Blue Jays

Most of my woodland neighbors are quiet folk. Of course the squirrels are excitable. Last week I was out on the patio quietly studying and writing on my computer, when a squirrel started barking and chittering madly at some terrible threat. The squirrel was staring at the north side of the house, just around the …

The Ten Commandments are Polytheistic?

This week I listened to a round table discussion about the Ten Commandments. Jonathan Pageau was at the table and talking about the commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me.” He was explaining how the ancient gods manifest themselves in today’s world, and the fact that we no longer believe that the gods …

I Feel Sorry for the Dog

The neighbors down the street … Some folks at our place say they’re our best friends, others don’t know much about them and mostly ignore them. I guess I would count them as friends … but, our neighbors down the street, they beat the dog and I feel sorry for that dog. It’s been going …

Discipleship and Theosis

In last week’s essay I talked about a mini pastor’s conference I attended that focused on a discipleship model of being church. As I said in that essay, it made my heart glad because that is the Tradition of Evangelicalism in which I was nurtured and it was a joy to listen to “the kids” …

Discipleship and Tradition

Matt Whitman, pastor in the Evangelical Free Church and professional historian, is now a full time media guy. He has a YouTube channel (the Matt Whitman channel); he does a podcast with his good friend and rocket scientist, Destin Sandlin, called “No Dumb Questions”; but his pet project is a daily podcast called “The Ten …