Learning
Growth
Unity
A Double Dose of Lewis
A couple of months ago, some Bendites received a double-dose of CS Lewis. On a cold Wednesday evening, Foundry Church hosted a movie night and showed a fine Lewis biography. It was a fun evening with friends and an actor, using mostly Lewis' own words, detailing his life and journey to faith
What If We Lived Connected?
Dan and I made a number of connections this past month, among them a large Christmas gathering with family, a writers’ critique group meeting, and a last-minute drive to Seattle to catch the premier screening of a film—made by a friend and featuring another friend.
Things the Bible Doesn't Say
Too often those who are familiar with the Bible, those of us who grew up in Sunday School and heard Bible stories read at home every night, will unconsciously substitute our traditional Bible story for what the Bible actually says. Somehow, we manage to read the words while our mind replaces the text with a modified fanciful story. Here I will try to look at four common Bible stories that many of us get wrong.
What a Minor Has For Us
Slotted into the back of the Older Testament a reader finds a dozen smaller books of prophecy. Because of their length, Augustine first called them the "Minor Prophets," but in terms of message, there is nothing minor about them.
Revelations on Revelation
I've had a love-hate relationship with Revelation. I love it because it is a fantastic ending to God's written Word, the Bible. I hate it because too often Christians believe they have the book figured out with elaborate charts, naming names, and setting dates.
Despite the differing interpretations of the book, is there some common ground we can all agree on?
Stacking Stones
Think back...way back to the beginning of your faith journey. Now, sift through your mental photo albums looking for times when Jesus photo-bombed your life and times. Collect these just like the guys hefting stones from a river bed and assemble your own monument of God showing up. Some of these may be dramatic and others might look coincidental, but if you look hard enough, there he is in the background.
Why Food, Cooking, and Hospitality are Sacred
During my widow years, I lived in a lovely guesthouse high on the side of Awbrey Butte with tall trees growing up to the balcony. The kitchenette was the width of two cabinet doors, it featured a bar sink and below-the-counter fridge, and I had to unplug the hot plate to use the toaster oven. Needless to say, I didn’t throw large dinner parties.
U-Turns
What does it mean to you to have God present in your life?
We, as followers of Jesus and believers in the truths that we learn from scripture, at our best, try to integrate what we know into how we live on a practical level. While that sounds good, we then run smack into ourselves, our selfishness, our prejudices, our politics and our worldview.
Four Effective Ways to Simplify Your Life
When I was first widowed, friends offered to move me closer to my daughter and her family on the east coast. The catch: Everything needed to fit into their 10-foot cargo trailer. I pared down further … and it all fit, much like a 3-D jigsaw puzzle.
Be What You Is, Not What You Ain’t
On Easter Sunday, April 11, 1971, I learned who I really was. It was both a shock and a relief. A shock because I discovered I was not at all who I thought I was. And a relief because…I discovered I was not at all who I thought I was.
Along the Way
Picture in your mind any of the times when God seemed so real, so close that you felt your life would never be the same. Maybe it was recently, or perhaps years ago, but these "mountain-top" experiences punctuate a spiritual life. It may have been at a retreat, or a church service, or alone in a meadow, or during prayer with a close friend. Moments like this are special enough and powerful enough that many faithful folks go on searching for them to repeat, and where nothing else quite measures up.
The Gift of Thoughtfulness
Before Dan left for a full day of volunteer work, he pulled the car out of the garage, and in its place, he parked Matilda (our affectionate name for the Jeep Wrangler). So when it was time for my morning appointment, Matilda would be warmer than if I had to tromp through the snow, lift the heavy shop door, and start her up.
Favorite Reads from 2022
I know we have some avid readers at Foundry Church, and I thought it would be a fun conversation starter to share some of my favorite [extrabiblical] books from the last year.
Navigating the Holidays
Here we are again, wrapping-deep in Christmas week. Messages abound, even mine last week, with lessons and reminders to take the story of the birth of Jesus, rich with colorful characters, looking for lessons for how we might live better lives in our times. The backdrop for Joseph and Mary rivals anything folks face today: Living in an occupied land under a harsh regime, later being refugees fleeing to Egypt to escape a death plot aimed at their child, certainly economic uncertainty, and on it went for them. And they chose to follow God on their interesting journey.
7 Gifts to Give Yourself This Year
My daughter Summer married her college sweetheart in the month of December. Several years and six children later, Josh and Summer are still sweethearts. And the only way they can get away for a few days together is when a grandparent is present.
This is where I come in.
Wonders from Hawaii
Austin Evans recently blogged about five wonders of God, and he challenged us to reflect on God’s wonders. We are in Hawaii for 4 ½ months, and I see God’s wonders every day. Three big ones that display God’s power and creation are: The Sun, The Volcano, and The Ocean.
Joy To The World
Talking with folks at the Habitat Restore, where I hang out a couple of times each week, a consistent theme of weariness keeps popping up. Staff, doing good work helping people earn their first house, work at the ragged edge. Shoppers looking for bargains to stretch budgets seem exhausted by inflation. One guy, from the Burns area, sagged into a recliner and said he was dreading the drive home, "I'm out of gas and almost out of gas."
How to Manage Waylaid Plans
The plan was for a self-imposed, six-week writing retreat at a log cabin surrounded by 2,400 acres. Part of the strategy included tractor-driving lessons to make it easier for me to haul a load of firewood to the back porch.
A Sense of the Moment
In 2022, for the first time ever, the World Cup is being played at this time of the year. This is the biggest tournament in the world, and it brings together over a billion people watching and hoping their team can lift the trophy. … The World Cup is huge, but it pales in comparison to the celebration that the birth of our universe-changing Messiah causes each and every year.
Hey, Jude
Stop for a moment and brainstorm words which might describe our culture these days.
Now, do the same for the state of the church in our times.