Over at The Gospel Coalition, Joe Carter has written a thoughtful and measured blog on The Enneagram. I'd encourage you to read it. With Joe, I've seen the shortcomings of this tool in my 15+ years of using it. I'm seeing it become an evangelical fad, of sorts. I had a whole chapter on it … Continue reading A Response to Joe Carter’s TGC blog “The FAQ’s: What Christians Should Know About The Enneagram.”
When Narcissism Comes to…Church Doctrine (Part 1 – Introduction)
(v. 2) Narcissism is not merely a psychological phenomenon. It's a theological one, too. It concerns how we speak of and participate in God's life. In the coming blog posts, I'm going to highlight how this impacts key doctrines and themes that are often used and abused by narcissists, especially narcissistic pastors, for the sake … Continue reading When Narcissism Comes to…Church Doctrine (Part 1 – Introduction)
“Just Become Yourself”: A Bad Line from a Disney Movie or the Wisest Counsel of All?
Become yourself. It might sound like a bad line from a Disney movie. Or a trite piece of advice from a self-help guru. I was working with a client in the first years I practiced as a therapist. After six weeks of work, she spontaneously uttered, "I think I'm done with counseling. I've found myself!" … Continue reading “Just Become Yourself”: A Bad Line from a Disney Movie or the Wisest Counsel of All?
(re)union: my journey back
I am back on the blog. I have been (mostly) silent as a blogger for two years now. It's taken two years (and will take longer) for a kind of inner renewal that I desperately needed. If you're willing to listen and read, I'll tell you why.
Guest Blogging Over At Patheos
How I discovered grace in a different 16 century Reformation - http://ow.ly/20N3nG - ( a guest blog for @peteenns )
action and the ego
God made human beings both for being and becoming, for loving and for creating, for contemplation and for action. Or, as my New Testament professor once taught, we live in the tension between the indicative and the imperative - being and doing. But unless we first address the being question - the question of identity … Continue reading action and the ego
Why Telling Our Stories Matters | Leaving Egypt Bonus Track
“What we hunger for perhaps more than anything else is to be known in our full humanness, and yet that is often just what we also fear more than anything else. It is important to tell at least from time to time the secret of who we truly and fully are . . . because … Continue reading Why Telling Our Stories Matters | Leaving Egypt Bonus Track
The Inseparability of Contemplation and Mission
In fact, for the past 12 summers or so, I've drowned myself in the mystics, sitting at the feet of St. Theresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross, Henri Nouwen, the Dutch Reformed mystics such as the a' Brakel's, or Thomas Merton. This summer, I've been spending time learning from Rainer Maria Rilke, Meister … Continue reading The Inseparability of Contemplation and Mission
no kingdom without a cross
There is no rescue without suffering, no transformation without a wilderness, no kingdom without a cross. This difficult message, more often than not, is rejected by Christians, not by skeptics. Skeptics, in fact, are strangely attracted to the Jesus of the Bible, not the Jesus draped in the American flag or the Jesus whose message … Continue reading no kingdom without a cross
Men, Women, and the Way of the Cross
Some pastors have been asking me to blog a bit on my thoughts re: complementarianism, egalitarianism, male/female roles, why it's become such a polarizing topic, and perhaps even why it's become a new litmus test of fidelity to the Gospel. I'm hesitant to address such a big subject. It's so polarizing. And it's sad to … Continue reading Men, Women, and the Way of the Cross