Category: Christian Living

  • Living in Sodom

    “I guess that’s my lot in life.”  We’ve all heard that conciliatory remark. It’s the kind of thing you say when you accept the fact that your circumstances are less than ideal. While scholars seem to disagree about the source of the idiom, “lot in life” the phrase definitely reminds you of the Lot in…

  • When “Our Dream” is Better Chased than “My Dream”

    A few weeks ago Kristen and I both woke up in the middle of the night. Apparently 2 AM is the only time parents of 3 young kids can have a long talk without interruptions to ask us if it’s OK to watch TV or a dirty diaper or someone getting hungry. We talked for…

  • To be like Joseph

    Mr. Insignificant You don’t get much more insignificant in a family of 12 than being number 11. As the 11th born you aren’t the baby of the family. And in this case you aren’t even the last baby boy. You are just number 11 with an abundant allotment of big brothers. Joseph was an insignificant…

  • Proactive vs. Reactive

    The past year or so has taught me all new levels of being proactive that I’d never needed to be before.  Shipping orders for our store, tracking packages, and making adjustments to our shipping rates to keep up with USPS. Um, getting people to buy stuff from said store means that I have to order…

  • Holy Crap.

    These are the words of Jake Bouma when his oncologist showed him evidence that his cancer has responded to 4 months of chemo. Holy crap indeed. Here’s what Jake meant: Holy = God is holy. Crap = Cancer sucks I don’t know if I shared quite the tears as Libby. But wow, this video touched…

  • Love God. Love Neighbor. Simple. Right?

    Want to teach the students and young adults in your life HOW to do this? Pick up my 6-week curriculum, Good News in the Neighborhood. ht to Steve Knight for the link. Shouts FTE.

  • Taking the wrong turn onto the right path

    Right or left? This was a game Kristen and I used to play on Saturday’s before we had kids. In the late 1990’s we lived in Chicago, we had a new car, gas was 97 cents, and we shared a love for summer adventure. I’d drive to the corner of Chicago and Damon and say…

  • Abuelos

    This week we have Kristen’s mom in town. While our kids are playing it cool– they were over-the-moon excited that grandma could come spend a few days with us. There’s a lot of talk about the impact of family in the development of Sticky Faith. Obviously, mom and dad are the most influential figures in…

  • A truly open Kingdom

    “Adam won’t amount to much. He didn’t grow up in church leadership so he’ll never really fit on.” ~ A former friend said this to a search committee member once. You’ve probably heard similar things said about you. Hurtful, hateful, religiously big but theologically infantile words said to you or about you. These are the…

  • Are your dreams worth pursuing?

    Yesterday, I got a graduation announcement for a friend’s daughter and it sparked a memory. This is a sign I’m getting old, right?  My own high school graduation was unremarkable. I don’t remember much about it. I remember it happened very quickly and my parents and brother were there. I think my friend Navid spoke…