What does it mean to be great?

In August of this year, advocate for the disabled and follower of Jesus Christ, Joni Eareckson Tada, addressed the Global Leadership Summit and answered that question.

Recently, my wife Robin and I spent over a week camping in Zion National Park in southwest Utah. It’s a trip we’ve planned for years but unforeseen events prevented it from happening. But it did happen this year and we enjoyed hiking, bicycling and sightseeing in this spectacular desert landscape.

Over 20 years ago, I attended a seminar by legendary Bighorn River flyfishing guide Bob Krumm. Montana’s Bighorn is itself legendary, producing large, willing brown and rainbow trout.

Krumm addressed the topic, “How to Become a Successful Fishing Guide”, but much of what he said applies to Jesus followers. I liked his talk so much I emailed Bob and asked if he would send me a transcript. What follows is my synopsis and comments on Krumm’s thoughts.

It seems like you can’t turn around anywhere in central Oregon these days without bumping into a farmer’s market. And what’s not to like? Fresh fruit and vegetables grown without pesticides or herbicides, and meat that’s grass fed without growth hormones and antibiotics. And to boot, you get to know the grower personally.

Ever feel like you’re not making a difference in people’s lives? Have you asked yourself the question “What am I good for?”

You’re not alone.

Recently, a group of us finished reading John Mark Comer’s Practicing the Way. Comer was a pastor in Portland and now lives in California. He’s a prolific author and this book is his latest. It reminds me of the writings of Dallas Willard and Richard Foster with its emphasis on spiritual disciplines.

David Brooks, NY Times columnist and author, wrote an opinion piece on April 11, 2015, entitled, “The Moral Bucket List”. In it, he contrasts those virtues we would put on a resume like education and work experience versus what people would say about us at our funeral.

This article continues from a previous article, introducing Jephthah from Hebrews 11 and Judges 10-11. Was he truly a “hero of the faith?” Read on and learn more.

As some of you might already know, a few of us here at Foundry are on a preaching team for a little church in Camp Sherman, OR called Chapel in the Pines. Normally, we preach one off sermons. But one of the church elders asked if we would string together a sermon series. One of our team members proposed walking through the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11.

Bob Dylan, folk and rock singer legend, wrote a 1964 song called My Back Pages. It reflected on Dylan’s earlier idealism and included this line: “Ah, but I was so much older then, I'm younger than that now.” Dylan wrote it to say he had matured in his thinking but at the same time had somehow gotten younger.

I fish, therefore I am.

Well, not really. My ultimate identity is not determined by my fishing. But most of you who know me know I love to fly fish. People out of the blue will ask me how the fishing is. Honestly, I really don’t fish as much as some of you think, but I do fish more than most.

I remember the first time I was tempted as a Christian leader to take credit for what was happening in our church. Our congregation was growing numerically. So much so that we were building a newer, larger facility. People were praising me for my messages. I was being asked to speak other places. I was, by the standards of our evangelical subculture, a success.

This is part 2 of a review of Henri Nouwen’s book, In the Name of Jesus: Reflections on Christian Leadership, in which Nouwen looks at the perils of Christian leadership from the perspective of Jesus’s wilderness temptation in Matthew 4:1-11 and his interaction with Peter in John 21:15ff.

A caveat before I begin: I’m neither a student of popular culture nor trying to be cool.

But certain happenings catch my attention because they address our universal need for meaning and purpose.

Unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock, you’ve undoubtedly heard of female entertainer Taylor Swift. According to Billboard magazine, she and fellow female entertainer Beyoncé are the two greatest stadium fillers for 2023.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps like you, I have a hard time keeping them. Things like losing weight, getting in better shape, reading the Bible more all have good intentions. But my pet peeve centers on the fact that if these resolutions are good for a new year why not practice them the rest of the year? But that’s the subject of another article.

Names are important. Expectant parents peruse name lists on the internet for just the right one for their son or daughter. Biblical names often have great theological significance. For example, …

I’ve had a secret desire to speak at the NFL Buffalo Bills chapel service. Why the Bills? Josh Allen is their quarterback and he played college football in Laramie, Wyoming where I was a pastor for 21 years.

As many of you already know, I recently underwent major surgery (what’s called a radical prostatectomy) to remove some cancerous and other surrounding tissue from my body. Fortunately, my prognosis looks good thus far. I appreciate all the prayers and comforting words on my behalf.

One of my favorite New Testament characters is the itinerant preacher Apollos. He bursts on the scene in Acts 18:24-28 and is mentioned again in I Corinthians and Titus 3. I like his combination of biblical knowledge and passionate delivery that God uses to change the lives of his hearers. Apollos is a role model for me.