Christian Spirituality

My new John’s Prayer for the Week and John’s Monthly Newsletter

Feb
22
2013

11prayerofweek

This week I launched two newsletters. You can sign up for either/both of them here.  John’s Prayer for the Week, sent out every Sunday (or Monday, depending on how my weekend went) morning, is intended to put us in a good mindset to start the new week. In John’s Monthly Newsletter, I’ll catch readers up on personal [...]

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“Stop swinging, Samson!”

Feb
03
2013

anvil

[This is a traditional tale from American folklore which I've slightly modernized in tone but not substantively altered. I think it says as much about the relationship between man, God, and the force called Satan as might be found in a library's worth of theology books.] Satan said to Samson, “They tell me that you [...]

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Merry Christmas, coyotes and all

Dec
24
2012

forest

It’s 6:30 in the morning. My wife Catherine’s asleep upstairs. Downstairs our Christmas tree gleams in the dim morning light. In the bracing darkness outside a pack of coyotes raises a sudden din of high-pitched yelping that sounds like the horrible hounds of hell on holiday.

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Christmas Lament

Dec
20
2012

broken+crayons

Reader Meghan Lin wrote to say, “I don’t comment much at all, but I’m a huge fan of your blog and its awesome community. I wrote this about the recent tragedy, because I process grief by writing poetry. And I just wanted to send it to you. That’s all.” Attached was Meghan’s poem Christmas Lament. [...]

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Joseph and Pregnant Mary at the Inn

Dec
09
2012

trough

Joseph: How do you feel, Mary? Mary: Pregnant. Very pregnant. Joseph: Are you comfortable? Do you have enough hay? Mary: I do, thank you. And thanks for doing such a thorough job cleaning that feeding trough. I can’t believe our baby’s first crib will be a feeding trough. Joseph: No, no: it’s not a feeding [...]

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Like fearless Jesus, I will whip it good

Dec
03
2012

whip

This morning in the Gospel of John I read this: When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found people selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from [...]

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Posts by Theme

Dear John

As a Christian, must she forgive the brother who raped her?

Feb
27
2012

angrygirl

A woman writes in with an extremely difficult question.

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Christian Issues

The fundamentally toxic Christianity

Sep
11
2012

And-Jesus-Wept

Everything that’s wrong with Christianity in one nutshell.

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Relationships

What does a woman mean when she says “I need space”?

Oct
18
2012

backoff

Dear John, A good friend of mine suggested I contact you. I am now at the end of a five-year relationship and I am feeling lost as to what happened. We have had no fights, no disagreements, no infidelity. Just all of a sudden, it is over. I came home yesterday to a “Dear John” [...]

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Christian Spirituality

Joseph and Pregnant Mary at the Inn

Dec
09
2012

trough

Joseph: How do you feel, Mary? Mary: Pregnant. Very pregnant. Joseph: Are you comfortable? Do you have enough hay? Mary: I do, thank you. And thanks for doing such a thorough job cleaning that feeding trough. I can’t believe our baby’s first crib will be a feeding trough. Joseph: No, no: it’s not a feeding [...]

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Humor

Top 10 Things I WON’T Say To Rob Bell During Our Lunch Today

Apr
18
2012

Rob-Bell

Later today I’ll be having lunch with former mega-church founder and leader, best-selling author and soon-to-be huge television star Rob Bell. While of course security concerns prohibit me from revealing the location of what Rob has called our “epic lunch,” two words should be enough for you to grasp the magnitude of this groundbreaking summit: [...]

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Personal

“Your laughter is interfering with my degrading shame”

Jan
28
2013

dadmeblog1

If I had a thousand years and spoke as many languages I couldn’t begin to express my gratefulness for the messages of condolences so many of you sent me after learning that my father died. I feel my father read and was moved by them all. Each and every one of those messages also somehow [...]

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