Do You Believe in Miracles?

There was a time when many mainline Protestants would simply not have been open to the idea of “miracles,” or God’s direct intervention into the matrix of events in our lives. These days that seems to have changed. Many westerners today seem more willing than ever to acknowledge the existence and activity of an “unseen…

Are You Addicted to Distraction?

Many of us are, says Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World. Particularly since the internet has become a part of our lives, our tendency is to multitask almost all of the time. For example, I can’t tell you how many articles I’ve written with my email inbox open.…

Faith and Disability Resources

This year I have the privilege of presenting at the clergy and laity sessions of the West Ohio Annual Conference. The topic of my presentation will be ministry with people with disabilities. Because it’s simply impossible to say everything I’d like to say in a 30-minute presentation, I’ve included some supplemental resources here. This includes…

General Conference: Four Reflections

I’ve been decompressing since General Conference. It was emotionally exhausting, and I wasn’t even a delegate. To those of you who were delegates: I salute you for enduring this marathon of emotional, mental, and physical exertion. I hope you’re getting some time to wind down and relax. You certainly earned it. I didn’t blog or…

Reading the Bible with the Saints

So, I ‘ve been writing a book on biblical interpretation, tentatively titled Scripture and the Life of God. (Incidentally, this is why I haven’t blogged for the last month.) I say that this is the tentative title because I have learned from experience that publishers rarely call books what the authors think they should be…

Making Plans, Gifts from God, and the “R-Word”

There’s an old saying: “People plan; God laughs.” Or, to paraphrase Robert Burns, the best laid schemes of mice and men often go askew. Or, as John Lennon popularized the same sentiment, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.” Having a kid with Down syndrome wasn’t in my plans. I suppose it isn’t…

Ten Suggestions for Christian Bloggers

I started blogging years ago, early in my career. Over that time, I’ve thought a lot about public discourse, particularly among Christians–what it looks like at its best and worst, how to engage in respectful disagreement, what to do when others attack you publicly, and ways in which to address difficult topics. In the interest…

Trump, Evangelicals, and the Road Ahead

In 1934, at the age of 28, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a letter to a friend about an upcoming conference that would involve members of churches from several countries and denominations. In this letter, he wrote, “We must make it clear—fearful as it is—that the time is very near when we shall have to decide between…