Category Archives: Christianity & Church
A Celebration of Excellence: Two Rivers Church
In August of 2003, some friends and I came to Des Moines for a Lifehouse concert. We decided to go down a few hours early to visit Willowbrook Bible Camp, since Christy’s dad was directing the high school camp that week and a few of our younger siblings were among the campers. We ate dinner [...]
A Celebration of Excellence: Bethany Bible Chapel
I said a few weeks ago that I have been a part of seven different churches in my life. What I didn’t say is that six of those churches have been in the past six years. But from the day I was born until the day I went off to college, I went to Bethany [...]
A Celebration of Excellence: Kaio Church
Shortly after we were married and living back in Iowa, Amanda and I felt called to leave my home church and help out at Kaio Church, a new plant in Cedar Falls. Kaio was started in 2006 for one reason: there are still unsaved people in the city. Their singular vision as a church was [...]
A Celebration of Excellence: Fairbluff Bible Chapel
In the fall of 2006, Amanda and I decided to move down to the Charlotte area for the semester so she could finish her degree. She only needed six gen-ed classes to graduate, and community college in North Carolina costs about a tenth of what it costs in Iowa. Since we were both still working [...]
A Celebration of Excellence: The Great Adventure Church
I attended The Great Adventure Church during my years at Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa. As a “Bible college town”, Dubuque had a very interesting church dynamic. There were four churches in town that were led by Emmaus faculty, and while they all shared the same theological beliefs, they were vastly different in structure [...]
A Celebration of Excellence
I’ve been part of seven different churches in my life. These experiences have shown me that a church is very much like a person in a few different ways: no two are alike, they all have their faults, and most importantly, they all excel at something. In the coming weeks I’ll draw a profile of [...]
Freedom in Christ
Multiple levels of understanding of freedom in Christ.
One does because he’s weak. He doesn’t understand that he’s free, but he does it anyway.
One doesn’t because he knows he’s weak. He is beginning to understand freedom, but knows he’s not strong enough to engage in the activity.
One does because he’s strong. He understands his freedom in [...]
St. John Chrysostom: How Then Can They Believe?
Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not ignore him when he is naked. Do not pay him homage in the temple clad in silk, only then to neglect him outside where he is cold and ill-clad. He who said: “This is my body” is the same who said: “You saw me [...]
Three Dangerous Phrases
There are three dangerous phrases that I often hear Christians say. These phrases are not innately harmful, but like a crack in the wall of a house, they often indicate a deeper problem.
“I like to think…”
This phrase almost always precedes an unsubstantiated theological claim. There are two things wrong with it. The first is that [...]
Jesus, the River
Jesus, the river.
We, the residential developers damming the river with religion on one side and human perspective on the other, that we may create a pond.
We, the home buyers eager for a coveted place next to the pond, that we may demonstrate our social status to the world.
We, the pond, overgrown with weeds and polluted [...]
