“Jesus is Lord and everything else is bullshit."
— Stanley Hauerwas
Ever since conscripted church attendance led to a surprising and converting encounter with the Risen Christ, Jesus has gleefully afflicted me with the right kind of nightmares and continues to tame my stubborn cynicism. Or should I say, Jesus is giving me different things about which to be cynical. After all, if Jesus is Lord and his grace without any ifs ands or buts, meanwhile the world knows it not, then my friend Stan the Man is dead-on right.
Just about everything else is bullshit.
This is a space where I attempt to sort out all that chaff from the wheat. I write and reflect on matters that matter, and nothing matters more to me than the improbable promise of God’s unconditional pardon, grace not for the good but for the ungodly. I try to write with the good humor, winsome cynicism, and no-BS hopefulness that befits a life of faith in a world that insists on acting as though Jesus is dead.
I’m an irreverent reverend with one wife and one congregation. Only one of them deserves someone like me. I have two sons. I’m the author of a few books. I host a podcast (we’re a big deal), and I have incurable cancer, which means I’m as terminal as you, dear reader.
Also, I like pickles.
As an Enneagram 8, I have no shortage of opinions or scarcity of words with which to express them. This explains why I’ve been blogging for a decade and decided to move that discipline over to this space.
It also accounts for why sarcasm is my love language.
Why Subscribe?
It seems like everyone’s got a side hustle these days, I get it. Why should you take the time to give this newsletter your time or support?
Because I’ll deliver the goods.
Just as I do from the pulpit every Sunday, I’ll shine a differently angled light on the familiar message of Christ and him crucified, unmerited pardon in a world without much mercy. More importantly for this space, I’ll explore why that message makes a difference for everyday life in the real world. After all, if Christ’s cross is the end of score-keeping, then at the very least your relationships with your in-laws needs to change pronto. The same goes for the red and blue flavors of glawspel that abound in our politics and on our social media feeds.
I take the Bible seriously, but I believe Jesus is risen not because the Bible tells me so but because I’ve met him. Or rather, I’ve been met by him. So I take Jesus seriously too; therefore— it’s nearly axiomatic, I do not take myself seriously. If the gospel is the good news of the justification of the ungodly, then there’s little point in polishing turds. Grace frees us not only to love our neighbors but to be honest about ourselves.
As a Christian, I’ve no choice but to believe that words create worlds. Stick around here and I’ll use words as best as I know how to help you give a damn about the God who, in Jesus Christ, no longer gives any damns.
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“Grace is always ‘despite’ and not ‘because of’ the human condition. God’s gracious action is never ‘consequently’ but always ‘nevertheless.’ It is life from the dead and the justification of the ungodly not the reward of the righteous.” — Karl Barth
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