PPerhaps, the best (and worst) thing about being a pastor was the people. Probably, everyone could say the same thing, not just pastors and church-going folks. But pastoring a small church is a relationally intensive endeavor. I loved so many of the friends I made in those years as a pastor,… Continue reading
Within days, the sump pump quit, as did the furnace. The toilet overflowed. The car still won’t start, and the furnace went out again this morning when it was -9. There was also a big disappointment concerning a business opportunity, and a few other things happened that seemed to do… Continue reading
165 million Americans do not go to church. In the last ten years alone, 38 million people stopped going to church. 76% of the unchurched have attended church. They used to go, but stopped. They claim their faith, but avoid the institution. Continue reading
How do you live a life of faith without the help of the church? It is a relevant question for the thirty-eight million people who have dropped out of church in the last decade, part of a total of 156 million unchurched Americans. Incidentally, most all of them have… Continue reading
God become man. Entering the world in the most humble manner. Defying religious preconceptions. Shocking people with his radical way of loving them in spite of their shortcomings. Suffering constant misunderstanding and persecution. Finally, he was tortured to death. But that was not the end, because… Now, his death is our redemption.… Continue reading
Ah ha! Gotcha! You thought this article was going to reveal some deep, dark secret about me. It does. I have a confession. Hello, my name is Glenn, and I am addicted to writing. Oh, the weight that was just lifted from my shoulders. I have been preoccupied with other… Continue reading
Our culture’s way of celebrating Christmas is to cram as much in it as possible, while exhorting us to reflect on its deep meaning in relationship to faith and family. It’s like mixing oil and water, or Nat King Cole and Metallic. It’s impossible. “More” is the mantra of the… Continue reading
It is hard to find grace when it is desperately needed, like when a pastor or other spiritual leader is discovered to have been abusive toward those who looked up to him and depended upon him. How can you possibly pull together an appropriate balance of accountability and restoration in… Continue reading
Labels are great for canned goods, but horrible when applied to people. Human beings are too complex to label, plus it is judgmental to try pigeon hole them. While it is helpful to have opinions and to assess situations, it is unfair to broadly assign traits to entire groups of… Continue reading
Boyd & Ava chillin’ in a chair I didn’t know if it would work. We had inherited two long-haired Chihuahuas. Due to no fault of their own, we were their fourth home. They are siblings, brother and sister. While they are off-the-charts cute, they are also needy, attention hogs, who… Continue reading
Here is my most recent column in The Kenosha News. Don’t talk about religion or politics. People tend to have strong opinions about these matters, and they really don’t want to re-examine what they believe. Their minds are made up. Today, I am ignoring that sage advice to write about… Continue reading
It has recently occurred to me that I am adverse to people telling me what to do. You may think I am just a rebellious, non-compliant, cranky old codger. And you might be right, but I think there is something else at play here. I grew up with an abundance… Continue reading
I talked to my Dad last Saturday on his eighty-eighth birthday, and he was surprising like his old self, chatty and congenial. What a relief. For so much of his recent years he has lived in a state of agitation. Contentment has been something he rarely experienced. Hence, much of… Continue reading
John Donne was right, no man is an island. Even a casual reading of scripture reveals God’s heart for connection with us, and how he hardwired us for linking with other human beings. Relationships are probably the source of our greatest joys, and our greatest heartaches. But, if we isolate… Continue reading
As I thought about this month’s topic which is focused on race, violence, and the need to talk about it, four really big issues came to mind. Working on them has to be part of a way forward that moves us away from violence and obliviousness toward understanding and action.… Continue reading
My wife and I have been foster parents for two long-haired Chihuahuas for a couple of months. I renamed them, Boyd and Ava, after two outlaws on the TV show, Justified. They have had a storied history in their brief lives and are now on their fourth home, due to… Continue reading
Yesterday, my Dad was kicked out of his nursing home due to bad behavior. Today, he is being transported to a Geriatric Psych Unit, a few miles from his home. His diagnosis: Vascular Dementia. Patty’s Mom had the same diagnosis. Mom’s was caused by a stroke induced by a common… Continue reading
