Category Archives: Culture

A Left and a Right

During prayer today a lament erupted in my heart. I cried out, “God save the children. Send a revival of hope, joy, and love into the hearts of the young. Jesus, come.” I had been praying by name for my … Continue reading

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A Distant Shore

In the middle of night, I listen to the rumble of the trains. The sleepy sound carries me away to nights camping on the Oregon coast. When the winds had died down and the traffic on 101 slowed, Teckla and … Continue reading

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Gollum and the Great Secrets of the Darkness

In The Lord of the Rings Tolkien offers a penetrating description of one of the principal lies the enemy uses to seduce us. In the second chapter of The Fellowship of Rings Gandalf explains to Frodo how Gollum came to … Continue reading

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A Believing Wife

Teckla caught me writing this and said, “I am not worth writing about.” I will write about her anyway because there was a scene in the video series The Chosen that perfectly expressed why I love her so much and … Continue reading

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Kansas City Prophets and Global Warming

During my years living in Olathe and Kansas City, I had a bird’s eye view of the prophetic movement in Kansas City. I got to see the good, the bad, and the merely confusing. As one deeply concerned about our … Continue reading

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Mere Church

I believe in mere church. I have sojourned in denominational and nondenominational churches. I now attend a Church of the Nazarene but am not a member. Once a month I preach at the Presbyterian church. God’s people of every kind … Continue reading

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Ari’s Gift

Few gifts have been as precious as the one our grandson, Ari, gave us this Christmas. Teckla and I approached this Christmas with sadness. It is our first Christmas since Peter died, Ari’s first Christmas without a father or mother … Continue reading

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Going God-blind

For many years I have asked my composition students to write an essay explaining the concept “All men are created equal” within the context of the American experience. I include the original quotation from the “Declaration of Independence” and similar … Continue reading

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An Untrue Romance

A true confession: I am guilty of romanticizing the early church—a lot, not a little. Long ago, during the Jesus Movement, I fell in love with the first five chapters of Acts. (My favorite band was even The 2nd Chapter … Continue reading

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Cancer, Tolerance, and Love

Teckla and I both battled cancer recently—a battle that resulted in the surgical removal of the cancer. In both of our cases, a lot of work was done to determine whether and where we had cancer. Teckla became something of … Continue reading

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