In his book "The Cost of Discipleship," Dietrich Bonhoeffer devotes a section of the book to walking through the Sermon on the Mount. As you read each chapter, you realize the pattern of his writing – something he refers to as “single-minded obedience” and what follows: this is what Christ says; this is what we would like to think he meant; actually, he meant what he said; you’re right, that is impossible; this is why you need the grace of God, the complete work of Christ, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.Read more

I had the wonderful opportunity to attend my cousin’s wedding this weekend. It was a gorgeous (and very humid) ceremony in New Orleans. Let’s just say that New Orleans in late July might be the closest place to the sun on earth. Heat aside, what a joyful time it was for the family and friends of these two. Along with my family, I was so proud of this cousin, where he’s been, where he’s come, and where he’s going. He will be a great husband to this lovely woman of God as they grow in new ways, and they have the support of loving families. That said, there is no doubt my cousin has had a mischievous past, and no one at the rehearsal dinner would relent on the colorful, hilarious stories.
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My wife and I have lived in Washington, DC, for the past three years.  Shortly after we moved here, we casually picked up the first season of LOST on DVD.  Drawn by the reaction our friends were having to the show, we thought it would be a good way to unwind at the end of a long day – but at first, it was not that at all.  Enraptured by the strange twists and the desire to learn more about the characters, we would watch anywhere from (at least) 2 to 5 episodes at a time.  Now, shortly before we move from this city, we have wrapped up the series in last night’s finale.  It is certainly a show I would associate with our life in DC, and it has probably enlightened our own definition of the word “lost” while here in this city.Read more

 Not that I can whole-heartedly recommend the body of work by the 70s-80s band Supertramp, but there was one song that held my father-in-law’s whistle for a recent ski trip: “Take the Long Way Home”.  Unfortunately, the song itself seems to be about staying away from home and the nagging wife therein, but the sentiment felt by the main riff (the only lines we sang while heading down the mountain on skis) was “soak this in, appreciate the beauty around you”.  God has surrounded you with his love, his affection, his mountains, so please observe.
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One of my favorite hymns, which is short and seemingly direct, is "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less".  For the first verse you'll find

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My hope is built on nothing less

than Jesus' blood and righteousness;

I dare not trust the sweetest frame,

but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

Chorus:

On Christ, the sold rock, I stand;

all other ground is sinking sand,

all other ground is sinking sand.

You'll just have to indulge my work-related tendencies and esoteric jargon for the post this morning -- but I won't apologize.  The past couple of months, my pastors have been trekking through the Sermon on the Mount, hovering the first few weeks on the beatitudes, knowing blessedness, and living in the knowledge that these things have already been accomplished on your behalf.  All great preaching, and I would highly recommend you check out the teachings on the Grace DC website. A few weeks ago, I was struck by the sermon surrounding meekness: "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).Read more

Throughout my years in the reformed church (really beginning at a campus ministry in college and followed by involvement in three different church communities), I have noticed something among my fellow believers I first thought to be natural and am now finding more and more peculiar.

While in college, I observed that whenever folks, myself included, would gather for a Bible study or teaching, we would later evaluate the strength of message or the capacity of the teacher based on the depth of our responsive conviction.  To become convinced of your need for Christ and his work, it is utterly essential to intimately understand your own heart, its destructive tendencies, and the grand schism between your will and God's will.  I believe this.  I believe that to have Jesus's light shine, one needs to be cognizant of the darkness.  Read more

In fear of contradicting everything you have ascertained during pre-game interviews with athletes (which I know everyone writes on his heart), I must assert that talk is indeed NOT cheap.  Performance on the court will determine the winner of the game, and someone's daily life would certainly indicate many things about that person, but words are not cheap.  And I am not referring to lawyer salaries or the prices people pay for professional word-smithing.  I am referring to the "from the mouth overflows the heart".  

When I got married about a year and a half ago, I gained something I had never had before: a captive audience.  It was not that I always wanted someone to hear about everything I was thinking, it just so happened that now some one was right in front of me.  Over a short period of time I began to say things that for many years were just thoughts of mine, both of little or great consequence, without a filter for what needed saying.  In my mind, each utterance, big or small, deserved the same attention from my wife.  I cannot begin to convey the amazing musings I had about the essence of stain-resistant pants or the way a t-shirt must be folded.  Each topic deserved as must attention as the next, primarily because I was the one saying it.  But over time, giving value to everything I said began to devalue other words, and I started to speak with a flippant tongue.

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It’s the one phrase that affords malicious free reign to anyone who is generally well-mannered or has a sweet demeanor.  When thinking of the typical Southern Gothic figure (most any Flannery O’Connor character will do), the typical slanderous, denigrating remark is prefaced or followed by “Bless his heart.”  It is such a curious interjection.  Blessing another’s heart suggests an intense desire for a solemnity or emotional resolve, despite the fact that the speaker might think the subject is a blockhead.   Really, just say it aloud: “Bless his heart, but he’s just a negative shy of the full picture.”  Doesn’t it sound a little less harsh, somewhat tolerant?  I want to point out the example Paul sets in Acts 14 which takes this phrase to a new level.

God has sent for Barnabas and Paul, instructing them to go and spread the gospel.  As the two are in Lystra, a rural town populated by what is likely a relatively uneducated people, Paul speaks to a man who is lame from birth.  Paul heals him as he commands him to stand and walk.  The Lycaonians are floored and begin worshipping Paul and Barnabas, calling them Hermes and Zeus and bringing forward animal sacrifices.

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