on the walk

This was the second week in our on going series called “Recycled.” It was another great sermon and service. I got to serve as host in the new venue and I can already tell, that I love the new venue and really like to serve as the host up there.

I will have fuller sermon reflections throughout the week, but I want to start by giving an award to Ron Zink Continue Reading »

Last night I was tired (not quite tired enough to sleep, which is nice because I was determined to end my night in prayer) and consequently when I turned to prayer I was wordless.  Silence did not seem an option for I knew that silent prayer would quickly become slumbering prayer.

So I grabbed a hymnal. Continue Reading »

It is a regular refrain in my line of work to hear people talk about a desire to “go deeper” or a desire to “be fed.” Often I am overjoyed to hear this. Because sometimes it reflects a true hunger for God and for God’s word. Sometimes it reflects an eagerness to learn and the live as a follower of Christ. Continue Reading »

Here is my first attempt at an audio entry. Tom Moen and i sat down and recorded a conversation about short-term missions. Let me know what you think. We clearly have some technical issues to work out (as well as the fact that I say “uh” too much), and I am interested to know if anyone thinks the format is worth pursuing.

So take a listen to our conversation about short-term missions.

on the walk

-Ethan

I may be borrowing several quotes over time from a stunning article by John Stackhouse that was published in the May/June Edition of Books and Culture. It is a wonderful article that challenges all Christians to have a “bigger and smaller” view of mission. Here is a provocative section from the middle: Continue Reading »

[Note: If you ever want to look at this whole series, just click on the category "Praying with Jesus" and it will list all the post in this series.]

The next reference to prayer in the gospel of Mark is in chapter 9. Jesus and the three (James, John and Peter) come down from the mountain to find a scene of controversy. The other disciples (who have by this point had successful independent ministries that included exorcisms) have been unsuccessful in their attempts to help a frantic father whose son is possessed. Continue Reading »

On Sunday, Ben talked about redemption. (You can find the sermon here and my previous reflection here.) This is a biblical metaphor that uses the image of buying a person out of slavery to help us understand what Christ has done for us. We were once slaves to sin and death but now our freedom has been purchased.

In the context of discussing this point he reflected, “Of course, Even though we have been redeemed, we sometimes settle for slavery.” Continue Reading »

There is much talk about doubt these days. The revelation of Mother Theresa’s private letters has opened a unique window into one women’s private doubts. I am among those who are comforted by her letters. I have for some time intended to write on these letters and I expect that I will write on them directly in the future. In this post however I want to reflect on them more indirectly by talking about doubt. This could be long so if you aren’t interested, you can skip it. Continue Reading »

We started a great new sermon series this week. I like it because it is radically straightforward in its presentation. It is not subtle or ironic. Rather it picks up on a modern metaphor to make the most important and basic of Christian claims: “God saves people and this salvation is available to all people.” Continue Reading »

My wife has a lot of books on prayer.  I rarely touch them.  Tonight I needed to pray but had no words.  So I pulled one off the shelf.  My prayer tonight was from the section entitled, “Dedication to God’s Will.” Perhaps if you find yourself in need of prayer but lacking words, these words may be of help to you. Continue Reading »