admin – Why Have We Fasted

Delicate strands of green moss hang palely off a slender branch. The background is a lush mess of green and brown.

Posted on August 11, 2023August 13, 2023

Star Trek on the Temptations of Power

Star Trek teaches the American evangelical church about the addictive nature of power.

A grey, cloth-bound book rests open atop a blue, cloth-bound book, which in turn rests upon a mahogany wood table. You can tell that it will smell of old books. The pages are aged and the top of the text fades into the background. The bottom two lines are decipherable: "Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen."

Posted on August 4, 2023August 1, 2023

Books of 2023 – Quarters One and Two

Books read in the first half of the year, including fiction, history, and self-help for young adults, among others.

An oblong leaf with bright fall colors of red, yellow, and orange rests on a bed of damp, dead, and brown pine needles and leaves.

Posted on July 28, 2023August 10, 2023

Reason for Hope

Searching for healing in the midst of post traumatic church disorder.

Close up view of a pinecone resting on a barren forest floor. Patches of snow are visible in the background.

Posted on February 16, 2023

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Acts 29 Tree

The leaders of Origen Church kept the budget hidden until approaching financial insolvency forced their hands. What is Acts 29 trying to hide?

A shard of broken seashell rests on damp, speckled sand. The black, jagged edges frame a pearlescent center of teal, purple, and pink. Another shell, buried in the sand, peeps through with pale pink, purple, and white.

Posted on February 3, 2023February 3, 2023

Shorts

What do road rage, knowing one’s self, and Matilda the Musical have to do with one another? Not much, other than all giving me something to think about around the same time period.

Close-up of a red, vaguely heart-shaped leaf lying on grey pavement. Raindrops dot the leaf and pavement and magnify the veins of the leaf.

Posted on January 27, 2023January 28, 2023

When the Good Go Bad

A re-post from The Wartburg Watch, telling our story of how spiritual abuse crept in to a church we’d considered safe.

Close-up view of a peach colored rose against a dark green background. Petals are softly curved with faint yellow highlights, and the center is a darker pink color.

Posted on January 21, 2023January 21, 2023

Is It Gossip? and Other Questions We Asked Before Going Public

Questions we asked ourselves before going public. Is it gossip? Have we forgiven? Are we following Matthew 18?

Posted on January 13, 2023

Books of 2022 – Quarters Three and Four

Books read in the third and fourth quarters of 2022, with some thoughts on each. Include an enslaved woman’s memoir and young adult fiction, among others.

A close-up of bougainvillea plant. Pale yellow leaves surround two tiny flowers and one closed bud. Against a background of dark green leaves.

Posted on September 9, 2022September 10, 2022

Is It Any Wonder?

When mental illness is not illogical. Thoughts inspired by Disney’s Encanto.

Close up view of a long, broad leaf. It is dark green with pink edges and a waxy finish.

Posted on September 2, 2022

Acts 29, Your System is Rotting

A pattern is being established within the Acts 29 model at both the denominational and local church levels. It is not a good one, but it is also not insurmountable.

Wavy patterns of wet sand, from dark brown to light tan and shades between, left behind when the tide went out. A rusted anchor rests at the top left of the frame, is rope taut across the top of the picture.

Posted on July 29, 2022July 31, 2022

Getting Comfortable with Ambiguity

Musings on the nature and purpose of ambiguity in theology.

Leafy green vines trail over sun-warmed terra cotta tiles.

Posted on July 22, 2022July 25, 2022

Why Are We White-washing Slavery in the Bible? – Part 1

Examining the puzzling and problematic trend of painting slavery in the Bible as rosier than it actually was. In Part 1 of this two-part series, we look at the Scriptural and historical evidence.