Life on the West Side

Don’t you love a good dinner table? Table is where you tell stories; it's where you share stories. And who you eat with tells me a lot about your story.  The self-righteous and well-to-do tried to think up the worst thing they could say about Jesus. And here is what they came up with: “this man welcomes sinners and eats with them” (Luke 15:2).  The sermon today is titled "The God Who Wel...

God is a seeker. He seeks his saved bride, like a lover who never stops serving. He seeks the lost who know they are in need of being found. And He even seeks the betrayer, who defiantly lives without Him, because He refuses to give up on the One His soul loves. You find me, I dare you, any such parallel story in all the great world religions. At the moment of the betrayal, Jesus called Judas “fri...

What do you do when you don’t feel like you have enough? Life begins to look like what happens in musical chairs when the music ends. People begin to live from a condition of scarcity. Living from paycheck to paycheck is hard enough; but when you have no idea when—or if—your job will start up again, it can be sheer panic.   That’s not only true when it comes to money. What does it look like spirit...

Revelation says our Lord is faithful and true . When philosophers talk about God, two overall characteristics are named immediately: God knows everything, and He can do anything. But that description is incomplete. When you hear God has all knowledge, that can scare you—like someone out there has your FBI file. When you hear God has all power, it can frighten you—like someone can always overcome y...

What is “goodness”? When we say, “God is good,” what do we mean by that? The problem with the word “goodness” in English is that the word can mean whatever you want it to mean. Think of all the ways we use the word “good.” Is a good horse one that runs really fast or one that will walk slowly? Well, it depends on whether we mean one in the wild doing what it was made to do or one in the stable doi...

Close your eyes . I want you to picture the face of God. Hold that image in your mind. What are you picturing? Get as clear a picture as you can. Does God have a human looking face? Is he standing or sitting? Is he old or young? Zoom in. Is he stern, frowning, or smiling? Now, focus on your feelings. What emotions are welling up inside you? Is it fear, concern, joy, curiosity, bewilderment, worry,...

Think noble things of God! That is something Jim McGuiggan says often. I had the opportunity to sit down with one of my favorite preachers to discuss how we see God and make Him known in our assemblies. I asked Jim three questions: What inspired you to write The God of the Towel? (2:07) What are we doing poorly in our assemblies and how can we improve so that God may be seen more clearly? (13:28)...

Before God, by His Spirit, can build us up, God, by His Spirit, must break us down. The man bowed his head to pray over me. “Lord," he began, "I pray that you will break in him what needs to be broken.”  It's a line from Psalm 51. I didn’t know that verse at the time. What I thought was “what arrogance!” It would be years later before that story overcame my pride, and I was able to...

The fruit of the Spirit is faith. As his boy lay dying, the man knows the healer. He bears his soul to the Master. “If you can, I know my boy will be healed.” “If YOU can” replies Jesus, “All things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:22-24). Listen to the cry of the heart–perhaps the sound coming from deep without your own soul: “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” I have faith! But I’m run...

The fruit of the Spirit is kindness, goodness...gentleness . The way of the flesh leads to nothing good. But sometimes we get glimpses of an alterate universe--a different way of being. A life where things like kindness, goodness, and gentleness bloom. This is life in the Spirit. This is the kingdom of God. The sermon today is titled "Kind, Good, & Gentle." It is the fifth installmen...

The fruit of the Spirit is patience . Our God is "endlessly patient" (Ex 34:6 MSG). But I am not. We need patient for the long journey, and we find the power to pursue patient endurance by the Spirit. But we struggle to let the Spirit reign in our impatient lives due to pride, cynicism, forgetfulness, and a lack of trust. The sermon today is titled "Patience." It is the fourth...

The Fruit of the Spirit is Peace. Peace is something we cry for and long for. Ask most people on the planet, “what is the number one prayer in most place at most times?” I imagine they would say, “peace.” Peace in Middle East. Peace across the country. Peace in my home. Peace at my family’s Thanksgiving Day table. To avoid becoming the Hatfields and the McCoy’s, we pray for peace. And that brings...

