Category Archives: In-Sight

If you were to ask me, “What is the greatest challenge in your spiritual life these days?” I would have no trouble answering you. It is living within Paul’s exhortation, “Be angry without sinning” (Ephesians 4:26). I am angry with … Continue reading →

“The sciences are helping to restore spirituality to its rightful place, revealing to us a supernatural Reality that is in everyone and everything. [1] Theology, likewise, is restoring this understanding to matters of faith and action. [2] Matter is concentrated … Continue reading →

During my time as a seminary administrator, I would often ask, “Are we having fun?” And I would say to staff, “Get as close to a party as you can.” These were lighthearted ways of making an important point: we … Continue reading →

For more than a decade I have been on a journey often referred to as “emergent Christianity.” [1] It has taken me into that part of Christianity called “progressive.”  It has been a life-changing experience in more ways than I … Continue reading →

America is a house divided. Not as it was during the time of the Union and the Confederacy, but in observable ways, very recently demonstrated by those I read on social media who lambasted the inclusion of “Let Every Voice … Continue reading →

We live by faith. So says the Bible in several places. But what kind of faith? I nominate the faith of St. Thomas, what Brian McLaren calls “faith after doubt” in his book by the same title. [1] Our stereotype … Continue reading →

I posted this earlier today on my Facebook page. I am reposting it here to better archive it, and to share it with those of you who are not Facebook friends…. “A Good Trembling” I had no plans to write … Continue reading →

Evil never advances better than when it “gets religion.” When it claims to “have the blessing of God” upon it, evil can justify whatever it says and does. Evil is never more insidious and dangerous than when it operates through … Continue reading →

Question: I am 66 years of age. I need to think more about living as an elder. What does this mean for you? Response: I must begin by saying that I don’t think there is a one-size-fits all pattern for … Continue reading →

I am posting this a week early to connect with the Advent Season… Whatever else Advent is, it is an annual season in the Christian Year that invites us to make a fresh start. All four readings contain the keynote … Continue reading →

I never thought that a song I learned in Vacation Bible School nearly seventy years ago would be one that can take us where we need to go today, but it is. “Deep and Wide” is about as good as … Continue reading →

Years ago, Richard Foster and I were visiting over a meal. It happened to be at a time when my daily devotions were tepid. I asked him about this, hoping he could share something that would “jump start” my prayer … Continue reading →

Some of you will immediately recognize the title of this post as one of Richard Rohr’s phrases to describe where he believes God calls us to live.[1]  I have intentionally used his words, because I agree with him, and because … Continue reading →

This is the final post in this mini-series. I have made use of Ephesians 6:10-20 to commend Christian resistance to evil. In the first post, we looked at the motive for resistance. In the second one, we explored the mindset … Continue reading →

In the first post on this subject a few days ago, I voiced my conviction that the November election is ultimately about dethroning evil.[1] It is not about Donald Trump losing and Joe Biden winning (though that is a necessary … Continue reading →

It’s time for me (you decide if it’s time for you) to push through the “fluff and stuff” and cut to the chase: the election on November 3rd is no longer about candidates or parties. It is about the dethronement … Continue reading →

I am grateful to Richard Foster for his development of a spiritual formation paradigm: vision, intention, means ]1] I use it often, and remind you about it occasionally. Today, I had another opportunity to think about it as I read … Continue reading →

Last month I said we are living in a Micah moment, and using Micah 6:8, I explored the kind of life that God calls for in such a time.  But embedded in all this is the question,“What kind of person … Continue reading →

The Book of Micah has become one of my go-to resources for getting perspective about the time in which we are living. Micah looked at Israel and Judah and said in effect, “We are in deep trouble.” It is easy … Continue reading →

Honestly, this is a post I hoped I would not have to write. But we remain in the grip of a growing pandemic, one that now weaves together the threads of virus and violence—medicine and morality, disease and dis-ease. This … Continue reading →

In solidarity with the message of emancipation which Juneteenth communicates, I offer this link to John Wesley’s championing of freedom for black people in his day…. Interestingly, in the midst of renewed racial turmoil in our country, Michael J. Gerson … Continue reading →

One of the greatest dangers in life is to feel overwhelmed. Many of us have felt that way during the pandemic. But even before it, we found it easy to feel overwhelmed in a world of enormous challenges, and in … Continue reading →

The dystopian world envisioned by George Orwell is coming to pass right before our eyes. The pandemic did not create this, it only exposes it. The origins are as old as Cain’s murder of Abel and his denial of responsibility … Continue reading →

​I have postponed this month’s In-Sight post until today because it is Jeannie’s and my 50th Anniversary.  Coming on a Friday, it’s the same day we were married five decades ago. Most of all, I begin this post by saying, … Continue reading →

​Lent is the season in the Christian year when we take a prolonged look at ourselves in relation to Christ.  It is a time for remembering the radical nature of the Gospel, and an opportunity to recommit ourselves to it. … Continue reading →

