A surprising eulogy for God

Ephesians 1:3–14, Part 1 Here’s some insider pastoral info for you: when we counsel the family of the deceased, and when we officiate their funerals, we pastors sometimes straight up lie, talking about how great they were and how for sure they are in heaven.  In reality pastors do not know that for a fact,Continue reading “A surprising eulogy for God”

It was 57 degrees in our house, and I was…

Ephesians 1:3–14, Preview As I type this, I’m sitting on the sofa in my living room.  It’s 11:30am Friday morning.  Why am I not sitting in my office?  Normally I would be.  I’m at home because this morning we woke up to the feeling of cold air inside our house.   Nothing was wrong. Last nightContinue reading “It was 57 degrees in our house, and I was…”

The healing energy of grace

Ephesians intro, Part 3 Paul’s greeting in his letter titled “Ephesians” uses two words that he starts 13 of 13 letters with. These are two exceedingly important concepts for Christians.  We read the two words of this greeting in Ephesians 1, verse 2.  “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the LordContinue reading “The healing energy of grace”

The church is a model

Ephesians intro, Part 1 In my previous post, I talked about the joy of Legos.  The imagination, the seeking, the finding, the designing, the building.  Using persistent creativity to make models. I’m starting a blog series through the New Testament epistle titled “Ephesians,” which scholar N. T. Wright says is about the church as aContinue reading “The church is a model”

Who we really are in Christ – Our Identity: In Christ, Part 2

Think about how you see yourself. Is it the same as who you are? Is it possible that your self-identity is different from who you really are? I think it is very possible. Consider people that think they are losers, failures, or many other negative words. Perhaps other people told them that. Perhaps they didContinue reading “Who we really are in Christ – Our Identity: In Christ, Part 2”