“…and God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.” The creation narrative concludes with God resting–or ceasing–from his creative handiwork “on the seventh day.”  What does this mean? First, this “ceasing of labor” is the final part of the creation story’s central analogy:  the Creator is presented as an artisan who works during the day for […]

Read More What is the Sabbath for?

As a kid, a friend of mine and I would do something silly. We would take turns spinning around, twirling in the same place, and then try to walk straight. Did you ever do this when you were little? It’s probably not for everyone. Inevitably, what would happen? You would try to start walking normally (i.e., […]

Read More Should I trust my intuition or my instruments?

Once infants learn to crawl, they become very good at doing something that has always puzzled me (I’m sure there’s an explanation–one of you can probably tell me what it is):  they put everything in their mouths. Have you noticed this?  Almost everything goes in the mouth. As a kid, my little brother was almost […]

Read More Why does doing wrong feel so good (at first anyway)?

A number of years ago, when my twin daughters were three, my wife had arranged a playdate at a park with another mom and her kids.  The morning of the playdate came, but my daughters woke up sick with a cold of some sort.  The winter having been long and my wife being eager to […]

Read More The intimacy of a common diagnosis

In the midst of various kinds of counseling and discipleship I will ask a person (or couple):  what is the gospel? Common responses include:  “God forgives us”; “Jesus died for our sins”; perhaps a Scripture verse like “There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus” (that’s Romans 8.1); words like “grace,” “mercy,” “pardon” are used.  […]

Read More The Gospel you’ve (probably) never heard before

Here’s a recent email from a 20-something: Hello, Bruce, I wonder whether you can help me think through something regarding my relationship with God, to put it briefly. I feel like a lot of times I play mind games with myself and where I am at spiritually. And I sort of wonder whether at the […]

Read More Q’s from 20-somethings: How do I know I’m doing okay spiritually?

When I speak in “secular” contexts on the topic of Christianity, I will often ask people:  “Who would make your ‘top 5’ list of the most loving persons in history?”  Jesus, of course, always makes that list.  And then I ask:  “Why do you think that Jesus was such a loving guy when he was so […]

Read More The confrontational Jesus – responding to wrongdoing (part 3)

Jesus’ first response to wrongdoing is grief:  looking upon Jerusalem, the city that would commit the most heinous acts of injustice against him, he wept. In our last blog, we said that Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because he deeply desired to protect her and to see her flourish:  he longed for what would bring her […]

Read More Responding to wrongdoing (part 2)

In ways big or small, others insult or hurt us almost every day. Whether it’s a rude driver, an impatient client or customer, ungrateful kids, an insensitive family member or friend, we are wronged. And we respond–in a number of different ways.  Here are three: 1.  Indignation and confrontation:  when the rude driver cuts us off, […]

Read More Responding to wrongdoing (part 1)