February 2023: Radical Discipleship: Our Calling Radical discipleship. Is this something good? The word radical has mostly negative connotations these days. These days, “radical” has mostly political undertones, and to be labeled a “radical” is usually not a good thing. With it, we associate words such as revolutionary, extremist, insurgent, rebellious, and militant. In this sense, few of us see being a radical as a good thing. But radical has another meaning: relating to the fundamental nature of something;…

  January 2023: My Pastoral Life in Review: That Was Then, This Is Now At the end of every calendar year, it’s not uncommon to review the ups and downs and the ins and outs of the previous twelve months. TV shows will recall the year’s top stores; radio stations will review the year’s biggest hits; pop-culture magazines will highlight the celebrities died; and Spotify users will be told which songs in their library they listened to the most. All…

  Does it bother you when you see the word “Christmas” written out as “Xmas”? If so, you’re not alone. Around Christmas each year, there are some who openly decry the use of the abbreviation Xmas as a kind of blasphemy against Christianity, arguing that it “Xs Christ out of Christmas.” In response to the modern debates about the public display of manger scenes and substituting “Merry Christmas” with “Happy Holidays,” many have become sensitive to anything that smacks of…