I once lived in a geographic area in which there was always one “cool” or trendy church. It was the church that everyone and their mother– literally– went to for worship. No matter where you were in town, you heard about what was going on at this church. The interesting
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has become a classic Christmastime tradition. Whether we watch one of the many film adaptations, the stage play, or read the original written story, it has stood the test of time and continues to be a tradition every year. It’s a story that has ingrained
A few years ago, a pastor colleague of mine mentioned to me an interesting conversation he had recently with a church member. This church member asked him if he had any siblings. He responded, briefly describing the birth order of each of his multiple siblings. The church member then asked
More is Better…? A few years ago, there was a TV commercial for AT&T that made the rounds. It featured an executive in a suit sitting on the floor in a circle with a bunch of young kids. He asks the kids, “Who thinks more is better than less?” All
In my most recent blog post, I discussed how living as a Christian minimalist is counter-cultural. As Paul writes, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable
NEWSFLASH: Being a Christian minimalist is counter-cultural. Society constantly tells us: …More is better. We are what we own, so we need to own lots of impressive and expensive things. …We are what we do for our job. Having an impressive job title should be one of our main
I grew up in a family that regularly critiqued advertisements. My Dad taught advertising and marketing, and worked in the field for years. He would constantly show my brother and I what made a good ad, and how it helped sell the product. What made a good ad was its
One of the most famous Bible stories of all time is Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). A man’s son asks for his inheritance early, and then he goes and blows it IMMEDIATELY on “dissolute living.” When he comes back home, broke and hungry, his dad welcomes him
“The Human Starter Kit” In an episode of the TV show The Good Place titled “Best Self” (Season Two, Episode 9), the immortal being Michael is named an “honorary human” by his human friends and given a “Human Starter Kit” as a gift. He is thrilled. “Car keys! So I can
Well, I did it! I went a whole year without shopping. When I wrote about the start of my no shopping year at the beginning of 2018, I had no idea what was in store (pun intended). I didn’t know how I would react to only buying necessities, and how my year-long