-
Dream Big by Lucille Williams
I’m often asked, “How do you do it? How do you write a whole book? I want to write a book, but I don’t think I can. I don’t even know where to start.” My reply is always the same, “I write my books one sentence at a time and one paragraph at a time.” Have you ever thought about writing a book? Maybe you want to put pen to paper and leave a legacy for your children, for your grandchildren. Don’t let that annoying, negative voice in your head tell you that you can’t do it. I understand that voice— it begins every time I sit down to write.…
-
The Gospel in “American Born Chinese”: An Introduction to Contextualization
Today I’m happy to introduce you to my former student “Crystal,” a guest blogger, for a series on contextualizing the gospel. You can read her bio at the end. A Disney+ subscriber and a theologian walk into a coffee shop.The theologian asks: what does a nerd, a monkey, and a mythical scroll have to do with the gospel? The Disney+ subscriber answers: I watched that show. What Does the Gospel Have to Do with American Born Chinese? In May 2023, the American Born Chinese television series released on Disney+ to critical acclaim. In the series, Jin Wang, the son of Taiwanese immigrants, conceals his nerdy interests in an attempt to…
-
Lent for Beginners
Today is Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday. Today we eat the chocolate we may be giving up starting tomorrow. Lent, the forty-day season preceding Easter, begins on Ash Wednesday, tomorrow. On Ash Wednesday, participants receive ashes on their foreheads as a reminder that from dust we came, and to dust we shall return—not in some morbid zombie sense, but because remembering the brevity of life and our mortality can help us live more holy lives. Long before the Eastern and Western Church split, and long, long before the Protestant Reformation, Christian believers observed this special season of penance. “Lenctentid” literally means both “springtide” and “March,” the month in which most of…
-
The Beautiful Attitudes – Part III: Blessed are the Meek
“Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5 NET) The Greek word for blessed (i.e., makarios) means being fortunate, prosperous, or successful. That is, successful are those who are meek! Why? What is it to be meek? First of all, to be MEEK does NOT mean to be WEAK! Instead, meekness is strength under control. Picture a feral horse (i.e., a Mustang) that expends its great strength by running the fields yet accomplishes little to nothing in the way of work. However, if that same horse is “tamed,” “broken,” or “meeked,” then that same great strength – that is now under control – can be utilized…
-
This Is Not What I Ordered!
I read a story a few weeks ago about a couple who went to a fancy restaurant that served their dinner on plates covered with shiny domes. When the covers were lifted, the exact dinners they had ordered were revealed. The author went on to say what we get on our plates of life may be different than what we ordered and maybe something we didn’t want![1] I thought some examples of perceived wrong orders could arrive as difficult relationships with family/friends/work, challenges in health, struggles with finances, changes in locations, or places of service. The story prompted me to ponder what my plate of life looks like that God…
-
God On Your Side
Sunday School Chronicles Me: Before we go back and do a full recap Joseph’s life, let’s start with a mini recap. Y’all ready! Class: Yeah! Let’s do it! Me: Who was Joseph? Kid 1: The favorite! Me: Why? Kid 2: Because he came from his dad’s favorite wife. Me: Were his sibs cool with this? Class: No! Me: So what happened? Kid 3: They sold him and then he got in a lot of trouble in Egypt! Me: Yes! And this brothers come crawling back but they don’t know it’s Joseph. So Joseph treats them. And do they pass? Class: Yes! Me: So after Joseph realizes his brothers aren’t the…
-
The Beautiful Attitudes – Part II: Blessed are those who Mourn
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. (Matthew 5:4 NET)
-
What is better than Shirley Temple goodness?
Do you know who Shirley Temple was? For any of you over fifty, you probably associate that name with a child star of the 1930s movie screens. This cute little blonde girl could sing and dance as well as act. She charmed American movie goers during the very dark years of the Great Depression. Shirley Temple played characters ranging from pampered princess to mistreated orphan. Her onscreen image was that of an everyday kind of girl who brings joy to the lives of others. Every movie in some way communicated her character as a symbol of “goodness.” That had an influence on my early life in the 1950s. Did it…
-
Writing for Ministry: Ten Tips
Also, part of loving others and reaching the widest-possible audience is using gender-inclusive language. The following statement, with which I heartily agree, is adapted from the syllabus of one of my colleagues: “All written submissions should strive to use male/female-inclusive language. As a gospel-shaped, gospel-centered community of learning, we have compelling reasons to think, write, and speak in such a way as to ensure that none are either intentionally or inadvertently excluded by our use of language. Consider using ‘humans,’ ‘persons,’ ‘humanity,’ or ‘humankind”’ rather than ‘man’ or ‘men’ when referring to humans in general. Consider alternating between the use of ‘he’ and ‘she’ as generic pronouns or substituting…
-
Will Change Ever Get Easier?
“I have decided to accept the offer in Spain,” my colleague announced. Here we go again, my heart cried. Even though I rejoiced that God had answered her prayers for direction, I still balked. After all these years will change ever get easier? I think back to my childhood in Papua New Guinea and the classmates who came and went, the rhythm of home assignment, the moving of my belongings from home to children’s hostel every three months. Then I consider my 12 years in Indonesia. My team and leadership configuration morphed at least 15 times until my family also returned to our passport country. My senior worker and team mentor…