Radically Happy

  • 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…

  • Partially Excerpted Conversation: Levels of Emergence

    This is an expanded excerpt from the emergence discussion from the Partially Examined Life Citizen Commons.  We studied the classic More is Different: Broken Symmetry and the Hierarchical Nature of Science by P.W. Anderson.  Their discussion software butchered my reply, so I figured I should clean it up by reposting it…

  • The Virtue and Emotion Pride

    One of the most controversial aspects of Knight Club is that it treats pride (“By Myself”) like anger (“Not Fair”): an emotion which is prone to sin, but is not necessarily a sin — and can even be a virtue. While it is true that the vast majority of Bible…

  • Becoming a Whole Christian

    I want to be a Whole Christian. I want to love the Lord my God with all my heart, all my soul, all my mind, and all my strength, and be part of a worshipping community with others who do. I want to love my brothers and sisters the way…

  • An Ode to My Personal Trainer

    For Steve Hernandez. One day after the first workout: I hate you. You make me do things I don’t want to do. My muscles ache.  My joints creak.  My steps are slow. I feel ten years older. One month after the first workout: I feel ten years younger. My muscles are stronger.…

  • Superhero Workout

    Here is the SUPERHERO WORKOUT we did for the last few Knight’s Club meetings. THOR- Arm Circles FLASH- Run in place SUPERMAN- Super Jumps SPIDERMAN- Spider Walks WOLVERINE- Scissor Jump Claws HULK- Wall Smash IRON MAN BLASTS- Side Lunge and Punch CAPTAIN AMERICA- Duck, Step, Dodge INVISIBLE TORCH- Side Jumps

  • Meet the Dragons of Knight Club

    The great challenge of manhood is learning to harness our emotions to serve a good purpose. As I mentioned earlier, I believe we need to harness (not slay) these Four Dragons of Manhood: Desire, Fear, Anger & Pride.  Here’s a more comprehensive summary of my current understanding: Dragons Color Green Yellow…

  • “Who is God and What Does He Want?” Preschool Theology, Book I

    My goal for this summer is to turn my 36-week Bible study “Growing Church Leaders” into a three-volume series of picture books for my preschoolers.  Here’s my first cut at text for the first one, “Think Biblically”, written one tweet at a time: