James K. A. Smith on the importance of the dinner table
I’m reading through James K. A. Smith’s excellent new book, You Are What You Love. I highly recommend this book. Here are some of Smith’s thoughts on the formative power of families eating dinner together: For example: never underestimate the formative power of the family supper table. This vanishing liturgy is a powerful site of formation. Most […]
Do You Really Believe This? On Santa Claus, Jesus, and the Unbelievable
It is during this season, the glorious Christmas season, that my wife watches her favorite channel the most. Unfortunately for me, that channel is not one of the ESPN family of networks, but the Hallmark Channel. I’m generally a fan of Hallmark’s usually wholesome television programming, stuff you can actually watch with your nine-year-old in […]
The Way Home featuring Ray Ortlund
What do good fathers give to their children and why is marriage a picture of the gospel? Ray Ortlund joins us to talk about his childhood, what he learned from his father’s example, and why he has, recently, been speaking out on racial justice. Ray Ortlund is a the Senior Pastor of Immanuel Church in […]
The Way Home featuring Nancy Guthrie
What do you say to a grieving friend? Nancy Guthrie, Bible study teacher and author, shares from her own seasons of grief to help others both find comfort and to comfort. Nancy and her husband, David, have a twenty-something son, Matt, and have had two children, a daughter, Hope, and a son, Gabriel, who were […]
What is Advent, and Why Should We Celebrate It?
There is something really wonderful about the word, advent. We know this word from other contexts besides religion. We say things like, “Since the advent of the automobile…” Or “Since the advent of the modern era…” Advent signals something new is coming. The dawn of a new and better era. This is really what Christmas […]
The Way Home featuring Scott Sauls
Is it possible to listen and learn from people with whom we disagree? In an age of connectedness, why are we so lonely? I invited my good friend Scott Sauls back to the podcast to talk about his important new book, Befriend. Scott is the senior minister at Christ Presbyterian Church in the Nashville area. […]
Equipping Students for Ministry in a Post-Christian Age
Facebook may not seem like a discipleship tool to most pastors. But when I served my congregation in northern Illinois, this social networking tool provided me with an unexpected assist in discerning the spiritual lives of my parishioners, particularly the students. Facebook provides a platform for young people to share what they really think, liberating […]
The Way Home featuring Bryan Chapell
How is the idea of grace worked out in the life of a church? Bryan Chapell joins me to discuss his new book, Unlimited Grace. Chapell is the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church in Peoria, Ill. For many years he served in leadership at Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, the last 20 as its president. […]