Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. So we talked about Paul. But what about the folks to whom he writes? Philippi was a city...
Smart Failure
posted by DJL
“We spend our time responding rationally to a world which we understand and recognize, but which no longer exists.” Eddie Obeng, founder of the think tank and online management school Pentacle, is talking about the world of business. But he could have just as easily been talking about the...
Philippians 1:1
posted by DJL
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi… It’s hard to imagine the excitement that would have greeted the reading of this first line of Paul’s letter. It was the custom, you see, to read Paul’s letters to the whole congregation,...
The Role of Experience in Shaping our Convictions
posted by DJL
Three weeks from today voters all over the country will take to the polls to elect a new President and a host of other public officials. In Minnesota, along with close to another dozen states, we will also have the opportunity to vote in a public referendum to change the constitution of our state so that it defines marriage as an estate solely between one man and one woman. Not surprisingly, this has occasioned impassioned rhetoric on both sides. This debate echoes, emulates, and informs similar conversations occurring in the church. I understand the passion in these conversations, knowing they stem from deep convictions about the Bible,...
The Rest of MarkR...
posted by DJL
Chapter 13 in Mark’s story of Jesus can feel like something of an interruption. We noticed earlier that it stands apart from much of Mark’s writing with its strong apocalyptic imagery and symbolism and its sudden concern with the end of the world and Christ’s return. Very likely Mark...