When I wrote ‘For the Sake of the Bride’ in 2014, I received immediate pushback and censure from colleagues at Asbury Theological Seminary, and from the larger conservative Wesleyan world.  One parachurch group described me as “the latest evangelical to … Continue reading →

On the night of his betrayal, Jesus gathered with his disciples. John records it in chapters 15-17. The evening was filled with one treasure after another, which we can read and re-read for our edification. One gem was Jesus’ definition … Continue reading →

​Paul’s visit to Athens (Acts 17:16-34) is insightful with respect to evangelism and missiology.  Today, I want to highlight only one insight—that we never get there first.  God is always ahead of us, present in people and places before we … Continue reading →

The longer I live, the more I realize that the differences we hold regarding things are produced by something larger than the topic itself. With respect to anything, we are directed to a great extent by whether we fundamentally view … Continue reading →

If I were a pastor, I would make youth ministry the cutting edge of my church’s mission. There are a number of reasons why I would do this. I write today only about one, and it is a reason fueled … Continue reading →

For the first time in our nation’s history, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls in the midst of a presidential impeachment/trial process. [1]. The juxtaposition of these two things shapes my thinking as we observe MLK Jr Day today. On … Continue reading →

We are living through an intense time of polarization, with resulting fragmentations of all sorts and sizes.  Every day adds new impetus for asking, “What’s going on?”  The depth and breadth of our conflicts makes a blanket answer impossible.  I … Continue reading →

​Having recently celebrated Christmas, the Incarnation has been front-and-center in our faith.  In the birth of Jesus, the Word became flesh, and lived a while on the earth full of grace and truth (John 1:14).  The coming of the pre-incarnate, … Continue reading →

​Michael Card has been one of my favorite musicians for a long time, recognized by many as a musical theologian, not just a performer.  His composition, “Immanuel,” is the song Jeannie and I turn to every Advent. We are still … Continue reading →

Jeannie and I have just returned  from a great visit with our family in Kentucky.  The trip included several opportunities to experience the wonder and beauty of nature as fall settles in.  It really is a spectacular season. Seeing the … Continue reading →

​A writing project I am engaged in has taken me back into the books of E. Stanley Jones.  I have spent large amounts of time re-reading them. I have been reminded why he is the overall major influence in my faith … Continue reading →

​One of the marks of Pentecost was, “Your sons and daughters willl prophesy….upon my servants, men and women  I will pour my spirit” (Acts 2:17-18).  This same inclusive mark is evidenced whenever the Spirit is moving.  Women’s voices arise in … Continue reading →

I do not usually post something on both Fscebook and Oboedire.  This is an exception. _______________________________ “The Third Temptation” I cut my teeth as a new Christian on Evangelicalism.  I developed my faith within Evangelicalism.  I lived into my sixties … Continue reading →

[Note: “In-Sight” has been an ongoing , occasional series here on Oboedire for some time.  Previous posts are archived on the righthand sidebar of the Oboedire home page.  The series resumes today as a monthly (first Saturday) post that explores … Continue reading →

​God is the love (1 John 4:8).  God is creator (Genesis 1:1).  These are two fundamental affirmations of our faith.  Each is important in its own right, but when we weave them together, an even grander revelation emerges. Clearly, the … Continue reading →

With slightly less than a week behind us since we voted, we see the reality of a divided nation, and already we are feeling the renewed tensions which go along with our differences. It is a spiritual formation question to … Continue reading →

​Before you pass out after reading the title of today’s post and are unable to read the rest of it, let me hasten to say that I believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.  With that, I hope you … Continue reading →

​A meditation written in the aftermath of a week in which degrading words and deeds were leveled against transgender persons and other LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, refugees, and others–with additional hatefulness expressed through pipe bombs sent to selected political leaders…and…through the … Continue reading →

​Previously (September 10, 2018), I wrote a blog entitled, “Contemplation: Essence and Vision.” My purpose was to liberate contemplation from a limited definition of its being a spiritual practice, releasing it into the broader notion of it being an overarching … Continue reading →

Today, I am writing a “note to self.”  You are welcome to read it.  And as they say, ” If the shoe fits…..  _______________________________ Christianity was barely off the ground when soul-drain began to take its effect.  Paul called it … Continue reading →

The future of life as we believe God intends it to be hinges on the extent to which we live into the truth of the two great commandments, loving God and loving others.  But often, we do not take into … Continue reading →

Looking toward events this week on Capital Hill, we will see the unfolding of more than a judicial confirmation hearing.  We will see the contest between light and darkness when it comes to the age-old subjugation of women by men. … Continue reading →

Sadly, we are living in a time when some Christians appear to believe you can be shady and still be holy.  It is an odd combination which almost always occurs when religion and politics are conjoned in situations where “winning” … Continue reading →

Years ago, I read the books Thomas Merton wrote about contemplation. [1]  I came away disappointed.  I was at a stage in my life where I knew I needed to become more contemplative, and I was hoping Merton would help … Continue reading →