I think I saw Jesus today! At…McDonald's, no less. As I write this, I'm seated at a booth in a Detroit airport McDonald's. Frustrated by the gouging prices at other food stands, I settled for some Chicken McNuggets and a fruit and walnut salad. I hardly had time to dip the first nugget when a voice from across the way breaks into a solo rendition of O Holy Night. It was clear from her face and gestures she preferred a choir to a solo, so I joined in. Heartily. The two of us finished the song, high-fived each other and…
The Holes in Environmentalism
The environmental movement—it's riddled with holes: inconsistencies that nobody seems to care about. Don't get me wrong. I believe Christ followers SHOULD be good stewards of the earth—as long as we don't worship it. That means we SHOULD care about clean air and clean water. Genesis 1:26…God gave man dominion over creation. The idea is that we are to care for creation, not abuse it. That said, I'm fascinated by all the inconsistencies. For example, when I bought some expensive music software, it came in a rather large cardboard box. Inside? Three paper-sleeved DVDs. That's it! Not even a manual!…
Consider the Cooks
Is it just me or is America’s fascination with food—or at least food that’s prepared by chefs on TV—at an all-time high? I suppose it began back with Julia Childs. But her legacy is an army of Food Network television chefs: Emeril, Bobby Flay…Paula Dean. More stars than Hollywood. More shows than you could possibly stomach. Cooking is definitely on America’s front burner. Yet I watch it all with a…tasteful mixture of intrigue and cynicism. On the one hand, the Food Network seems to thrive. On the other hand, there’s an explosion in things like “lunchables” and other pre-packaged meals….
Why Young People Are Leaving the Church
By now the shocking numbers are almost numbing. Depending on whose statistics you believe, anywhere between 60 and 90% of young people currently attending an evangelical church will leave once they hit college. Leave…and never come back. But why? Some people say it's our secular environment—now almost hostile to Christianity. Some say it's the lack of programs for kids at church…or the quality of the preaching. It is my contention that there are a whole lot fewer reasons than are currently being looked at. In fact, I think the biggest factor is a whole lot closer to home. It's parents. …
Long Lines at Bethlehem
Every heart is built differently. I’m convinced of it. God seems to have placed within me something of His own passion and compassion for lost people. Wish I could say I’ve always been a good steward of that heart. I haven’t. But it happens once in awhile I’ll be in a big crowd and the thought suddenly sweeps over me, “Wonder how many of these people really know Jesus? How many of them are headed for heaven? How many marching toward Hell?” I’ve thought that thought staring at SuperBowl crowds. A month ago we were in Bethlehem…visiting the Church of…
A Weed in Drought
The summer of the drought. That’s where we’ve been. Hot. Dry. Hostile to life. Yet a curious thing caught my eye the other day as I wheeled the mower down our driveway to cut the front lawn. Right there in the middle of the asphalt…pushing up through tar and stone…a weed. Sturdy, green. If not alone. How did it get there? What force gave it the guts to push through a gravel base and up through a layer of asphalt? How could it thrive when my lawn is patchy and thin? Life is not supposed to thrive in drought conditions. …
Cooling off Hell
They're trying to cool off the flames of hell. Have you noticed? I have no scientific proof–just my own observations. But it feels to me like whatever Christian circle I visit, the concept of Hell is increasingly described WITHOUT fire. It's being replaced by the phrase "eternal separation from God." The trade out bothers me. It bothers me because the Bible makes no such allowance. Hell is a literal place. The lake of fire is a biblical destination. Revelation 20:15 says "Whoever's name was not written in the Lamb's book of life was cast into the lake of fire." Mark…
The Scars of Communism
Recently, I returned from a ten day trip to the Balkans area of Central Europe. This is a region that was firmly in the iron grip of Communism for decades. Walking the streets of Bulgaria and Romania, I was hit hard with a sad reality. We Americans continue to underestimate the lingering effects of Stalinism and overestimate the success of post-Communist Europe. We view Communism like a physical house of brick and mortar that was toppled by the wrecking ball of geopolitical change. We assume the whole nasty mess was scooped into a dumpster and hauled away. The truth is,…
Uncommon Warmth
“Excuse me,” she said. “Do you have a couple minutes to talk about human rights?” She was standing there on the sidewalk in downtown Chicago, and I walked by at my brisk heart-healthy pace expressing a “no thank you.” Then I looked at my watch and noticed I really DID have the time. So I walked back and talked to her. The girl was in her early twenties and cradled a clipboard in her arms. Unseasonably chilly wind blew our hair as she attempted to gain my sympathy for a bill in support of human rights. Turns out, it was…
Where’s Jesus?
You've heard of “Where's Waldo?” It's the kids book series featuring oversized pages crammed with hundreds of tiny people. Hidden somewhere among them is the red and white striped image of Waldo. Your job, of course, is to find him. But today, I'm not asking “Where's Waldo?” Instead, I'm wondering “Where's Jesus?” Let me explain. Increasingly, as I look at church outreach events and ministries, I wonder what they're reaching out with. The gospel–the simple saving message of Jesus–sometimes appears to be so far beneath the surface, it would take a deep sea diver to retrieve it. We're big on…