This is the speech I gave today at the For Such a Time as This rally. There is an unspoken and seldom articulated crisis within the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) and the wider circles of the evangelical church. In the sunset of the attractional church model, we...
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Going Forward
When I think of these days, of men and women who have allowed (welcomed, in some cases) and covered up abuse, I picture that scene in the Gospels where Jesus takes a cord to the Temple merchandisers--His wrath preserved for people trying to profit on the Temple,...
An open letter to the SBC
Dear SBC (Southern Baptist Convention #SBC18), I spent this morning praying, asking God to please reveal Himself to the people I love, entreating Him to sift me, confessing my sins and thanking Him over and over again for His grace and mercy. I write this while on...
That Time I Crashed Like Elijah
Hi *|FNAME|*, The second annual (and possibly last annual) Restory Conference is finished. My friend Doctor Ralph from New Zealand reminded me of a good story today after I'd sent my prayer team a rather gloomy email about how I felt in the aftermath of Restory. (The...
The 5 things you CAN control in a broken relationship
In anticipation of the Restory Conference coming up, I've written a post about the helplessness (and need for control) we may feel when navigating a difficult relationship. This year's conference will deal with your relationships, and I'm SO excited to share some...
What happened to holiness?
Holiness means set apart, to be different. But as I scan the landscape of the church, so often I see sameness with our culture. The divorce rate is the same. People are sleeping together before marriage without so much as a blink of conscience. You see Christians...
2017 Lenten Journey
The past few years, I've created an art piece every day during Lent. It was my way of creatively focusing on Jesus in the days up until Easter. My husband and I host a Seder meal at the culmination of our collective Lenten journeys, and it's full of rich imagery and...
We Can Differ, But We Can Also Be Kind
There's an older essay by David Aikman's essay in Christianity Today entitled "Attack Dogs of Christendom: Is this how to bring grace and savor to a crumbling civilization?" The pull quote says it all: "No attribute of civilized life seems more under attack than...
Is the American Church about the Gospel?
Recently, I remembered a piece I dissected in college, a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne entitled, "The Celestial Railroad." It's a parody, of serious sorts, about Bunyan's Pilgrims Progress, where in enlightened modern times, folks have taken to bypass such...
A Crossless Christianity?
Since when did Christianity become crossless? Jesus said, "Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me" Matt 10:38. He tells his disciples about the mystery of the seed, that unless it falls to the earth and dies, it won't bear fruit....
The Day I Met Jesus is on Sale! Yay!
From now until October 9th, The Day I Met Jesus is on sale (ebook) for 99 cents! Hooray! (By the way, this is a great book to use for a 5-week Bible study, as there are built in questions for each chapter.) Get your Barnes and Noble nook copy here. Grab your Amazon...
Restory Recap
Honestly, I don't know how to summarize Restory. I'm still a bit numb afterwards. This usually happens to me after a big event--I get sick and numb. And I am both today as I write this. When I pour myself out, I have little left in the aftermath. My dear family tells...