Love in a Time of Quarantine

In times of great uncertainty, the Christian response is to be grounded in love.

Enduring Faithfulness in the Mundane

I love this quote by G. K. Chesterton that I ran across again while reading back through Jared C. Wilson’s Gospel Wakefulness (a worthy read, by the way): Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, ‘Do it again’; and the

The Freedom of Forgiveness

by Mike Phay Jesus once told a story (Matthew 18:23-35) about a servant who owed his master a ridiculous amount of money—billions of dollars in today’s currency. In order to recoup at least some of this astronomical debt, the master—well within his legal rights at the time—commanded the sale of this servant and his entire

The Brass Verdict (book review)

Reviewing The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly (Little & Brown, 2008). Be warned: this review contains spoilers. Over the last month, I’ve been on a mystery-crime-thriller kick, mostly reading some of the Jack Reacher series (by Lee Child), and also the Harry Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer books by Michael Connelly. In my opinion, Connelly exceeds Child

Welcome Him. Worship Him.

God notices even those of us who are, by all accounts, unnoticeable.

Are You Ready for Christmas?

by Mike Phay A common refrain drifting through conversations during the holiday season is the casual, “Are you ready for Christmas?” By which we generally mean, “Do you have all of the presents bought and wrapped, all of the decorations hung, all of the food bought, and all of the other to-dos crossed off your

Loving Others in Kairos Time

by Mike Phay One of the most significant and world-altering inventions in human history is something you’ve probably never heard of. It’s never gotten a lot of press, even though it helped to fundamentally define the way we now live.  It’s called the escapement. Google it.  The escapement was first used in the 13th century

Two Roads Diverged in a Garden

Like our first parents, we are experts at constructing coverings to hide our vulnerability. Setting out to deceive others, we unintentionally deceive ourselves with our homemade fig leaves. We take comfort in this deception since it helps us feel in control, but in the end, it’s only an illusion.

Five Reasons to Brag about Jesus: A Meditation on John 17

If Jesus is God, then there exists nothing more worthy of his affections than himself. 

Pursuing Obscurity: A Call to Pastoral Humility

Beautiful things don’t ask for attention.