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Stand in Wander, part 1: The Bible
Note: I promise not to make a habit of wonder/wander puns. I started this blog as an attempt to free myself to write and build, but apparently the space is not the problem. The problem is me. I have been convicted of late that I have practiced silence for too long. Wisdom suggested it as one conflict after another seemed to indicate peacemaking was in order. There is a fine line between peacemaking and “peace-faking,” as Ken Sande calls it. The past decade has been an increasingly precarious time for relationships, so why make things worse? Why indeed. Well, as a teacher, you really cannot afford to be silent all…
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The Sin of Sodom
The other day I saw an old debate come back around: how should we think about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible? It’s common in conservative circles to think destruction came about because of rampant homosexual activity. For them, the sin of Sodom was quite simply sodomy. The “other side” then quotes a passage from Ezekiel, which says the sin was actually failing to take care of widows and orphans. For both sides, there is a tendency to think “it’s right there in the Bible! How could you get this so wrong?!” For conflicts that seem so obvious, it is perhaps all the more important to take…
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In Praise of Uselessness
I’ve created a new space on this site that was really what this page was originally about: a place to write anything. I’m calling it the “wanderlog.” This ultimately is a category to protect me from me, to give me permission to write anything without purpose, without apology. Of course, I very much hope that it’s not useless, but I’m giving myself permission to be useless. And really, that’s an important value to protect. Usefulness is good, but the world pushes you to make it ultimate. I may have shared this before (maybe I should give myself permission to be repetitive, too!) but I really connected with something I heard…
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Something True, Revisited
I have two blogs and rarely contribute to either one. Why is that? It’s because I’m a writer. That’s what I do when I have time to myself. It’s what I do because I have no other choice. It’s how I see myself and how I want to be seen. Of course, I want to be seen as more than that. I don’t want to be mistaken for some caricature. So I have a YouTube space so I can share educational videos, and I have a SoundCloud account so I can share music and sermons, and I have an Instagram account so I can share pictures. I enjoy these things.…
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Is There a Doctor in the House? (Book Review)
There are few decisions I regret more than the desire to be “normal” again. After seminary, I dove right into a year of doctoral studies before realizing I needed a break. The break was glorious. I read all kinds of things, worked through personal issues, thought great thoughts, did “practical” things. And all the while, I was driven by this need to keep going, one that had been instilled at Dallas. And then a few years later, with a full-time job, a growing family, a mortgage, and some heartbreak in ministry, I wanted out. I wanted the book monkey off my back. I wanted to be “free.” I decided to…