Category Archives: Writing
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 [...]
Reality, pt. 3: Azure Skies
—Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)
—Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning [...]
Reality, pt. 2: The Extent of Human Suffering
Amanda and I don’t own a television. This is hardly a culture crusade; we just don’t watch many shows, and thought it was better to be deliberate about the ones we did watch. It also forces us to be more creative when we have an evening with nothing to do. But not having a television [...]
Reality, pt. 1: The Pigness of the Pig
Without a doubt, my favorite fast-food hamburger is the Whopper Junior from Burger King. It has no equal among dollar-menu sandwiches. The lettuce, onion and pickles are joined with the mayonnaise in perfect balance. The Whopper Junior also noticeably lacks mustard, and though I enjoy mustard, the choice to only use ketchup on this sandwich [...]
List: 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 [...]
