There's a Storm Coming

There’s a Storm Coming. Are You Ready?

It’s been a mighty warm winter so far, but that’s over now. Here in Washington, DC, snow hit the ground last night. It was just a dusting, maybe an inch, but the weather forecasters are telling us more is coming. There could be feet of snow by Saturday – enough to shut down the whole city. This week’s …

Should I Fear God?

The Christian tradition can seem a bit confusing when it comes to the subject of fear. Is fear a legitimate, God-given emotion, or is it something to be overcome by the power of love? There is a strong biblical case to be made for both perspectives. On the one hand, the authors of the Bible repeatedly paint …

I Want to Follow Jesus. Do I Need to Be Baptized?

When I was about twelve years old, I went through a phase when I was terribly afraid of hell. Like, wake-up-screaming scared of hell. Shouting-at-the-ceiling-because-God-won’t-answer afraid of damnation. My parents probably thought I was mentally ill, but that wasn’t quite right. I was living in a persistent state of spiritual terror. Somewhere along the way (maybe at …

You're Going to Die (And Why That's a Good Thing)

You’re Going to Die (And Why That’s a Good Thing)

Isn’t that what being young is about, believing secretly that you would be the one person in the history of man that would live forever?  – Vanilla Sky (2001) It’s not just the young who think they can cheat death. Most of the time, none of us dares to hold that stark reality before us. We live …

"God" is no Substitute for Strategy

“God” is no Substitute for Strategy

The title of this post alone may have already made me a Quaker heretic, but I hope you’ll hang with me on this. One of the unspoken rules of the Quaker tradition is that you’re not allowed to admit that you have a clear plan. According to this school of thought, any strongly-held, long-term planning is dangerous …