposition. She's been writing for the Huffington Post lately. Last September she wrote a short piece, bursting out with her private frustration with what's now acronymed SBNR ("Spiritual but not religious") talk. Her post, "Spiritual But Not Religious? Please Stop Boring Me," went "viral." It got comments and criticisms from all over the place. She struck the proverbial nerve. Here's the first and last paragraph of her short post: On airplanes, I dread the conversation with the person who finds...

Three plus weeks into the New Year. A time when the gym isn’t quite so crowded, the sale on Slim Fast gives way to one on huge cinnamon rolls and many folks don’t want to step on the scale anymore. The promises to spend less or listen more or not worry so much are but a distant memory for many… Keeping a resolution takes DISCIPLINE. I’ve heard it said that it takes about 30 days to build a new habit or routine. Want to floss more regularly? Do it everyday for a month and it will be a habit. Determined to take...

Been thinking about giving of late. End of the year sort of thing for most pastors, as we watch in wonder and gratitude as our people give love and money to both the church and to many important causes. Giving at Pinnacle has been generous. I shouldn't be surprised. This congregation is full of wonderfully generous folk. In a world of development experts, fund raising techniques, endless analyses of giving trends, "benevolence" mindedness, financial anxiety, economic uncertainty, and more, there is no shortage of talk about Christian giving. As I think about this myself I want to offer up four historic principles, or ideas, about...

Thinking about the new year, I'm taken back to a quote a student of mine gave me nearly 20 years ago. It was from the Jewish writer Ismar Schorsch. Schorsch speaks of the idea of rest and Sabbath which has structured the dreams and practices of many Jews for centuries: To rest is to acknowledge our limitations, we cease our power to tinker or transform. Willful inactivity is a statement of subservience to a power greater than our own.* This idea seems strange to one, like me, and perhaps you, who's been taught to be a liberal, modern, achievement-oriented person. I'm taught to believe that through abundant energy and constant effort, I can gain all those things in my best interest: things, personal security, opportunity, happy relationships, accomplishment in caring and loving others. I want to believe that in my power...