Radically Happy

  • Body Talk

    Is it true? Christ on the cross, sacrificing his body for the sake of the world. He was only doing what he saw His Father doing.

  • Rohan’s School Prayer

    Dear God, I want to have a great day. Watch over me as I learn and play. Help me to listen and obey my teachers, my parents, and you. Remind me to always be a knight Show me how to do what’s right And walk away from every fight. In…

  • Trinitarian Sinner’s Prayer, Part I: The Father

    I’ve been wrestling with how and when to encourage my children to make a profession of faith. I recently realized that God used an incremental process to reveal Himself to us: Father as Creator & Judge Jesus as Savior & Lord Spirit as Comforter & Counselor It seems like that…

  • Evangel, Part V: Living The Gospel

    “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who…

  • Does Seminary Conquer Sin?

    A kind friend pointed out that the seminary focuses I dissed in my last post: Theological knowledge Pastoral skills Relational experiences may not be sufficient for spiritual maturity, but are necessary. In fact, what I should have said is that the latter require the former:

  • What Makes Spiritual Maturity?

    [Based on a letter to my cousin-in-law, who runs a seminary in Chicago.] Most seminaries focus on: Pastoral vision and skills Theological knowledge Community and relationships Those are all good things. But are they the right things?

  • Evangel, Part IV: The Bad News

    Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live…

  • Evangel, Part III: The Good News

    “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” — John…

  • Evangel, Part II: The Story of God (and Me)

    “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first…

  • The Sub-Missionary Confession

    I do not know everything.

  • Curing The Seven Deadly Virtues of Leadership

    Leadership is a perilous venture, for the very attributes that make leaders great also carry the seeds of our downfall. But surprisingly, there is a very simple cure — albeit a very unpleasant one…

  • Evangel, Part I: What is the Gospel?

    “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” – Romans 1:16

  • Joshua 4: Stoned In To Your Mind

    Questions: What is worth celebrating? How does Joshua anticipate God’s commands? Why must we remember God’s wondrous works? When do we teach our children? Read more to pursue answers in [Joshua 4]

  • Joshua 3: Holy Shittim!

    Questions: Why should the Israelites stay a kilometer behind the ark? How does God exalt Joshua? To what end? Where should priests keep the presence of God? What is the connection between “relationship” and “results”? What’s the secret to leading a large group on inconceivable adventures? Read more to pursue…

  • Joshua 2: The Whore of Jericho

    Questions: Who is Rahab? Why is she a harlot? How come she was so ready to help the spies? What is God trying to teach Joshua? Where should I be looking for those God has placed to help me fulfill my purpose? Read more to pursue answers in Joshua 2

  • Joshua 1: Dying to Lead

    Questions: What must it have felt like to be Joshua? How can we lead men to fight the very shame that destroyed their fathers? Is having God with you the secret to being strong and courageous? Read more to pursue answers in Joshua 1

  • A Few Words With The Old Man

    We walk along the shore to our favorite fishing spot.  I walk on the sand. He walks on the water…

  • The Preschool Gospel, Take One

    Yesterday my precocious 4-year-old said he wanted to be baptized.  I don’t think he’s ready yet; our church doesn’t baptize kids until they are at least seven. But, how would I know if he was ready? What is the minimum someone needs to truly understand in order to authentically embark…

  • North Point’s Basic Truth Curriculum for Kids

    At Catalyst One Day, Pastor Andy Stanley explained how North Point Community Church‘s Sunday School curriculum focused on hammering home a small set of basic truths at each stage of life.   Surprisingly, perhaps due to the decentralized nature of North Point’s ministries, I couldn’t find them written down in…

  • Christian Elementary Schools in the South Bay – 2013 Open Houses

    My son Rohan is now “4 and 3/5ths” and will be graduating from Hearts and Hands Christian Preschool in the fall.  We are wrestling with which school he should attend next.  The primary criteria are: Christian formation Academic challenge Convenient location This appears to be Open House season, so I…