September 16, 2011
I am a member of the Fry’s V.I.P. Club; I am also a member of the Davis family. The first came about because I scribbled my phone number on a piece of paper at the grocery store; the second came about because I was born into an existing family. My membership at Fry’s means very [...]
August 21, 2011
The songs that we sing on Sunday mornings at Whitton Avenue are not whimsical. We don’t sing for singing’s sake, and the songs we choose aren’t randomly picked based on the worship leader’s preference. In fact, hours of careful deliberation go into the song choice each week before practice has even begun. It’s not because [...]
August 12, 2011
The numbers coming out of the Horn of Africa are staggering. The worst drought in 60 years is affecting 11 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti. In particular, half the population of Somalia–3.2 million people–is in need of immediate assistance. An estimated 20,000 children have died from starvation in the last 90 days. [...]
August 12, 2011
One of the most significant cultural shifts I experienced when I came to pastor Whitton Avenue Bible Church six years ago regarded the use of violence in military conflict. I grew up in a church where each July 4th Sunday the pianist played through the hymns of all the military branches while the veterans of [...]
July 29, 2011
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8). Jesus asks this provocative question after telling the parable of the badgering widow. She petitioned the godless judge over and over and over until he ruled in her favor, giving her justice against her adversary. In the same way, Jesus asks, [...]
July 22, 2011
As we venture into the final chapters of Isaiah on Sunday mornings, we will continue to encounter more glorious and strange prophecies: “rams of Nebaioth” coming to Jerusalem (Isaiah 60:7), ships from Tarshish bringing back Israel’s children (Isaiah 60:9), a visitor from Edom wearing red (Isaiah 62:1-2), the day when “the young man shall die [...]
July 15, 2011
Beholding beauty releases us to share wealth. We saw this concept in Isaiah 60 on Sunday in the end-times vision of the nations seeing God’s glory reflected in his people and bringing their wealth to beautify God’s dwelling place. Of course, that day is still to come, but the principle holds true now. And since [...]
July 9, 2011
Isaiah 59, which we covered on Sunday morning, reveals a dynamic crucial for us to understand if we are to address issues of injustice biblically. Though it could have many names, we have called this dynamic “humble expectancy,” and see it expressed in four steps in Isaiah 59 regarding injustice. First, there is a confrontation [...]
May 6, 2011
The reactions to Osama bin Laden’s death have been mixed, whether the media was mainstream or social, the responders Christian or non-Christian, or the political affiliation Bush or Obama. The nature of the ambivalence is the question of how we should respond to his death. Are partying in the streets and beach balls and loud [...]
April 24, 2011
The crucifixion of Jesus that we commemorate today confronts us with powerful paradox. The Apostle Paul captured this in 1 Corinthians 1 by contrasting the foolishness and wisdom, the weakness and power that were simultaneously on display at the cross. We could add to that list that Jesus was both passive and proactive in his [...]
