Random Thoughts Archives - Page 2 of 31

A bit of advice for my friends deconstructing their faith.

The junkyard is where things are taken apart. There’s a reason people in the business called them auto dismantling centers! We earned our living by stripping cars of every valuable part, then selling the bits and pieces to our customers.

And what did our customers do once they bought those parts? They fixed their car. They made something better.

I admired our customers. They had a finished product. It ran well, or it looked good, or was more whole. They didn’t just strip something apart in a few moments of …

Frustrating Parables

Parables can drive me crazy because they make me think. This became apparent to me, for the zillionth time, while writing the upcoming Lent devotions. Over and over Jesus speaks in parables.

I don’t really want to think; thinking is hard. Sometimes I wanted to grab Jesus by the shirt collar and yell, “Just tell me what you want me to know, damnit!”

And I’m not the only one. The disciples were often clueless. Same with the Pharisees, legal experts, and everyone else. Look, I’m being a bit flippant here, but everyone talks about what a brilliant teacher Jesus …

New Year Resolutions

A pastor/friend asked me what my resolutions were for the New Year. Making resolutions is not something I typically do, but it triggered a thoughtful conversation and had me thinking. What, exactly, do I really care most about for the new year?

I landed on three priorities: Truth, Generosity, Love.

We live in an era some have defined as post-truth. That’s debatable, but it does seem that the loudest voices and biggest platforms drive narratives to fit a particular angle on reality. We only shoot the messenger if the message comes from the wrong cable television station — truth be …

Advent Devotions

I’m been hinting about this . . . and now it’s time to share. Over the past year I’ve written a series of devotions for Advent. They are short (a one-minute read) and will be emailed each morning to your inbox. It all starts on November 27.

These are not your typical devotions. They have a junkyard flavor in the sense they are very, very human. It’s a road trip to Bethlehem, sorta.

These are also not your typical Advent insights. It follows the untold story of Mary & Joseph as they process everything happening around them. As I say …

Frozen Friends and Cold Wine Cellars

A friend and partner, Josh, was reminiscing about a corporate drama we had faced years ago. He and I were not central to the battle, but a close friend was. Because of that friendship we were guilty by association.

The fallout of all this was our friend was frozen out of any real decision making authority, and we were suspect.

As Josh put it, “He was put in the freezer. I was put in the refrigerator.” With a chuckle he continued, “And you were put in the wine cellar.”

I had to laugh at that imagery … it was true, …

Blockheads

A short post this week because I’m traveling. This simple insight — new to me but probably glaringly obvious to everyone else — struck me when I was reading Matthew 16.

Peter calls Jesus the Christ in Matthew 16:16. It was a key turning point in his understanding of who this Jesus person really was.

In response, Jesus declares Peter the rock upon which the church will be built. That’s….heady stuff. Like really big important stuff.

And then in the very next section Peter screws it all up. He pulls Jesus aside and … well, go read it yourself. Point …

Are you still so dull?

Yes, yes I am.

Despite 2000 years of trying, we followers of Jesus still manage to misunderstand Jesus. At least in part because we insist on taking things literally.

This struck me when, for about the millionth time, I was laughing at how clueless the disciples were. Matthew 15 contains a great example. Jesus tells a parable about what goes into a mouth isn’t what makes us unclean, but what comes out of it does. Seems pretty easy to understand, don’t you think?

And yet Peter — the Rock, the man, the big shot — …