The topics of peace and division have been on my mind lately. In part, this is due to some of my research along those lines this semester (see last week’s post for more on that). But the themes are present outside of the classroom as well. Online interactions show us that division is prevalent in our world, and the bitterness with which people divide makes peace seen almost a myth. And sadly, the church isn’t immune from such struggles to live in unity.
Church
Builders, Breakers, and Balance
Pain and Perspective
Violence, Rebuke, and Truth
At times, violence in movies may serve a cathartic purpose. Continue reading
Loneliness, Lack, and Looking Up
One funny thing about loneliness is that it makes you, at times, want to avoid people.
Health or Comfort?
The Disconnect
Have you ever caught yourself arguing a point not because you believed it but because you wanted to win a debate?
The Misfit Syndicate – a group effort
Six guys from college have kept in touch consistently over the last number of years. Cade, Dustin, Jeff, Kevin, Will, and myself have shared encouragement, accountability, and laughs through seasons of difficulty as well as seasons of joy. Last year, they challenged me to write a blog post or a poem on any subject of their choosing for each of their birthdays. This year, they collaborated on a poem for mine. I suggested they write about the brotherhood of believers, using our group as an example, and I’m excited to share their work with you below.
Thanks, guys!
Isolation.
Sequestration.
No man was meant for the hermit’s Operation
Accountability.
Brotherhood.
How some men will stand the opposition of wormwood
Emotionless.
Stoic.
No man was meant for the pure role of heroic.
Scripture.
Games.
Binded by the Lamb’s blood running through our veins.
Gandalf.
The Doctor.
A fan of these, as well as soccer.
Jaime Vardy.
Leicester City.
Go hand in hand like Joe and witty.
Friend.
Brother.
A man like Joe, there could never be another.
How then must these truths be taken?
None other than creating mancation!
A dream to most
We created a weekend of chaos, I must boast
But in the Cross that is
For it is no credit of our own, this work is simply His.
The game playing,
coffee drinking and steak eating will fade.
But this brotherhood is fraternal.
It cannot be broken, for this bond is eternal.
•HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JOE THE WALLER•
A Wedding, a Funeral, and a Birth
On Saturday, I attended a wedding. The following Thursday, I attended a funeral. This upcoming Tuesday, I’ll celebrate a birth. All three events are about endings and beginnings, and the first two events, though quite different from each other, find meaning in the third. Continue reading
Ghosts and Gospel
People love ghost stories. People hate ghost stories. But no matter the response, ghost stories have crept into our lives and our cultures, and they don’t appear to be leaving. Continue reading