Coffee with Creamer

Barry altered the wording of this maxim from previous presentations because he realized it was too easy on himself! What used to be “brutal honesty” with others has changed to “brutal honesty” with self and this in fact, makes it easier for us to offer kindness to others. This altered mindset places us square on […]

Barry covers our seventh maxim, which encourages us to consider two questions in a particular order before we decide on an action. Honoring this order for these particular questions is especially important in two situations: 1) when faced with decisions in our pragmatic culture, and 2) when suffering enters the picture.     Scriptures: Prov […]

Barry heads toward our sixth maxim, focused on change. At the beginning of the year, it is common to make some new year’s resolutions. In this episode, Barry urges us to direct our changes toward a target, in community, in faith, and even in our origin.     Scriptures: Rom 3:20 Eph 2:8-11, 4:11-16 Phil […]

Barry focuses in on Mary’s Magnificat along with the importance of her faith and obedience. He acknowledges that for many denominations, Mary is sometimes overlooked or downplayed—pushed to the side—rather than seen at the center of the stage where she stands in the text, exemplifying women throughout Israel’s and the church’s story.     Scriptures: […]

Barry heads into the 5th commandment. This one is an especially tricky one, the opposite of which seeps into our lives at every turn. How can we begin to fight back against our sinful nature? We can start by having the highest regard for the person in the world we know to be the most […]

Barry arrives at the fourth maxim, which battles it out with our culture every single day—being a follower. In God’s command to honor one’s parents, he provided a method of training us to be ready to honor others for the rest of our lives.     Scriptures: Ex 20:12 Matt 16:24, 19:18-19 1 Cor 11:1 […]

Barry connects our third maxim to the Sabbath commandment, reminding us that on the seventh day God created nothing material; instead creating a space every week for us to value all things correctly. It is an invitation for us to consider more carefully what’s really real.     Book: An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section […]

Psalm 104 reminds us of at least two more things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving week. Time and order display God’s faithfulness to those he loves. He continues to engage with his creation moment by moment, evincing that he walks among us now toward a future where all will be made right. Scriptures: Ps […]

Barry is back to the essentials in the 10 maxims series. This time, it’s about the sanctity of human life, and the fact that is intrinsic to bearing the image of God. He challenges us with this statement: If all we mean by the value of human life is the importance of not taking it, […]

Barry begins a new series covering 10 maxims that he believes are essential to the Christian faith. These “commandments” are not those 10 commandments, but they are aligned with them and remind us that these truths will last even when we do not. Number 1: The Lord is as important as we are not.   […]

Barry talks about some of the challenges with populism and a two-party system. He provides a curious example of how, in some instances in populist movements, because of a two-party system, the minority can actually rule the majority. His conclusion? If we value freedom then we have to value it for everyone, even the ones […]

As promised, Barry provides a reflection on the book of Job. While we often think the book focuses on the righteousness and sovereignty of God, he suggests that mercy is the central point to the story. God’s answer to evil’s problem has always been mercy. The mercy of Job is his righteousness.       […]

Barry walks us through Psalm 101, a psalm with parallelistic properties that points out a daunting fact: a sure way to be excluded from God’s house is to treat other people badly. This is likely why God found Job so blameless. Job practices what his friends did not: mercy.   Scriptures: Psalm 101 Matt 5, […]

Barry talks about the crowded intersection of risk, control, and faith. In the moments we encounter problems, does empiricism or rationalism provide a better traffic controller? He answers that question, all the while pointing us back to the one who made both the intersection and the drivers.

Barry begins the conversation about Psalm 99 by reminding us about the stories of a few great leaders in Israel. These figures write a script for us with rejection and intercession—perhaps not the most cheerful invitation, but without doubt the most Messianic.   Scriptures: Ps 99 Ex 17:4, 32:31-32 Num 16:3, 45-48 1 Sam 8:4-8, […]

Barry finishes his series about the development of the self in the context of community. This episode of the series focuses on application and invites us to three important aspects of our walk of faith: humility, repentance, and self-doubt.     Scriptures: Rom 2:15-16 Ps 19:12-13 1 Kings 17-19

Barry continues his series about the development of psychological and forensic guilt in the self—a process that inevitably occurs within a community. This, however, is a busy intersection indeed with individuals, communities, and the world at large all playing a part in the process. It is in the midst of this congestion we must try […]

Barry admits three things: he is not omniscient (first time for everything), he is an individualist, and he spends a lot of time pondering cultural ethics. From personal identity, to Scripture, to the Overton Window, a lot of things come into play when thinking through how we become who we are and what that says […]

Barry talks us through Psalm 96 and provides a fascinating contrast with a psalm in 1 Chronicles. God has all the Creator work experience necessary to also satisfy the job description of righteous Judge. And this is great news because it means vindication for us and hope for everyone.      Scriptures: Ps 96 Daniel […]

Barry talks about the importance of perspective. The first step is to admit we are flawed perceivers. However, once we do that it doesn’t mean that we are wrong, that nothing can be known, or that someone else is right.     Link/Article: Target scales back on its LGBTQ+ merchandise ahead of Pride Month 2024, Target […]

Barry talks about political orientation and the workplace. Since so much of our lives can be devoted to our work, it is worth taking a moment to become aware of our sense of belonging and our level of intentionality about both our work and our coworkers.     Article: Effects of person–occupation political orientation misfit […]

Barry talks about Psalm 94 and sees the inevitable couple of hope and no hope. Hope shows up on the side of God’s people as he opts to use hardship to perfect them, and no hope hangs over those who make themselves his enemy. God is powerful enough to use all the things he will […]

Barry takes a moment and a poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning to talk about the things he appreciates most about America. Having the freedom to do what we want may be one of the best things about our country, but it also requires giving up some of what we want. Poem: How Do I Love […]

Barry talks with Dr. Allan Peetz about the varied experiences that make up the life of a trauma surgeon. While surgeons are often hailed as heroes by those of us who need them (and they are), the field automatically comes with a potential downside. Our guest states, “You have this great hour to help people, […]

Barry covers our 5th and final Psalm of Ascent, which takes us in a new direction. Aside from being beautifully elegant and inspiring, this psalm is challenging and a bit of a comeuppance. Often when we think of worshipping God, we visualize a sacred space with little distractions and a lot of awe. However, this […]