Recent Posts
Cicadas - They’re Even in My Thoughts
My family arrived in Elmhurst during the summer of 2008, the year after the last visit of the 17-year cicadas. Now I know what all the excitement is about. While we have apparently passed “peak cicada” and are now on the downswing, I’ve been thinking a lot about these peculiar flying friends and wanted to share a few thoughts:
First, cicadas remind me of my teenage self. I just learned that it’s only the male cicadas that make the incessant buzz-saw-like noise – they are equipped with a spectacular apparatus...
Church Within a Church - Friends from Ukraine
It’s a bit of a mystery how the church managed to spread from a small group of frightened disciples huddled together in an upper room in Jerusalem in 33 A.D. all the way to the ends of the earth 2,000 years later. Jesus of Nazareth is the most famous person who has ever lived. His message is the most compelling and repeated set of truths ever shared. His followers make up the single greatest collection of people that has ever been amassed.
There is no easy explanation for the spread of the church and the success of Jesus’ message...
Season to Celebrate
What’s the difference between church staff and church volunteers? To me, it’s simple:
Volunteers carry out the ministry of Jesus’ church by sharing gifts of time, energy, effort, and love. On the other hand, Church Staff organizes and empowers the strong army of volunteers.
In other words, volunteerism is where our witness shines the brightest. The church's volunteers make all the difference. Let me give you a couple of examples...
What Does the Holy Spirit Actually Do?
I once had a seminary professor who illustrated this beautifully. He wrote the name “Jesus” in huge letters on a whiteboard. He then emphatically stated, “I’m the Holy Spirit'' and then went behind the whiteboard and proceeded to hide. Every few moments he would emerge for one side or the other and point with both hands towards the name of Jesus. Then he popped out from underneath, later he jumped as high as he could (he was a diminutive man), still doing all in his power to point towards the name of Jesus. Many of us laughed out loud – it’s not every day you witness an eminent theologian trying to max out their vertical jump.
The visual has remained with me all these years later...
Thoughts About Graduation
It’s the busiest time of the year in the suburbs. The games, concerts, and graduation ceremonies keep coming for most of us. Everytime I drive past a playing field, it’s packed with kids these days, along with a passel of parents and grandparents in the stands. The same goes for auditoriums and theaters in the evening hours.
Easter=Taking the Next Step
For many Americans, Easter is simply a nice holiday. Easter coincides with the coming of spring in our country and is beautifully adorned with pastels and lilies. There are plenty of jelly beans, chocolates, and floppy-eared bunnies to go around. Who could argue with any of that?!
Hand up! I can!