The question I get more than any other—more than “What’s the meaning of life?”, or “Why do people suffer?”, or “Why are the New England Patriots so . . . them?”—is “Can I learn to be funny?”
A Worship Hour Outline: Dreams
March 15, 2023 by Leave a Comment
We come to dream with you, Spirit of Hope. We confess that some of our dreams have been selfish ambitions, and that we have often been driven by personal gain and little interest in others or your will.
Noah’s Lawsuit: Is God Trying to Say Something?
January 31, 2023 by Leave a Comment
The headline reads like a punchline: “Owners of Noah’s Ark sue over rain damage.” Does God have a sense of humor or what?
My Undelivered Stand-up Routine for Those Not Likely to Come Back to Church
November 8, 2022 by
How is everybody doing tonight? You look great. You’re less sober than the people I usually talk to.
Missional Prayer
June 29, 2022 by
Missional churches require missional praying. We do not inform God in our praying, nor do we instruct God in our intercession. But we do join God when out of love we pray for the mission of God in the world.
Don’t Blink
June 21, 2022 by
Right now, time itself seems to be doing some weird things. Even when it seems like the days are trudging along, the weeks and the months might then accelerate. There’s a sporadic nature to it all.
Just the Way You Are
September 8, 2021 by
Like millions of kids who grew up between 1970 and 2001, our son watched Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood almost every weekday for many years. Generations of kids loved and trusted this caring adult who spoke directly to them in the most personal and respectful way.
Before I die . . .
June 15, 2021 by
When the waitress brought our food, I tried to find a way to ask, “How am I supposed to eat this?” I had to think fast.
The Wind and the Spirit
March 23, 2021 by
What would you do differently if you could start over? What would you change if you could be born again? If I could edit my life, I would skip junior high football, wrecking my father’s car, and the last five minutes of my first date. I would stop my mother throwing away my baseball cards.
Skipping Christmas
December 1, 2020 by
For centuries, Christians have celebrated the birth of Jesus by coming to church to sing, pray, remember, give thanks, and recommit our lives to Christ. What were we thinking?
Anthony Bourdain, Kate Spade, my grandmother, and bad theology
September 8, 2020 by
My favorite grandmother took her own life in 1950—eleven years before I was born. My other grandmothers were fine (my father’s father provided me with four grandmothers), but my father’s mother is my favorite.
My Speech to Seminary Graduates
May 12, 2020 by
Once again, no seminary has chosen me to give the speech at their graduation service. My mother and I do not get it.
Spiritual but Not Religious
August 29, 2018 by
Many would say, to use a modern phrase, that Lincoln was “spiritual but not religious.” Such a posture should be celebrated as an expression of heartfelt belief and longing, but it should also be considered with a word of caution.
Reimagining “Church” and “Christians” as the “Jesus Tribe”
September 21, 2016 by
This may be unsettling to some, but the earliest followers of Jesus did not refer to themselves as Christians. I am rather glad about this because the word “Christian” has too much baggage attached to it.
Formations 11.01.2015: Fragile Things
October 25, 2015 by
Think about strong, permanent things. What are they made of? How big are they? I think of stone structures that stand for centuries. When we want to build something that lasts forever, we consider materials even stronger than stone and wood.
Uniform 08.30.2015: Because I Have Been Given Much
August 23, 2015 by
“Humans of New York” is a popular photoblog with more than 14,500,000 followers on Facebook. The author, photographer Brandon Stanton, “decided to move to New York City and take portraits of strangers on the street” (Humans of New York, “Photographer”).
A Bunch of Stories
February 3, 2015 by
“I don’t read that article by Ronnie McBrayer,” I heard a critic say not long ago; a critic who did not know I was within earshot. “He thinks the Bible is just a bunch of stories.”
Reaching Youth Across the Digital Divide
June 25, 2014 by
Mason Wallace Park was across a road that became busier as the years of my childhood passed. The worst of it did not arrive until after those key years when my friends and I spent countless hours riding our bikes on the trails, chasing balls on the outfield grass, and cooling off in the concrete wading pool.