What is Unconventional all about? It’s purpose? To see God in the details of life. To let our faith touch each dimension. Here’s some wise advice from a friend on how to do that.
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Juggling Life
A year after Dad retired, he semi-jokingly said he couldn’t understand how he used to do all his daily duties in addition to a full-time job. I didn’t get it then. Now in retirement myself, I finally do. Life tumbles in. We all juggle so many demands that we get stressed, we get short-tempered, we get rushed. I still have to craft a weekly schedule of needed tasks that go beyond daily duties. This week features 22 tasks and 9 major appointments. This is retirement? 😉
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An Unholy Comfort
I’m a strange cocktail of belief and unbelief. Of stunning spiritual successes and just as stunning descents and stretches of unholy comfort. From decades of ministry and hundreds of conversations, I suspect the father and I…
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What Child is This: A Praiseworthy Gift
Welcome to Day 4, our journey’s end. Christmas has come! We’ve seen Jesus as a humble human, a conquering king, a reconciler. At the core—Jesus is God’s gift to us. A gift so great we can get lost in him. A gift so great it can break the back …
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What Child is This: A Conquering King
Jesus first came as a human. As a human, he lived and died. Unlike most, he came back to life before returning to heaven. The baby Jesus was safe and cute. Cuddly. Adorable. But on his second coming, we’ll see him as a conquering king. Halfway through the carol we read, “The King of Kings salvation brings, let loving hearts enthrone Him. This, this is Christ the King.” No longer…
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What Child is This: A Humble Human
Last year, “Unconventional” became Advent: preparing us for the radical entry of the divine into the human world, with brief thoughts on the four days leading up to Christmas. That seemed to resonate, so let’s explore one of the most haunting carols and give four answers to the question, “What Child is This?” Short posts to help you focus on one aspect of Jesus’ entry on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Here’s the first, on…
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Fake News
This post may be my most politically relevant and unyieldingly nonpartisan. A few weeks back a commentator, who’s been around since Watergate, expressed that he is more concerned about the future of our country now than at any time in his life. Why? We can’t agree on truth. We don’t seek truth. Partisans, on both sides, decry as “Fake News” anything that doesn’t match what they already want to believe. We accept, as gospel, rumors with no evidence. The divide between left and right grows. And I’m not sure electing more “people with our values” will help…
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Celebrate Our Surrender
The riddle for the day: What do you call a husband and wife when she has a Ph.D. in History, and he's an oncologist? Answer: a paradox. OK, corny and old, but cute. A paradox, in reality, is two contradictory statements when both are true. My preeminent example comes from Jesus as a double paradox, "If you save your life you'll…
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