Beastie Boys and Discipleship

Yesterday, Ginger took our kids to a bargain store for some shopping and my oldest, Avery (daughter, 10) came home with a Beastie Boys shirt. And all of heaven and earth rejoiced! And all of God’s people said, “Mmm drop!” This morning, we were polishing off the typical Saturday morning donuts and listening to someContinue reading “Beastie Boys and Discipleship”

The Thing about those chairs from The Voice

Preachers in our contemporary moment have used the rotating chairs on The Voice to convey the essence of the grace of God. The basic gist is this: We are the singer on the stage; God is in the chair. We are trying to earn God’s love like the contestants are trying to sing well enoughContinue reading “The Thing about those chairs from The Voice”

JC + Nothing = Everything

I had a conversation in my freshman year of undergraduate school that changed my life. I was one year removed from my youth-group-all-star days, full of passion and zeal, and spending more time praying and listening to Passion worship CDs than studying theology. I was fortunate to live near some patient (and smart) friends whoContinue reading “JC + Nothing = Everything”

Settlers: TV Ad and the Church

We’ve been watching a lot of football around the Skillen home and we’ve loved a few of the advertising campaigns that we’ve seen in the commercial breaks. Our favorite: The Settler’s. I think that these are not only funny ads, but they remind me of who we can be as the Church, at times. We tendContinue reading “Settlers: TV Ad and the Church”

The Mirror in the Other

I’ve been doing some work for a sermon for next Sunday that will reflect on the story of Jesus and his parents meeting Simeon in the temple courts of Jerusalem just 8 days after Jesus’ birth. (see Luke 2:22-40) Jesus’ parents were fulfilling their purification obligations as good Jewish parents when they were interrupted byContinue reading “The Mirror in the Other”

Something More from the Sermon: Presumption

I listened, with gladness, to Pastor Vic’s sermon yesterday to launch our church into the Advent season. Yesterday, we lit the Prophecy Candle, reminding us that Jesus’ arrival did not appear out of thin air, nor did the early followers of Jesus invent it. God’s purpose and plan was something that was whispered and hintedContinue reading “Something More from the Sermon: Presumption”

Between Rocks and Hard Places and Safety and Refugees

This isn’t a post about marriage but about a time when Jesus was asked a question about marriage, that placed him between a rock and a hard place. (see Matthew 19:1-10) To be more clear, this post is about a time when Jesus was asked a question about marriage and decided to deal with the thing behindContinue reading “Between Rocks and Hard Places and Safety and Refugees”

The Thing About this Red Cup

Yeah, I guess I’ll go there, mainly because we’ve all heard about it. If you have not, here’s a post that has links to a representative from Starbucks and the link to Joshua Feuerstein’s original video. There are some conspiracy theories out there, trying to make light of it. Along the way, it seems likeContinue reading “The Thing About this Red Cup”