Coffee with Creamer

Barry talks about change and what is required to get there. Our enduring impact on the grand scheme of things can be far greater than the tiny space we occupy in it. However, the risk to change so much relies heavily on the two things we might want to do without: God and others.   […]

Barry skips to the chase scene as he walks through Psalm 87, focusing on the meaning of the city of Jerusalem from the Old Testament to the New. It just so happens, that God finds his people the same places he finds his enemies.       Scriptures: Psalm 87, 48:1-3, 50:1-2 Rev 22:1-2, 7:9-10 […]

Barry finishes his series on how we can let God’s heart change ours. He focuses on a few ruts—both personal and public—that require the special analytical tool of “meta-questions.” The application of this tool can help us respect other image-bearers better, rethink persistent problems, and decide what to do with our own agency this very […]

Ever wondered what was meant by David being “a man after God’s own heart?” That sounds like a pretty good thing. But what is that thing in God’s heart? Barry starts a series about how God uses his sovereignty and power, and what would make our hearts more like His.       Scriptures: 1 […]

Barry continues the conversation about the incarnation and some of the ironies associated with our celebration of it as Christians and society. Every irony can lead us back to the unbelievable (and yet truest of all) story of a God willing to step into the filth of humankind to raise it up to meet the […]

Barry attempts what may seem silly at first—a reconciliation of Christ and Christmas. He starts with a value, describes its opposite, acknowledges the divergence, and then ends up at a point of reconciliation. This may feel like a lot of work, but it is the work that God humbles himself to do for us on […]

Barry finishes up his series on faith and pride, talking about the instances where pride creeps in to replace faith. Abraham is a great example for us as he was willing to give up the very thing (person in this case) that his faith birthed in order to maintain his relationship with the one who […]

Barry begins a series on faith. There are common opposites to faith of which we ought to be wary: inconsistency, doubt, disobedience, and hypocrisy. However, Barry believes the one that has been left out undermines all else about faith.     Scriptures: Prov 3:34, 16:5 James 4:6 1 Pet 5:5 Is 14:12-14 Ezekiel 28 Psalm […]

Barry arrives at Psalm 86 and reminds us that all people find themselves in the same position—both us and our enemies—in need of judgment and mercy. What we also need is the supernatural moment when we pass the mercy on.     Scriptures: Psalm 86 2 Sam 22:25-28 Hosea 6:4-6 Psalm 89:11 Matt 18: 23-35 […]

Barry finishes up this series on elections and consequences. He talks about a few things we need to remember about people, what we must acknowledge about ourselves, and how these things should shape our faith in a God who knows all of that too. Scriptures: Heb 2:14-15, Matt 7      

Barry begins a series about the interaction between populations and their leaders. In this episode he discusses what he has learned from election cycles since his young adult years, and the unfortunate truth behind Plato’s great brute. As someone may rightly ask in any dog park, “Who is training whom, here?”       Scriptures: […]

Barry talks about Psalm 85 and the all-sufficient nature of God. There is a magical story of a meeting on a roadway, a declaration of peace in a war-torn creation, and a happily-ever-after springing from the ground.       Scriptures: Psalm 85, 14:1-7 Micah 6:8 Gen 1:6-13 1 Cor 15 Matt 21:33-46 Luke 18

Some people confuse superstition and faith. Barry talks about the difference between the two and how Christians should, aside from being superstitious, be more supernatural in our thinking, not less.     Scriptures: Acts 17:16-23 1 Cor 8:4-8, 10:14-22 Jas 1:14-15 Col 1:15-20

Barry concludes his series on the artifacts of higher education and church life. We have so much to gain from being involved in faith and learning communities, as we all need someone else to tug on our bootstraps from time to time.  

Barry describes the odd artifact of many Sunday morning services, where we all sit looking toward the front as the preacher tells us things that (hopefully) we already know. It is similar to a college class and the interaction between professor and student. What is it that keeps these dinosaurs from going extinct?     […]