MY RELUCTANT PROHIBITION It wasn’t a bag of weed. It wasn’t a beer bottle. It wasn’t porn. But boy, was I ashamed and embarrassed when my friend found it in my car and asked, “Why do you have this?” Rewind to a few weeks earlier. Several of the self-righteous advanced Christian kids in my youth … More In Defense of Heathen Music

I knew all the words to Journey’s awesomely cheesy power ballad, Faithfully, before I ever learned my ABC’s. Why? Because it was my “parents’ song,” of course! Many a couple has a song they claim as their own – that tune with all sorts of personal sentiment, memory, and meaning woven into it. These pieces … More Songs for the Journey

In 2003, the #1 country hit for seven consecutive weeks was a song called Have You Forgotten. Written in the midst of the nationwide debate over a potential invasion of Iraq, it came to give voice to the perspective of middle America: I hear people saying, “We Don’t need this war!” But I say there’s some things worth fighting … More Music’s Unmatched Power

The Beginning You tease me frequently for being a pain in your back from day 1. You endured an entire day of back labor (I’m still not exactly sure what that is, just thankful that I’ll never experience it) before delivering me. As legend has it, I was then rushed out of the room before … More For Mom

If you’re looking for a quick, easy way to kill an otherwise wonderful conversation at the local café, I’ve discovered a way to do so in three words: “I’m a pastor.” I wish a hidden camera could capture that moment of unfiltered, unspoken, awkward honesty as folks remember the things they’ve shared that they would not knowingly choose to share … More Oh, you’re a pastor? Well that’s awkward.

Last Sunday I taught through the final portion of 1 Timothy 3, which includes the following personal note from the Apostle Paul to his young friend, Timothy: I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave … More Bypass