It is God’s desire that he be seen and known and encountered by human beings. And all that most clearly through Jesus of Nazareth. The incarnated Christ is the apex of his communication and self-demonstration to humanity. But he does’t stop there.

Is a great question to ask God whenever you’re experiencing strong, challenging, less-than-pleasant emotions.

And then it was gone. I can’t remember it now. I lost it. 

And it was a brilliant thought, really. So stimulating, in fact, that I was happy to wake up 20 minutes early. Excited to get up and write it down, to explore that trailhead and see where it might take me. You would’ve loved it. It would’ve moved you deeply.

Worship the Lord with gladness;

come before him with joyful songs.

Psalm 100:2 (NIV )

Serve the Lord with gladness!

Come into his presence with singing!

Psalm 100:2 (ESV )

“Worship” and “serve” are both adequate (and equally inadequate) translations from the Hebrew. It’s a both/and situation.

There are different genres of music. 

Classical. Blues. Rock. R&B. Soul. Gospel. Jazz. Latin Jazz. Afro-Cuban Jazz. Pop. Country. Pop Country. K-pop. Hip Hop. Trip Hop. Rap. Metal. Rap Metal. Hardcore. Metalcore. Noisecore. Cumbia. Salsa. Ranchero. Reggae. Reggaeton. Ska. Punk. Ska Punk. Indie Rock. Surf Rock. Math Rock. Folk Rock. Folk. Bluegrass. Techno. Industrial. 

Just to name a few.

There are also different genres of prayer.

“But don’t worry–it’s a manly scent,” you said from the stage. 

Worry? I’m not worried. Are others worried? I sure hope not. But maybe they are. And if anyone is worried about your candle-lit prayer, what does that say about our religious culture? Probably more than we would like. 

By most accounts, knowing is a uniquely human trait. Animals don’t know in the same way that we know. The fact that we have the word “epistemology” is in itself a mark of our uniqueness. 

This is part of the story of Genesis 1-3. It tells a story about knowledge, the desire for knowledge, and the human capacity to bear the weight of knowledge. What we seek to know, and how we come to know it, and the ability of our brains (and souls and bodies) to actually handle that knowledge all have limits. 

Remember that these things are mysteries and that if they were such that we could understand them, they wouldn’t be worth understanding. A God you understood would be less than yourself.

Flannery O’Connor, Letters

The more I read the Bible, the more I am convinced that the two best adjectives for it are wonderful and weird.

There are certain times of the year that are more challenging. For some people it’s the Christmas season because they feel alone. For some it’s the beginning of the school year, after a free-and-clear Summer off. For some it’s tax season. For some it’s the anniversary of a great loss. For some it’s inventory month. 

For me it’s Summer. (For many pastors that I know, it’s Summer).

Your organization can write in all lowercase, but then it looks like a kindergartener. They’re cute and all, but people are looking to trust something with more maturity. 

Your organization can write in all caps, but then it looks like it’s shouting. Like you’re angry. People are put off by angry shouters. It might come across as enthusiasm at first, but eventually it just starts to hurt their ears.