The Fruit of the Spirit is Joy. Katie and I can’t imagine a more joyful day than when we welcomed Grace into the world. There was incredible pain that day. The kind of pain that in any other situation would cause you to wonder if God is even present, or if he cares about the suffering of my wife on the surgeon’s table. But that’s because joy is something far different from agreeable conditions or...

God is love. In the New Testament, God is described with adjectives: God is holy; God is just; God is merciful. But in 1 John, God is defined when the text says God is Love (1 John 4:8). In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent His Son to die for us (1 John 4:10). Rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare...

Meet Christ in the water. Nothing can wash away my sins--nothing but the blood of Jesus. The gospel is the story of Jesus Christ, doing what we could never do, paying what we could never pay. The gospel gets a hold of our hearts and demands a response. In the New Testament, the uniting response is to confess Christ as Lord and to follow Jesus into water for this crossing over experience.  Baptism...

Beginning is tough. Kim Linehan was an American Olympic swimmer who, for 8 years, held the world record in the Women’s 1500-meter freestyle. Competing at 18 years of age, Kim would do endless exercises and swam 7 to 12 miles a day. But when she was asked “what is the hardest part of your regimen?” she gave this reply: “getting in the water.”  Getting in the water.  Beginning is tough. Starting ove...

What happens if you see Christ in your next door neighbor? That’s easy if your neighbor is like Kenneth—who was my next door neighbor for a few years. Kenneth would do anything for anyone. All he asked for was a coconut pie. When Jesus says "love God and love your neighbor," people assume that means love those who are really good to you. So Jesus clarifies: “I say unto you, love your ene...

Christianity is not self-help behavior modification . Telling ourselves “do it, do it, do it” when we look at virtue that we don’t really want, or “don’t do it, don’t do it, don’t do it” when we look at sin we really do want, won't lead to anything good. It doesn’t. It won’t work. It’s what Paul calls “will worship.” It is a spiritless gospel. It’s precisely what Paul is attacking in Galatian...

Whether you are using the KJV, NKJV, ESV, or NRSV, the line is virtually the same: “But you didn’t learn Christ that way" (Eph 4:20) . It doesn’t say “you didn’t learn about Christ,” as if he is the subject and we gain information about him. No, just as the thirsty hiker learns the refreshing nature of a drink of water, just as the Olympian learns victory the moment she crosses the finish lin...

She reframed his mistake .   Oh, I wish I could do that for you…and wish you could do that for others. How often do we yearn for someone to see value in us when we don’t perform well. The good news...is that Jesus does! You see, it’s hard to believe, but even church folk tend to believe the lie that our world is pumping into our ears every day.  If you want to be accepted, if you want to be loved,...

Paul determined to know nothing among his audience except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified . And so, Lord willing, I too will preach Christ crucified . You see, I believe heaven touched earth in the person of Jesus Christ. I believe the powers of darkness were lassoed at the cross. I believe Satan and all of his minions laugh at our perceived success stories; they rejoice when we focus only on our...

For the first time, Gallup shows less than 50% of Americans attend church. What does faith formation look like in an increasingly secular age?  In this thirteenth episode, we explore youth ministry and adult education for this place and time. My guest today is Dr. Andrew Root. A professor at Luther Seminary, Andrew is an eclectic thinker and author. He has written several important works on the th...

What tips and tricks do they teach about adult education in seminary?  In this twelfth episode, I sat down with a well-known author, professor, and practitioner for a wide-ranging discussion about educational ministry. My guest today is Dr. George Hillman, Jr. For 19 years, Dr. Hillman has served at Dallas Theological Seminary in a variety of roles, including department chair for Educational Minis...

When is a pandemic an opportunity? When it allows you to hit the "reset" button. In this eleventh episode, we acknowledge the importance of Bible classes, highlight the problem accelerated by the pandemic, and encourage churches to see this as an opportunity to restart, renew, and reorganize our adult education programs, bringing in fresh perspectives. We also put in a plug for teacher t...

What does it look like to "live out" the lessons we teach in our classes? What if our groups were covenant groups, committed to doing just that? In this tenth episode, we look at the importance of weekly expectations, follow up, follow through, and communal commitment. My featured guest today is Randy Harris. For 32 years, Randy taught Bible, theology, philosophy and ethics, first at Lip...