I woke up Saturday morning, drove my oldest to her SAT testing site, went to the local coffee house and settled in for some reading and blogging. Then my “what’s trending now” column on Facebook caught my eye. That’s when I saw the hashtag that immediately made me shake my head: #merrychristmasstarbucks I quickly rattled … Continue reading
At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, I couldn’t help but take notice of a handful of terms that current church leaders tend to throw around in efforts to describe themselves or their ministries. To be fair, most of these terms are good terms. They are, in fact, good descriptors of what many churches should be. At … Continue reading
A major player in the Restoration Movement Bible College/Christian University market made a startling announcement last week. Cincinnati Christian University will be terminating over 20 professors and staff at the University. This comes on the heels of the President resigning. As alarming as this is, what’s even more alarming is the plight of Bible Colleges everywhere: … Continue reading
I don’t know why this story impacted me so much. As dark as the news can be, why did this one stand out? Is it because it happened on live television? Was it because it was so out of the blue? Maybe because no one was able to brace themselves for it. After all, it … Continue reading
Do you hear that buzz? That’s the sound of the hornet’s nest at which I’m about to throw a big rock. There are few topics out there that can generate more knee-jerk, dig-in-your-heels, I’m-right-and-I-know-it arguments than that of how best to educate children. I already know that I’m going to be told I’m wrong, foolish, … Continue reading
Today is her last first day of school. It’s her last time waiting with anticipation to see friends that have been separated by summer months. It’s her last time of putting on her “first-day clothes” and hauling a backpack filled with brand new school supplies with her. It’s her last time to cherish the first … Continue reading
The king is dead. A thoughtless hunter who had too much money to spend and too much time on his hands lured him out of his protected kingdom, and shot him with an arrow that wouldn’t kill him until some 40 hours later, when the hunter “mercifully” put a bullet into his head. The kill … Continue reading
In 2008 I was asked to teach Art to elementary age students. Up until that time I had taught primarily middle and high school aged youth at a private Christian school in Maryland. The need arose and I accepted the challenge. How hard can it be? It was hard. Very, very hard. The curriculum was … Continue reading
Ever since last Friday’s Supreme Court decision to legalize gay marriage church leaders have been in a reactionary posture. Some of this is to be expected. Our parishioners and congregants are as varied in their views on this issue as they are on any other, and with those variances come a plethora of questions concerning … Continue reading
Part of me really doesn’t want to write this article. In fact, there’s a nagging voice inside my head saying, “Why add to the controversy? What difference will it make?” But I’m compelled to write for two reasons: first, many people have been asking my opinion on the debate of the battle flag of the … Continue reading
The Pondering Preacher 