Why Every Single Person Matters
There are few things that make me more proud to be the pastor of Christ Presbyterian Church in Nashville than Christ Pres’s unique emphasis on children with special needs. Once a year, our team of...
View ArticleThe Compassionate Truth About Judgment
One of the greatest stumbling blocks to Christianity, especially among those who are drawn to the idea of a loving, compassionate God, is the Bible’s teaching on judgment. As the Apostles’ Creed says,...
View ArticleThe Church: Love It, Don’t Leave It
There is a trend, especially among younger generations, of people who are saying goodbye to the local church. We’ve heard statistics of those who leave because they no longer believe. But,...
View ArticleHolding Hands Until The End…And How Everything Sad Comes Untrue
Being a pastor is a hard job, but I think it can also be the best job. As a pastor, I have had the privilege of being invited into the most sacred, intimate moments of people’s lives. When a baby is...
View ArticleWhy Small Things Are Often The Greatest Things
In my earliest days as a minister—somewhere around my mid-twenties—an older mentor challenged me to “attempt something so great for God that it is doomed for failure, unless God be in it.” Embracing...
View ArticleWhen Pastors Get Lonely And Discouraged
When I was studying to go into ministry, one of the professors told us aspiring pastors that we should never expect to have close friends in the churches that we lead. It is always best, the professor...
View ArticleThe “Major Defect” in C.S. Lewis (and Me)
When I was preparing in seminary to become a pastor, I was offered an internship at a local church. The pastor asked me what area of ministry I was interested in focusing on most. I told him I would do...
View ArticleThe Hidden Poverty of Affluence
When our family moved to Nashville from our 850 square-foot apartment in New York City, we were hoping for more living space… but not too much more. We had grown accustomed to the smaller space, which...
View ArticleWhy Is Loneliness A Thing?
Twentieth century novelist Thomas Wolfe said that the central and inevitable fact of human existence is loneliness. Whether we are introverts or extroverts, married or single, standing on the stage or...
View ArticleA Remedy For Controlling Personalities (Like Mine)
Not long our church staff did a Myers-Briggs personality exercise together. Part of the exercise was to identify well-known people from the past who shared our same personality traits. When it was time...
View ArticleOn Letting My Kids Go, and Realizing They Were Never Mine in the First Place
As I write this, Patti and I are preparing for the day when we will launch our Abby, now a college senior, into independent adulthood. At the same time, we will also be launching Ellie, now a high...
View ArticleHow Jesus Became Guilty By Association
Famously, Archbishop William Temple once said that The Christian Church, in its purest form, is the only society that exists for the benefit of its non-members. Though some Christians over the...
View ArticleOn Being “Naked” And Unashamed
About a decade ago, Arlie Hochschild of the The New York Times released an essay called “The State of Families, Class and Culture.” He observed that in modern times, we have a curiously consumerist...
View ArticleOn Sharing Life With “Very Special” People
Whenever I am asked what makes me most proud of the church that I get to serve, Christ Presbyterian’s emphasis on people with disabilities and special needs always makes the list. Although I have...
View ArticleIf We’re Not Offending Anyone, Are We Being Faithful?
The following post attempts to answer an excellent question I receive occasionally about an emphasis at Christ Presbyterian Church that we call “hospitable worship.” Question: “When you make your...
View ArticleThe Love of God…More Than A Second-Hand Emotion
One of the most remarkable things that has ever been said is that the God who made the universe loves us. To better understand the weightiness of this, we have to understand the meaning of love. Love...
View ArticleChristmas: The Fairy Tale That Must Be True
Have you ever stopped, just for a second, and considered the far-fetched claims of Christianity at Christmas time? During this particular holiday, Christians all over the world—millions and millions of...
View ArticleI’m Dreaming Of A Small Christmas
The season of Advent is so packed with significance, both personal and historical, that we can’t even begin to scratch its surface. As the evangelist, John, writes at the end of his book—if all the...
View ArticleReflections of a Shepherd
This week I am pleased to feature a guest post by Anderson Spickard. Anderson is a Vanderbilt Phycisian, a gifted teacher, an elder at Christ Presbyterian Church, a leader, a husband, a father, and a...
View ArticleFinding Donald Trump In The Story Of Jesus
At the end of this post, I will share with you my very favorite prayer offered after the inauguration of our new president, by my friend and fellow pastor, Rev. Duke Kwon. But first, a few things to...
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