“[Jesus] is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” Colossians 1:17Every once in a while, I field concerned questions about how much focus a faith community places on Jesus. It usually sounds something like, “They only preach Jesus there, right?” The implication is that too much emphasis on Jesus avoids the meatier subjects. It’s as if we understand that the immature probably need...  Read More

“…choose for yourselves this day… But as for me…” Joshua 24:15Let’s admit something. As we start reconstruction by grabbing a meaningful brick and looking for a foundational keystone, we are not equals in this conversation. I’m the writer, controlling which blocks we look at, the sequence, and priorities. You, the reader, decide if I’ve shared anything of value. We each have choices to make. But I...  Read More

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” Psalm 119:105I love this verse of scripture. But my reasons have changed over time. Initially, I read this as a promise of certainty and clarity. I considered this God’s way of saying that reading the Bible was a sure way of sorting out questions about right and wrong. God was saying His desire for me was to have absolute doctrinal clarity....  Read More

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:9Regularly, throughout my life, I have prayed for clarity. I could boldly follow God if the pathway seemed clear. At times, I have been confident that God has answered my prayer. But there are other times when I don’t see the path, hear His voice, or feel assured about wha...  Read More

Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God…”Be still. Calm down. Exercise some patience—all words we need to hear at this point in the journey. The chaos of deconstruction causes most of us to squirm. Overwhelmed by the instinct to “fix it,” we gravitate to five-point plans, old formulas, and confident teachers. But hold on. This might be the perfect time to slow down and sit in the rubble.When...  Read More

We have just come off a tricky series regarding the deconstruction of our faith. So it might behoove us to spend a little time in Scripture, studying from some books that dealt with conflict, unity, and a singular spirit hoped for in the Christian Ecclesia (community).These little letters are called that because they are relatively small, they use straightforward language to transfer profound theo...  Read More