A former student of mine emailed me a series of questions about race and racial reconciliation for a class she's taking.  I thought it worth posting parts of it here. (Is it narcissistic to interview yourself?) How long have you been passionate about racial reconciliation? I've always been passionate about the church helping people treat … Continue reading Answers about Race

One of my favorite Christmas passages is one that few people might think of as a Christmas text: the Christ hymn in Philippians 2. In context, it reads: Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make … Continue reading A Favorite Christmas (?) Text

One of many problems we have when we discuss the Bible is that we don't all read it the same way, or for the same purposes.  And we don't think about how or why we read it ourselves. In my OT and NT Intro classes over the past couple of years, I've given students the … Continue reading Reading the Bible

Jill Rowe is part of Oasis Church in the UK.  One of the ministries she works with is a group that takes over failing public schools and helps them realign their values and systems to improve the education, and the outcomes for students. Her episode on Rob Bell's Robcast is an excellent example of why … Continue reading Jill Rowe on the Robcast

I've been thinking a lot about the relationship between the Old Testament and Jesus lately. I'm a "one covenant" guy; in other words, I read the New Testament (especially Paul and the writer of Hebrews) to say that Jesus is the fulfillment of the one saving covenant that God made with Abraham.  That covenant is … Continue reading “In him, all the law and prophets …”

This is the view north from the Institute, along Ulica Kušlanova.  It was sunny and gorgeous today, but the high temperature was around 35.  The building at the end of the street is the Slovenian embassy.  In the background is Sljeme, the mountain peak nearest Zagreb. Sljeme is only 4,000' at its peak.  But Zagreb is … Continue reading Lovely (but Cold) Day in Zagreb

I preached the following sermon at Kušlanova Church of Christ, Zagreb, on 13 November 2016. The Story of Three Kings (2 Samuel 7; 1 Chronicles 22.7-10) We’ve been studying the story of David.  A question I want you to consider as we look at the next chapter: is David a good man or a bad … Continue reading Sermon: The Story of Three Kings

One of my discoveries from my first few days in Croatia is ajvar (pronounced eye-vahr; that's not quite right, but it's close.  Remember: in Croatian, j is pronounced y, as in you.) Ajvar is a relish, apparently originating in Serbia, made from paprika (very close to the red bell peppers in America), eggplant, and garlic.  Some … Continue reading Ajvar

For I have known them all already, known them all:  Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, I have measured out my life with coffee spoons;  I know the voices dying with a dying fall. (Eliot, "The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock) STRIPES is a coffeehouse on Ulica Kushlanova, down the street from the Institut. … Continue reading Measuring Out My Life …