“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11, ESV) Imagine that I approached you and said, “I will always accomplish my purpose in my... Read More

In the American television mockumentary series, The Office , the goofy company manager Michael Scott is told by an employee that if he declares bankruptcy, all his financial problems go away. In the iconic moment that follows, Michael enters the office space and yells at the top of his lungs for everyone to hear, “I. Declare. Bankruptcy!” Michael is later informed by another employee that simply saying the word aloud doesn’t trigger anything. He replies with confidence,... Read More

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death..." In the ebb and flow of this middle world between the already of rescuing grace and the not yet of final victory grace, where things are not yet what they should and will be, yet so much better than they would be without the gloriously transformative interruption of the cross, where the process of rescue reconciliation restoration recreation began, there is reason to mourn. There are times in this... Read More

I am not a trained cultural critic or a digital media analyst, but I posted my first tweet in 2009 and have since tweeted 15,000 more times. Back in its early days, I had been watching the rise of what we now call social media, and it became clear to me that the way the human community connected and communicated was about to go through a seismic period of change. I believed that this new, internet-based media could be a powerful tool for the gospel of Jesus Christ. So, I determined that each... Read More

We’ve been spending the last few weeks considering the doctrine of the sovereignty of God and what a functional, day-to-day belief in this doctrine produces in the Christian life. It’s impossible not to include Matthew 10:29–31 in a biblical review of this subject: “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than... Read More