deTheos

Trivial

Wrote this in advance: this morning it was ... 04:05:06 07/08/09 (Nevermind that I think the greatest danger facing us today is that we swim in an endless sea of triviality. I just may have contributed to that.) Which reminds me to echo the sentiment about why we don't own a TV. Pray ...

Theology: A Story of Sovereignty

A friend asked if I would join in a "Sovereignty of God blog series" this Summer, giving no set boundaries other than to ask us to share how we interact with God's sovereignty from a theological and personal perspective. On the docket are lots of well-known bloggers, and then me. ...

Wow. Don’t Waste Your Life.

From the DWYL podcast:

Prayer: Humbling ourselves BY casting our cares upon Him

This week, in talking about Why we Pray (and praying), I was reminded of a simple truth I learned last year. It was put together in a post on GoingtoSeminary.com. Let's together celebrate our independence today through our dependence upon the Sovereign King of all. Here's what I wrote then, and swim ...

Six years

Six years ago today I kissed my bride for the first time, as Kari and I made a life-long covenant of faithfulness. My goals in life are simple: to make the infinite worth of Christ known, mainly by being a faithful husband and loving father. In these ways I know, ...

Happy Tensions: Emptying + Filling

A friend sent me this recently. Perhaps related to my previous thoughts on rhythms. "I must be aware of two kinds of weariness in my life. The first is the weariness of giving out faster than I take in. That is the weariness of overcommitment; it is the ...

Don’t laugh at God. Don’t try to experience Him either.

What? I think you'll know what I mean by that after reading and watching what's below... Joe Thorn has awesome thoughts on the pursuit to experience God (over the pursuit to know Him). Specifically when it comes to praying. Read "Don't Experience God." You'll be challenged, and if you're like me, ...

Shattered relationships // Theirs + ours

“The shattered relationship between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit at the cross provides the basis for our reconciliation. No other relationship ever suffered more than what Father, Son, and Holy Spirit endured when Jesus hung on the cross and cried, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Jesus ...

PEACE: With, From, Of

Prepositions are small words, but they carry great weight. What we often call peace with God , is really just a subjective sense in the mind that all is calm. It is a kind of peace, but is it really having peace WITH GOD? To be at peace with God demands ...

It’s hard

It's hard to admit your limits. It's hard admitting life is not about you. It's hard facing the fallenness of the world. For this; grace. (Thanks to Paul Tripp for the reminder.)

“Let me be honest with you …”

You mean you weren't being honest before? from morenewmath.com

Triviality and information overload

Every week I interact with teenagers. It's more rewarding (and challenging) than I anticipate, every time. I tell whoever will listen that the greatest danger facing our youth is being swept away in a sea of triviality . There are endless waves of nonsense competing for their attention, and we ...

Worst + Best

We need Jesus and His Gospel, both on our worst days and on our best. "On my worst days of sin and failure , the Gospel encourages me with God's unrelenting grace toward me." "On my best days of victory and usefulness , the Gospel keeps me related to God solely on ...

Carving out time to read (that is, enjoy!) the Bible

G. Campbell Morgan pointed out that it takes all of 72 hours to read the Bible , from cover to cover, at what he called "pulpit speed." That's the pace one would read Scripture out loud, with clear enunciation (like in doing 1 Timothy 4:13). The Bible is composed of ...

Worthwhile read: Simply Missional

Last Fall Ed Stetzer of LifeWay research co-wrote an article entitled "Simply Missional " in the inaugural issue of Neue Quarterly . The article is worth a read. Here's the intro to whet your appetite: Simply Missional Ed Stetzer and Eric Geiger Dell Computers has shattered the warehouse myth. Most companies ...

Today is National Running Day

Whether it's 10 miles, or 10 steps, make a dash for it!

GOD: They is One

(While on vacation this week I plan to have time to sit and think deeply on Who God is and how my tiny story fits in His great Story. Here are some reflections on the Trinity, and us as image-bearers.) First, a snippet of an old hymn: Holy Father, holy Son, Holy Spirit, ...

Confessions of a failing disciple

The Gospel is not only the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ, it is the good news of a whole Life (here, now, and for all eternity) lived in His hands. Jesus is not only the starting point, He is the beginning, end and middle of life. ...

The Devoted Church

(Over the weekend I preached on "The Devoted Church," from the text Acts 2:36-47. A few have asked to hear it, and I'm humbled by the request. Find the audio here .) We are all devoted to something. In fact, we are each devoted to many things. It's what ...

Music: Song of Hope

This weekend we sang a new song (to us) at church: "Song of Hope (Heaven Come Down) " by the Robbie Seay Band . (A previous post on that band is the most visited one on this site. They're gaining popularity.) Perhaps you know the Song of Hope. A year ...

Battling Parkinsons

With family and friends who live with and battle Parkinson's disease, I'm reminded daily of the brevity of life and the plight of humankind. We all live with suffering in various forms. Former Portland Trailblazer Brian Grant -- one of my favorite players from the teams of a decade ago ...

Remember

Thankful to all those who gave up their tomorrows, so we could enjoy ours.

Happy Birthday, Nicene Creed

The Nicene Creed was officially adopted May 22nd, in AD 325: We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God ...

Truths for life

God is great; I don’t have to be in control. God is glorious; I don’t have to fear others. God is good; I don’t have to look elsewhere for satisfaction. God is gracious; I don’t have to prove anything to anyone. JESUS is the whole point of all of life. He is everything. I ...

True humanity + the Spirit

“True spirituality is not a superhuman religiosity; it is simply true humanity released from bondage to sin and renewed by the Holy Spirit. This is given to us as we grasp by faith the full content of Christ’s redemptive work: freedom from the guilt and power of sin, and newness ...

Theological knowing = passionate living

My good friend Adam Poole has written (and preached) an excellent message that the church needs to hear. Adam is the Director of Cornerstone School of Ministry in Corvallis, Oregon. Below are his thoughts on knowing and living. Is there a link between doctrinal understanding and passionate devotion? It’s simple. Know ...

Believing + Receiving

(Below is the main portion of the small group questions sent out for this week's message "Believe in Him." This section is more teaching than questions, but the link between receiving and believe is key. Is Jesus a Comcast cable technician to you? Read on and check yourself.) John ...

God wants the unclean ones

God loves those others don't love. He is attracted to the weak because of His gracious nature and He wants the ones no one else wants. Listen to "That Whosoever"

The Graduate

Today we celebrate my wife Kari , who will walk across the platform to receive a Masters Degree in Pastoral Studies (emphasis in Women's Ministry). We entered seminary at Multnomah in '05, full of energy, no kids, both working full-time, and making a 90+ minute commute each way. She ...

Clayton’s story

What about you?