A rose by any other name would still be Gay. One of my favorite musicals is West Side Story, and one of my favorite songs in that musical is, “I Feel Pretty”. The lyrics go, “I feel pretty oh so pretty, I feel pretty and witty and gay”. If you hear the song in […]
Is Your Church Becoming Fake for Christ’s Sake?
There is an epidemic of fakeness in the church. Jesus said, “Judge a tree by its fruit.” James added, “I will show you my faith by my works.” We reveal our beliefs by our actions. So the things we most do are also the things we most believe. I can see your theology simply enough. You proclaim […]
The Absinthe of Your Faith
It was 4 AM and I hadn’t slept all night. I was trying to lie on hospital benches with ill-placed arm rests, and finding them wedged in uncomfortable places. My brother John-Peter’s first child had just been born and while everyone else had left, I wanted to stay to celebrate the birth of a son with […]
Are You God’s Annoying Neighbor?
Sometimes our modern sensibilities are a bit off. You shuffle into the kitchen and flip on the light switch. Yawn. Shake a few lumps of coffee grounds into the pot instead of on the countertop this time. Cream cheese a bagel. Check your Instagram newsfeed. Pour a cup of hot brew. Kick off your slippers and slide into Toms, […]
Built Around Butterflies
If commitment were built around feelings, even Jesus would have left you a long time ago. Your heart starts pounding and time slows down. You watch from afar as an angel moves in a graceful dance. Sure, to others she is chewing her nails or doodling in a notebook, but to you every movement is […]
Is Your Church Too Cool For Family?
Sometimes our attempts to be trendy, cool churches with the perfect Sunday morning experience backfire. I finished praying over dinner as a voice nearby chimed in. “That was a nice prayer.” I surveyed the table. The voice was a beautiful woman, late 30’s. Husband beamed across from her. Two girls, one teen, one younger — both friendly, polite. Nice family. A pastor friend of mine was walking by at the […]
Ch. 1: The Modern Day Church
Men don’t belong in church. As I sit in the cove of my back porch, watching the white pines sway and toss before me, gusts showering small, dart-like missiles in surging waves across my lawn, I huddle into my chair a little deeper. Wind howls through the trees as a siren begins to wail in […]
Ch. 2: Masculinity
If he says that one more time, I’m going over there. It was my junior year of high school. I was lounging in the back of Spanish I, while a sub covered for our teacher who was sick. Or had found something better to do than give 25 kids a verb conjugation quiz. The […]
The Breathing In Book – Ch. 15: Leader of Men
The squeeze of the trigger felt good under my finger. Sharp pops pierced the air as the sheet beyond me peppered with a tight cluster of holes. The smell of gunpowder filled my nostrils. It was a nice grouping. Here we were—Dad, the boys, and the family bolt action Henry rifle. This was no ordinary […]
Ch. 3: A Boy’s Battles
It was the week before the fourth football game of my brother Rob’s senior year. “We’re not leaving this field until the offense gains five yards!” Rob perked up. In that moment, he decided, We’re not going home. A transfer from a local school, he was lauded as an elite wrestler, but joined the football […]