Author Archives: Chaplainmike

Addicted to “Answers”

By Chaplain Mike Christians are addicted to “answers.” For some reason, we think the ultimate favor we can do for the world is to explain the ways of God. I humbly disagree. This issue came up again recently when John Piper wrote a blog post on the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Of course, youContinue reading “Addicted to “Answers””

Saturday Ramblings 3.26.11

Greetings from the desert edition of Saturday Ramblings. Your rambler is in the Phoenix area taking in some Spring Training baseball and In N Out burgers. Yes, life can get better than this, but not without involving legal action. I brought my allergies with me to the desert and was hoping to leave them here,Continue reading “Saturday Ramblings 3.26.11”

Friday with the Fathers (3)

By Chaplain Mike Thus far in our Lenten series on the Apostolic Fathers, we have discussed Clement of Rome and Ignatius of Antioch. Today we consider the last of the three chief Apostolic Fathers: Polycarp of Smyrna. Polycarp and Ignatius knew one another, and Ignatius wrote one of his letters to Bishop Polycarp as heContinue reading “Friday with the Fathers (3)”

IM Book Review: Introverts in the Church

By Chaplain Mike I think I may have found my doppelganger. There were times as I was reading through Adam McHugh’s wise and helpful book, Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, when I thought he was reading my mind, representing my exact thoughts in the very words by which IContinue reading “IM Book Review: Introverts in the Church”

Quotes

“The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies; probably because generally they are the same people.”  (G.K. Chesterton) “Everywhere I go, I’m asked if I think the universities stifle writers. My opinion is that they don’t stifle enough of them. There’s many a bestseller that could have been preventedContinue reading “Quotes”

Single? Need Not Apply

By Chaplain Mike Alert reader Jason notified us about an interesting article that discusses a topic most evangelical churches don’t publicly acknowledge or talk about: discrimination against single pastors. Writing in the New York Times, Erik Eckholm begins his story with an example: “Like all too many Americans, Mark Almlie was laid off in theContinue reading “Single? Need Not Apply”

Beggar of Bread

“Bread for myself is a material question. Bread for my neighbor is a spiritual one.” —Nikolai Berdyaev Recently, a friend visited our family one evening and stayed a long time. I baked cookies during his visit and felt triumphant over that considering I’d been sick for one week and had not bought groceries in nearlyContinue reading “Beggar of Bread”

Lent: “From that Point On” — A Difficult Journey

By Chaplain Mike We are well on our way into the Lenten season. It may be a good time for a refresher on the relationship of this season to the Gospel story. In our January 7, 2011 post, “Epiphany and the Days to Come,” we pointed out that the Epiphany season is representative of theContinue reading “Lent: “From that Point On” — A Difficult Journey”