Every time Tyler DeWitt mentions “science” in the following TEDTalk, think “Bible” or “theology.” Because the problem he’s describing – the incomprehensible and jargon-laden nature of science textbooks that make science so incredibly boring that no middle schooler wants to...

In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leapt in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry,...

Yesterday I was with a group of pastors, congregational leaders, and students at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennesse, talking about ministry, leadership, and preaching in a changed and changing world. One of the themes of the day was the “storied” or “narrative” nature...

This week I am spending most of my time reveling in the annual preaching conference hosted at Luther Seminary (where – full disclosure J – I teach! ) called the Celebration of Biblical Preaching. And it is a celebration – full of lively plenary presentations, great workshops, and...

There is a candor about Stephen Dunn’s “At The Smithville Methodist Church” that I find incredibly attractive. He is candid about his own lack of faith, his own skepticism, without being antagonistic. But he is also candid about where lack of belief falls short:...

J.J. Abrams is one of the foremost story tellers of our generation. Creator of Lost and director of Mission Impossible 3, Super 8, and Star Trek, Abrams is renowned for pulling viewers into a story until, well, they have a hard time finding their way out. In this TEDTalk, Abrams shares his...

Stories, as we all know, are powerful. They give us the ability to take amorphous thoughts and feelings and make them concrete and accessible. For this reason, we make sense of and share most of our life in and through story – not just big huge narratives but all the little stories we...

I’m not sure just what captured my attention so much about this video. But I think it’s that it didn’t just capture my attention, but my heart and imagination as well. There is something about the videography and narration that is simultaneously, winsome, playful, and...