God Uses the Imperfect

I shall never forget in my student days at Emory--not my seminary days, but after I'd served a parish for a time and went back for an advanced degree--I ...

Bad First Assessment

From the things-we-wish-we'd-never-said category:

"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on the way out."

Who said it? A bigwig at the Decca Recording ...

Dealing with Minor Obstacles

Just because you miss one train doesn't mean you have to cancel the whole vacation.

Making Peace with the Imperfect

It's a paradox of marriage that the strongest ones are those in which partners are simultaneously able to change to accommodate one another in some ...

Misplaced Veneration

Many Christians set their sights too low. They tend to deify men, and no man can measure up to that.

Value in Every Life

There is no life so humble that, if it be true and genuinely human and obedient to God, it cannot reflect his light. There is no life so meager that the ...

Reality, Not Perfection

The search for the perfect church is an illusion. Appetite by itself is the sepulcher, the death of reason, judgement, and discipline. Some form of satisfaction ...

Getting Away from Godhood

I once picked up a 5-year-old at vacation Bible school in the Kool-Aid and cookie queue. I took a bite from his cookie. He looked very comfortable as ...

No Ideal Church

Anyone can love the ideal church. The challenge is to love the real church.

God Turns Our Lives into Things of Beauty

Over a hundred years ago, in a Scottish seaside inn, a group of fishermen were relaxing after a long day at sea. As a serving maid was walking past the ...