Before I talk about Domestic Discipline, let me tell you a story. I had a difficult childhood. My parents divorced when I was young, and mom found refuge in a new man: an abusive man. He drank. He raged. He hit, kicked, pulled hair. He threatened. He cursed. He apologized. …
Finding Jesus in Unexpected Places (with our vulnerable neighbors)
Recently, I wrote about the wondrous way in which the glorious God encountered in Isaiah 6 is shown to us in the Gospel of John to be Jesus (read Here) . We discovered that we too can see the glorious God when we look to Jesus. Of course it should …
Whose Fault is This? (Jesus, Scapegoats, Good & Evil)
I wanted to share something from a Jesus story that has come to mean a lot to me. This particular story happens like many stories of Jesus… he never seems to be looking for trouble, but how he engages with it always seems to lead to controversy. The story is …
Paul, Creation & Evolution #3 – 7 Days, Temples, & Poetry (EP-52)
Subscribe via iTunes or Google In this series, Kurt will explore Paul’s worldview concerning God and creation. What did Paul have in the background? How did this affect how he would think about Adam and Eve? Then, we will end our series looking at Romans 5 and its compatibility with …
Paul, Creation & Evolution #2 – Our Lenses, Genesis 1 & Function (EP-51)
In this series, Kurt will explore Paul’s worldview concerning God and creation. What did Paul have in the background? How did this affect how he would think about Adam and Eve? Then, we will end our series looking at Romans 5 and its compatibility with evolution (or lack there of). …
Exclusion and Embrace: Reconciliation with Enemies Two Decades Later
On December 1, 1996, Miroslav Volf released his poignant and powerful Exclusion and Embrace. At the time, I was three years old (much too young to offer a review of such heavy reading!). So now, two decades later, it is time for me to review this important book that has …
Paul Didn’t Believe in the Rapture. Neither Did Jesus. Neither Should You.
The rapture. This is still one of the most influential beliefs in pockets of Christianity. The old mantra goes, “this world is not my home, I’m just passing through.” But is that true? Are we just sort of stuck here until something apocalyptic happens like the second coming of Christ, …
What Does God’s Glory Look Like? (Isaiah and Jesus)
God is Holy. God is Glorious. God is robed in Splendour. All facts. All true. All hard for me to wrap my finite human mind around. And maybe that’s the point. Maybe we simply aren’t supposed to understand this aspect of God. At the same time. Our knowledge and understanding …
Jonah Knew God (But Didn’t Love like God): What this Odd Prophet Teaches Us about Peacemaking
Jonah has always been one of my favorite books in the bible. Just thinking about it brings back memories of flannel-graphs, paper pictures of x-rayed fish with a man kneeling somewhere near the lower intestine and Sunday school stories about a little man who thought he could disobey God. I …
Recommended Introduction Level Books on Paul
I want you to dig deeper into reading Paul. Thus, this list of introductions on Paul the Apostle. I may modify it over time, but for now, these are my favorite intro level books on Paul. I won’t agree with every author in their entirety, but that’s not the point! …