Author Archives: Mark

I was traveling in my car recently. It was a longer journey through the boring corn fields of Illinois. One mile looks pretty much like the last and the next. For some variety I switched my satellite radio from my normal Country station to one of the comedy channels. One particular comedian stood out toContinue reading “Listening to Comedy Radio”

Consider the following two passages from the first two chapters of Genesis: Genesis 1:27 – So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;  male and female he created them. Genesis 2:18 – The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. IContinue reading “Conflict in Genesis?”

Is your church family strong enough to let people who believe some strange things and behave in ways you don’t approve still be a part of the family? Let’s unpack that a little bit. I think MOST church families follow the “Believe, Behave, Belong” mindset. If you believe certain things (that our church family believes),Continue reading “Believe, Behave, Belong? Or Belong, Believe, Behave?”

“Tempest-tossed soul, be still; my promised grace receive.”“Tis’ Jesus speaks-I must, I can, I will, I do believe.” I’m using Tim Keller’s book on the Psalms for my daily devotions again this year. (I used it once during a busier time in my life so there are many days that remain unread by me.) TodayContinue reading “Be Still”

Sometimes when I speak with a group of leaders or pastors my message is received well. Often I may get some push back or disagreement. I love those moments! After all, I am usually challenging people’s presuppositions or asking them to think about things they have never before considered. Why wouldn’t I expect people toContinue reading ““You’ve Given Me Something to Think About…””

According to Keller there is a third possibility. What if I could be fully known and truly loved? I would literally trade anything for that. To know that someone knows all there is to know about me, good and bad, and still loves me… that really gets my heart pumping. In fact, simply contemplating thatContinue reading “Fully Known AND Truly Loved”

In my last post we looked at the problem with being loved but not known. Today let’s consider the opposite: to be known but not loved. I would argue that our greatest fear in life, even greater than our fear of death, is our fear of being completely and utterly alone. In 2019 the TampaContinue reading “To be known but not loved…”

The name for this ministry was inspired by a quote from pastor, author, and theologian Tim Keller. He wrote it in his book, “The Meaning of Marriage.” Here is the quote in its full context: “To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear.Continue reading “To be loved but not known…”

A few years back my siblings and I discovered my grandmother’s recipe box. It has been a real treat using her old recipes to recreate some of the cookies we enjoyed when we were kids. This year my brother had a special request. Would I be willing to try and make her “church window” cookies?Continue reading “Grace Upon Grace”

A number of different studies will tell you what you probably already know: The vast majority of LGBTQ+ people leave their church family when they come out. Normally this happens somewhere around age 18. Because a lot of other young people leave the church around the same time (as they head off to college, moveContinue reading “Why did they leave?”