This is the end of the chapter in my new book (the one I am writing now) on nurturing your soul. Spiritual formation requires something of us. It requires discipline. In fact, ongoing practices that help nurture spiritual formation are called disciplines. They are things you do intentionally and repeatedly that… Continue reading
Does it really matter? In my pastor years I had a couple of very dear friends who focused upon biblical prophecy and current events. They were convinced we were indeed living in the last days, and that the rapture could well happen in their lifetimes. Yesterday, a lady at the… Continue reading
I used to have this down pat. God loves man. Man rebelled against God. Jesus died for us. We need to put our faith him. Period. But then came the questioning of my faith, and a more objective look at the way it is represented by institutional Christianity. The institution… Continue reading
That’s what the lady said, repeatedly. It was really more of a pronouncement, as she made her opinion known in a loud voice from about twelve feet away. Last Saturday at the Harbor Market amidst meaningful conversations with people interested in An Irreligious Faith, I had an interesting encounter. A lady… Continue reading
It’s humid, sticky, sultry. It’s summer, the end of summer. For kids, the freedom of June has turned to into the boredom of August. They have resigned themselves to heading back to school. Parents are shelling out money hand-over-fist for clothes, school supplies, and hefty fees for every program imaginable.… Continue reading
It was fun meeting people the Harbor Market and talking about An Irreligious Faith. I had conversations with an atheist, a Unitarian, a missionary, and a young man grappling with his faith, among others. Someone asked me, “Where do you get all your faith?” I was stumped. I certainly, don’t… Continue reading
This post is part of the “Crash” synchroblog: Robin Williams Performances We Remember and Why. Twenty year-old Will Hunting (Damon) is an undiscovered mathematical genius who grew up being regularly beaten by his father. He too developed anger management issues and he had a way of torpedoing any serious relationship.… Continue reading
People around the world have become a part of the community of the shocked and heartbroken, as they grapple with the death of the beloved, frenetic comedian and Academy Award-winning actor, Robin Williams. We all loved this guy, the comedic genius who made our heads spin, the actor who melted… Continue reading
Yeah, I was on the radio, talking about An Irreligious Faith. The radio show host, Drew Marshall is a fun and fascinating guy who asks great questions and runs a fast-paced show, interviewing all manner of authors, musicians, and celebs on “Canada’s most listened to spiritual talk show,” broadcast live to southern… Continue reading
Christians don’t understand liberty…at all. Out of one side of their mouth, they speak of freedom in Christ, and, out the other, they tell you what they need to do and what you must avoid. In other words, like the Pharisees of old, they place a heavy bondage on the adherents… Continue reading
You have some questions. You wonder about what it means to live life in the way of Jesus, but haven’t found what you’re looking for in the church. You have honest questions about the faith, but haven’t found them welcomed (or answered.) You are puzzled by the gap between the… Continue reading
Here is my column from Monday’s Kenosha News. Being Wisconsin, I could have entitled this column “Make Your Own Beer,” but there is a fair chance you are already doing that. Or, I might have used the title “Make Your Own Sausage,” but nobody really wants to see sausage being made. So,… Continue reading
My mother’s dad was a six foot tall, straight-standing German, the first generation born in the U.S. As a kid, I was fascinated by the fact that he served as an interpreter for the U.S. Army in WWI, and once met General John J.“Black Jack” Pershing, the commander of U.S. forces in… Continue reading
Out of all of my favorite musicians, there is one artist that has a special place in my heart above all others. When I was a kid, Johnny Cash has reached the second peak of a career that that waxed and waned through six decades. In those days, Cash was… Continue reading
What does it mean for me to follow Jesus? If I think about it in daily life, nitty-gritty terms, it looks something like this: I would stop worrying about the church and would not confuse it with Jesus or his kingdom. I would realize following Jesus is a personal matter… Continue reading
To the best of my knowledge, there is no definitive answer to the question, “What changes our life for the better?” Here is what I know. People inspire people. Programs seldom ever do. I remember teachers who were passionate about their subject, and caring toward me, more than I remember… Continue reading
Let’s play “Cool / Not Cool.” Cool: Female Not Cool: Male Women are cool because they can do anything a man can do, and do it better. Men are not cool because they have repressed women for centuries. They are over-sexed buffoons, controlled by their physical urges. It has been… Continue reading
