Author Archives: Chaplainmike

Real Ministry…Not the Ad

II Corinthians 6:3 We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the HolyContinue reading “Real Ministry…Not the Ad”

The Final Deposition: Pilate and the Cynicism of Contemporary Truth Seeking

(Some of the material in this essay was inspired by reading John’s Wisdom by Ben Witherington III, Westminster John Knox Press , 1995.) For the past two years, I’ve been leading a weekly adult Bible study on the Gospel of John for my fellow OBI staff members. For the past three weeks, we’ve been inContinue reading “The Final Deposition: Pilate and the Cynicism of Contemporary Truth Seeking”

iMonk 101: “Read It Again…and Don’t Skip The Hard Parts”

iMonk 101 revisits some of my more popular essays from the past.” “Read It Again…and Don’t Skip the Hard Parts” is an essay about discipleship in the Gospel of Mark, and how difficult it is for some American Christians to get what the Bible is talking about. It’s a good Thanksgiving season essay that willContinue reading “iMonk 101: “Read It Again…and Don’t Skip The Hard Parts””

Thoughts on Thanksgiving Weekend 11:24:06

Around hundreds of thousands of Thanksgiving dinner tables, millions of Americans will take a moment and share with one another what they are thankful for in the past year. Because Thanksgiving doesn’t require any particular confession of faith, it’s close to a universal experience for Americans, and one that most of us treasure more andContinue reading “Thoughts on Thanksgiving Weekend 11:24:06”

Internet Monk Radio Podcast #34

Tryptophan warning. Some thoughts on healing. Stuff you might want to buy. Shoutouts and up-coming events. iMonk Radio is available at iTunes. I’d appreciate it if you could write a (good) review of the podcast for the iTunes page. Have a great Thanksgiving weekend. Enjoy your family if you can be with them, or goContinue reading “Internet Monk Radio Podcast #34”

Recommendation: Moleskine Journals and SkyCow Books

Tomorrow (November 24, Black Friday) is the day you are supposed to start/finish/avoid all your Christmas shopping. If you’re like me, whatever holiday appeal once existed in Christmas shopping crowds has vanished in the Wal-Mart parking lot, and you do most of your shopping online. Living in a rural area has made me even moreContinue reading “Recommendation: Moleskine Journals and SkyCow Books”

Riffs 11:20:06: Why Bad (Christian) Movies Succeed (and better movies never will)

Barbara Nicolosi’s review of Facing the Giants reminded me that I’ve been avoiding talking about this surprisingly successful church-produced film. All around the net, from Christians and non-Christians, the reviews have consistently presented this risky film venture as predictable in approach, but also with universal surprise at its success. Even reviewers like Michael Medved, whoContinue reading “Riffs 11:20:06: Why Bad (Christian) Movies Succeed (and better movies never will)”

Evening Gathering: 11.19.06 : Wrestling God

Here’s an example of what I do in preaching to the boarding school students at our Sunday evening gathering. (Our day students and most of our staff aren’t present as they are in daily chapel.) The message is called “Wrestling God,” and it is an example of the kind of message and approach that IContinue reading “Evening Gathering: 11.19.06 : Wrestling God”