Essays

Now What?

Now what? At the end of the day, this question must be answered. I am worried, afraid, broken, confused, embarrassed…now what? Do I quit? Do…

God Is Not Elsewhere

“Until that time you are here.” –Katsumoto to Captain Nathan Algren in The Last Samurai In the 5th century AD, Saint Benedict, founder of the…

My Enemy

MY ENEMY My enemy faced me…He won…I lost. I faced my enemy…I won…He lost. I loved my enemy…He won…I won. By J.H. Rodrigues Oh, how…

Memory Making in Uganda

Memory making in Uganda. Love is amazing. It is a profound quality that increases when we give it away. When Jessica and I had children,…

From Inertia to Momentum

Way back in junior high school science classes I learned about the principle of inertia—a property of matter by which it continues in its existing…

Your Heart’s Historian

You and I are the historians of our story, constantly telling and re-telling our story to our own heart. What story are you telling? Who…

Amanda’s Pastoral Vows

In a beautiful, sacred worship service last month, Amanda Howard was licensed as our church’s worship pastor, and afterwards, people asked me to share the…

Deconstruction-Reconstruction

In a few weeks at Hope City Church, I am going to address the theme of deconstructing and reconstructing our faith. If you have spent much…

A String of Ungrieved Losses

Throughout our lives, you and I will accumulate a string of disappointing losses, and quite often those losses will go ungrieved. Like ships collecting barnacles…