Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

Prayer is not a duty. It is not the means of gaining favor with God or demonstrating devotion. Rather, prayer is the means of making genuine contact with the Father who loves us. And the ultimate fruit of prayer is…happiness.  (Note that the opening word of the Psalms is "Happy!") In this continuing look at […]

What if I told you, you could build a life of meaningful connection to God in a matter of minutes a day?  Really!  I know it sounds like a cheap hook for a diet pill, but it happens in this case to be true.  You can build a habit of prayer in minutes a day by using […]

 Jesus said the way to be first is to be last; the way to life abundantly is to die to self; and the way to maturity is to become like a little child. In this episode we examine the Fifth Rule of the Spiritual Life: Let God be Your Father. One of the greatest challenges […]

Ever since Plato, it has been tempting to equate "spiritual" with "ideal" – to imagine that spiritual growth is a way out of the pains and sufferings and frustrations of life. And many a well-intentioned person has taken up the life of prayer in the hope of transcendence (escape?). But perfection does not belong to […]

Here we continue our look at the classical tradition of Christian spiritual formation by examining the Benedictine vow of stability – the commitment to stay put, to stay engaged in our most valuable relationships and to work out the discipline of love within them. Our 21st century culture is more mobile and virtual than ever, […]

This is an episode about the commitment to endurance and its essential role in the process of our spiritual formation. Classically, we are warned that one of the most deadly poisons to the spiritual life is despair.  And by despair we don't mean depression, sadness, frustration…even very serious doubt. Despair is surrender.  As Martin Thornton […]

As we take our next step in our understanding of Christian spiritual practice, it is essential to remember that the goal of our practice is not "discipline," but relationship.  We are not aiming to be good at "spirituality," but to love – and, ultimately, to be loved by – God. Relationship does require discipline (and thus […]

There are few claims of Christian theology more audacious than the bodily resurrection of Jesus. And any citizen of the 21st century who doesn't doubt such assertions is probably in need of a good head examination (or a reduction in their AMC viewing…). Dead bodies don't return to life. Not as ghosts. Not as zombies. And certainly not […]

Having – hopefully – made the theological case for contemplation (as St. Ignatius of Loyola describes it), in this episode our pal, Jon Saur, gives a short example of the practice. This sermon was preached on Palm Sunday 2015 and thus uses the traditional story of Jesus's "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem as the gospel text to […]

"Contemplation" is one of the most transformational practices I was ever taught. While the word carries connotations of abstract pondering, for St. Ignatius it describes a very active method of reading the Bible (more on why we care about St. Ignatius is found here.) What Ignatius reminds us is that Jesus is truly risen. That […]

If we believe that God is actively seeking to communicate with us (see Loving God 101, Part 1 and Part 3), then we would be wise to go the places where we know God's voice is loudest.  We've already examined some of these (e.g., sacraments, acts of compassion and service to others). But the place where God's […]

Love is learned by experience. I often think of it as osmosis – absorbing from the environment. In other words, if we want to love, we must begin by being regularly in the presence of love to let it have its effect on us. Understanding this has many implications for the relationships we form, the […]

For most of Christian history, the central element of both corporate worship and individual prayer has been regular participation in the sacrament of  Communion.  Indeed, the Roman Catholic mass still centers on the Eucharist (as the Lord's Supper is also called) as the priest consecrates the elements of bread and wine and invites the people of God […]

Learning to "hear" God's voice (i.e., "discernment") actually begins by learning what is not God's voice. That is to say, each of us arrives to our relationship with God with many voices in our head – the voices of our family, our culture, our friends…the voice of Reason, of our deepest hopes, our deepest fears.  Indeed, […]

For most of us "confession" does not sound like a very liberating idea. For me it used to conjure images of self-loathing, as I enumerated my sins with with heaps of guilt on the side.  (Martin Luther was plagued by such feelings early in his life – often returning to confession right after he left […]

Healthy progress in any aspect of our lives requires that we pause from time to time and take an honest examination of our present state.  But in a culture of constant comparison and competition, such exercises often only serve to dispirit and magnify our sense of dissatisfaction with ourselves.  In this episode we examine the […]

Spending time with God is important and critical for any follower of Jesus. However, sometimes knowing what "spending time with God" looks like in a practical sense can be difficult to discern. Practices like "quiet times" and "solo times" are helpful for some followers of Jesus, but what about those who don't connect with God […]

One of the great struggles in the life of faith is the sense that God is vastly distant. We may talk about "intimacy" and "relationship" and "making contact."  But in day-to-day experience, it feels like we do a good bit of talking to God, and God rarely talks back. Yes, we have been given the […]

  What does an authentic, intimate relationship with God "feel" like? That is to say: What are we aiming for as we grow to love God? What should a mature Christian expect to experience when connection to God has been achieved? (An important question, as our answer will direct our behavior and shape our sense of "progress.") […]

This is the first in a long series on the work of Christian spiritual formation.  That is to say:  of the process by which we grow to maturity in Christ.  And to do this we take an in-depth look at what the Bible has to say about the goal and process of spiritual growth, as […]

We are born to grow. And for the first season of our life, growth is nearly inevitable.  Newborns will grow into toddler, toddlers grow into children, children to teens…  And all along the way, maturity increases as biology does its work (albeit with helpful or harmful inputs). But when we reach "adulthood," strength, health…maturity…, becomes […]

Do Christians really believe that Jesus was fully divine?  And fully human?  Simultaneously?  It's no easy pill to swallow, virgin births and all that…  And why does it matter?    In this episode, my friend and mentor, Mark Roberts, takes on these questions and many others as he explores Christian doctrine of the incarnation.  It […]

Every December the decorations return – banners with doves, cards declaring "Peace on Earth"…  And yet every year the headlines never change:  hardship, loss, injustice… How do we come to terms with the contradiction?  Is the biblical promise that God's shalom (peace, rest, wholeness) is taking over creation to be believed?  Or is it (as it often […]

This episode is particularly personal to me. "Joy" is not a primary Winslow trait.  Hard work, honesty, responsibility, service to others…these are virtues I know well.  And to the degree that the Bible calls Christians to "rejoice," I did my best to be optimistic for Jesus (whatever that means).  Often what it really meant was […]

Does God know I exist? Does he know the circumstances of my life? Does he hear me when I pray?  Does he care??? Such questions go back to the dawn of time and for most of human history, the answer has been: no.  The gods may exist, but their concern for humans was minimal! Mostly […]