Jesus was not only counterintuitive back in his day, even today there is still a gigantic contrast between his ways and the ways of the religion that goes by his name. The Non-Agenda We have sacred creeds, sacred places of worship, sacred objects, and sacred leaders or clergy. Jesus had… Continue reading
Spiritual formation not all relationally oriented. We are personally responsible for our own growth and nurture. We have to take care of ourselves, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Nobody else can or will do that for us. It is our personal responsibility. If we don’t do it, we will not… Continue reading
Warning: This post involves time travel, which may affect the space-time continuum, thereby, altering the very course of human history forever. Great Scott! My monthly synchroblog assignment necessitated time travel to answer the question that holds the key to what I have been learning the last twenty years of my life.… Continue reading
Conventional church leadership wisdom says, “Build the church.” That means to build the organization by increasing attendance, involvement, income, and influence. The discipleship process got morphed into teaching doctrines and trying to turn attendees into good church members, training newcomers to use their talents and gifts to sustain and expand… Continue reading
Patty and I were vendors at the Kenosha Harbor Market last Saturday, which happened to also be our fortieth anniversary. The weekly market is an altogether lovely event in a beautiful location. There are over one hundred white 10×10 tents in a two block area and some side streets flanked by… Continue reading
Forty years is a long time, especially, if you are living with me. Then, they’re like dog years. Somehow, Patty has put up with me all of these years. I don’t know how she has done it (You will have to ask her about that.) Anyway, tomorrow, we celebrate our fortieth… Continue reading
A disciple is a learner, follower, student, or apprentice. Jesus had seventy that he sent out on a mission trip in Luke 10 and, famously, there were twelve who were his closest associates who traveled with him for over three years. Peter, James, and John seemed have been part of… Continue reading
No, it is not an archaic type of firearm, a wine, or the latest fragrance; it is a town in eastern Iowa where I got a speeding ticket. Sure, I know, “Don’t do the crime, if you can’t pay the fine.” Allow me to explain my displeasure in more detail.… Continue reading
This post is a continuation of a previous article, “You need to Get Plugged In” It is my response to the typical church, programmed-based approach to spiritual formation. It treats people like cattle to be herded through a process with the other cows. That ignores one of the basic characteristics of God.… Continue reading
Nothing says Memorial Day like noise, dirt, speed, heat, and cold. So the announcer proclaimed as the 900-horsepower winged sprint cars were being pushed onto the one-third-mile clay oval before a massive holiday weekend crowd of racing enthusiasts gathered at the county fairgrounds grandstand. It was sixty-seven degrees when the… Continue reading
Confession: I am a dreamer, planner, and organizer. (Some would add instigator and troublemaker to the list.) Fifteen, or so years ago, when my church was experiencing an amazing renewal after most of the old guard had bowed out, I was in a little zone of personal paradise. There was… Continue reading
It’s funny where it comes from. I am inspired by my ninety-one year old uncle that I love to visit when I am back in Missouri. To this day, he carries a bit of shrapnel in his leg from WWII that causes him some difficulty in walking. Yet, he finds… Continue reading
God can be so troubling. I dig that Jesus loved those on the fringes of acceptability, but the part about sending unbelievers to Hell, offends my sensibilities. Using Hell Hell has been used as motivation to “get people saved.” Only, we can’t get anyone “saved.” That’s between the person and God,… Continue reading
Here is your assignment. Inspire people who are at a critical juncture in their life with fresh, memorable words from the heart, delivered before a group of several thousand preoccupied people, knowing what you have to say will be critically evaluated by each person present. You have twenty minutes, go!… Continue reading
Typically, it goes something like this, only with a few more details. Well, good morning! I feel kind of scrambled today. My head is full of thoughts of things that need to be done and thoughts that worry me. I wonder just where those dark thoughts come from and how… Continue reading
I was in a funk, terribly bored by the Internet, television, and movies; despising the regular patterns of my life. The more I dreamed of something that would bring a glimmer of life to my soul, the more unattainable it seemed. Fear was holding me tightly, even though I hardly… Continue reading
