LEARNING MY LINES . . .

. . . discovering what it means to follow Jesus, seeing my story swept up into his . . .

God's Story artwork

Ahhh. . . . College. . . .

Last week I decided to try to gather all my college Facebook friends who have been popping up into one place. I started a Facebook group for the 40 or so folks who’ve been reconnecting after our days spent in…
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Ugly people don’t have problems. . . .

Okay. . . . this is another one that just might get me into some hot water. . . but I think there’s a strong need to speak up. . . especially after last week’s blog on helping kids discern…
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Something worth talking about. . . .

Here’s a question for you: Just when you thought it couldn’t get any crazier than the edgiest ad you’ve already seen, what’s the edgiest ad you’re now seeing? Yep. The envelope is always getting stretched. That’s something we’ve learned here…
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Truths to make your head spin. . . .

Is it really possible that there are places in this world where there’s a higher concentration of thinking Christians? Yes. I was at one such place over the weekend. The Grand Rapids, Michigan metro area is a place I’ve grown…
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Being a Twit. . . .

So I’m walking through our church foyer the other week when I’m flagged down by a couple of mothers of teenagers. They wanted to know my opinion of Facebook. They weren’t the first to ask. It seems that it’s one…
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Twilight. . . .

What’s the most humiliating thing a father can do to his 16-year-old son? I think I figured that out. It went down last week. I’m laying on the couch in our family room. My head is propped up on two…
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Cultural Encounters of the Weekend Kind. . . .

If you’ve been around us long enough you’ve no doubt heard me mention the classic faith and culture quote from theologian Karl Barth: “Every Christian should start their day with the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the…
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3 Million?!?. . . .

There’s a reason why this is what it’s come to. We’ve been swimming in the marketing soup for so long that we don’t want to climb out of the pool. In fact, for Baby Boomers and beyond, it’s a part…
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And the winner(s) is (are). . . .

Okay. This wasn’t easy. Last week I posted a blog inviting you to give us your reasons why you should be the person who wins the free registration to next month’s National Youth Ministry Conference in Columbus, Ohio. If you’re…
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There’s Gotta Be Something More. . . .

I’m just finishing another one of those books that prophetically rocks my happy and satisfied little world. . . . making me restless and uneasy. It’s Michael Horton’s latest. . . Christless Christianity: The Alternative Gospel of the American Church.…
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Interact. . . Learn. . . . Maybe Free!

I’ve had an awesome week. I’m teaching a seminary class on youth culture. Seven awesome students who I trust are being challenged, stretched, and equipped for deeper youth ministry. I won’t hesitate to say that I’m the real winner in…
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