The Cookie Network?

Hans Rosling’s TED Talk is called “The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen.”  I recommend it. Pepperidge Farm remembers…the good ol’ days. Fresh baked cookies, horse-drawn wagons and bright-eyed kids fishing in a country lake. Nostalgia is a warm and...

He won’t allow torture chambers.

For some reasons, many Christians need a horrible destiny for “those people.”  But is their theology of the afterlife consistent with a gracious God who rescues sinners? My worldview was formed by cartoons and comic books. When you don’t have smartphones...

Forgiveness and freedom

Parents Left behind continues to reach out to grieving parents. Next Saturday there will be a gathering. A gathering of remarkable people. A gathering of incredible courage. A gathering rich with support and empathy. Be thankful if you are not invited. Parents Left...

God’s first Bible

I took my second sabbatical after fourteen years as pastor of Rolling Hills Baptist Church.  Again, I went west.  These are some observations… Inside my tent, surrounded by a makeshift grizzly alarm, I see the pink alpenglow as sunrise arrives over the rocky...

Greater love

As I imagined my death I prayed, “Lord, find me…” My mother remarried when I was thirteen years old. Jim was a kind and gracious man. He treated me and my sisters like we were his own. It was wonderful to see my mother so happy and no longer afraid....

Building Bridges

18 months after this column the first residents moved into their cottages at New Beginnings. Someone is standing at an intersection with a sign or maybe they stop by and ask me for help. I never know what to do. I usually pray and hope for discernment. Do they want...