And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 In today’s scripture, Paul calls the Colossian Church (and us) to “oneness,” another word for community. Yet, this can only happen if we allow our Savior’s peace (wholeness) to flood our […]

The Silent Scream! In 2013, I began participating in a doctoral cohort that would spend the next three years focusing on “Empowering and Equipping the Chosen Exiles of the 21st Century.” It took its name from the opening line of 1 Peter, a greeting to the “elect exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, […]

TOYIN’ Liminality Trapped between change and change-back Ambivalent state I know YOU’re out there somewhere Why won’t we move toward YOU? “Liminality” – an original TANKA by HitchHiker uninspired by our spiritual inaction

Trouble and anguish have found me out, but your commandments are my delight. Psalm 119:143 It is interesting how similar the two words at the beginning of this sentence, trouble, and anguish, are, not just in English but in Hebrew. Both speak to feeling constricted or pressured into a narrow space, implying that the enemy […]

Balance… I recently led discussions on John Stott’s book Balanced Christianity. In it, he cites a theologian, Charles Simeon, who describes a balanced approach to Christianity as “oscillating (not vacillating) from pole to pole” without becoming stationary at either end. Both poles, be they intellect and emotion, conservative and radical, form and freedom, or evangelism […]

TOYIN’ To submit to God is a liberating thing Not a worldly thing Worldly people seek control They find worldly enslavement “Inverse Opposite“ – an original TANKA by HitchHiker who never ceases to be amazed!

“And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15 I took a huge risk […]