UPDATE: My apologies for what the discussion thread turned into on this post. Some things are just very hard to moderate because they aren’t nasty and they are tangentially on topic. Then you get to the point you realize the whole thread has been hijacked by points of view the opposite of what you wantedContinue reading “Advent With Ted the Loser”
Category Archives: Parable, Metaphor and Illustration
While We’re Talking About the Gospel….I Have a Story
I wrote this as part of a post from February of 07. It goes so well with what I want to say to all of you who may wonder if going on and on about the Gospel is really necessary. Yes, it is. Read and think about it: There is another reason I care deeplyContinue reading “While We’re Talking About the Gospel….I Have a Story”
Do You Trust Your Father With Your Life?
Yesterday, I experienced the great part of being a teacher; one of those experiences that make all the others worth it. It was in my advanced placement English IV class. Our brightest seniors. I’m fortunate to be able to work with them. A few days before we’d taken our final exam, and with two daysContinue reading “Do You Trust Your Father With Your Life?”
Lessons from a Lousy Referee
I’m not usually the guy with sports illustrations, but this one couldn’t be passed up. (And if anyone I know says to me that I was “secretly” talking about them, I’m going to laugh right at you, very loudly.) This is so relevant to thousands of situations, it preaches itself without explanation. Young pastors, listenContinue reading “Lessons from a Lousy Referee”
Surprising Encouragement
Just a couple of stories about the grace that’s all around us, that appears in small ways, and might appear more often if we prayed and took notice of where Jesus said the Kingdom appears. I. On Thursday, almost everyone I work with was at a waterpark about an hour away, including my family. IContinue reading “Surprising Encouragement”
They Bought Me, and I’m Glad
Ordination: I was ordained to the Gospel ministry by a Southern Baptist congregation in 1980, but you won’t hear me have a lot to say about ordination. I believe in it, but in a minimalist kind of way. I don’t believe in titles. (Not calling someone Father or Reverend seems like a can’t-miss teaching ofContinue reading “They Bought Me, and I’m Glad”
12 Churches, 12 Calvinists: My Response
Over at Frank Turk’s blog, he has something of a motto up on the sidebar. It’s a phrase his pastor offered in a comment thread sometime in the past. Here it is: The Gospel is the solution to culture. I’ve often wanted to riff on this statement. While I’m pretty sure how Frank and hisContinue reading “12 Churches, 12 Calvinists: My Response”
12 Churches, 12 Calvinists
How about a little thought experiment? No hidden agenda; just a way to explore the contention that certain things make all the difference. Imagine for a moment 12 Baptist churches (that may be enough for some of you right there) in my own little Appalachian corner of the world, southeast Kentucky. These 12 churches areContinue reading “12 Churches, 12 Calvinists”
Proverbs For Christianity’s Angry Young (and Old) Men
***Big Time Humor Alert*** Today, the Internet Monk Web Site ™ brings a special gift of proverbial, anecdotal and Zen-like wisdom as a gift for those angry young (and not so young) men who are burning down churches to make room for coffee shops. Put on some punk rock, light the incense sticks and turnContinue reading “Proverbs For Christianity’s Angry Young (and Old) Men”
Be A Sign
Denise and I were traveling to an unfamiliar church last night, and even with perfectly good directions and plenty of time, we got lost. So I stopped at McDonald’s and asked for help. Asking for directions at McDonald’s for a large downtown “First Baptist” church probably wasn’t a great idea anyway. One guy didn’t speakContinue reading “Be A Sign”
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