Matt Erickson
It was such a joy to preach with my wife, Kelly, on the life of Mary this past weekend at @EastbrookChurch. I am so thankful to partner in ministry with a woman of such humility and grace, such love for God and His Word. I learn so much from her.
One of the great tensions of life as a pastor is not losing the wonder of seasons of celebration like Advent and Christmas in the midst of facilitating the approach to that wonder for others. I have found it takes meekness and focus to maintain the posture of wonder for myself.
Loving the latest album by Ólafur Arnalds, “Some Kind of Peace.” There are some gorgeous and moving tracks on this one.
This past weekend I preached from John 17 and was struck by how profound it is that Jesus prayed for all future believers, including us. I always appreciate the prayers others lift up on my behalf, but how amazing that the Son of God prayed for us.
As I continue to reflect on unity as we walk through a preaching series on that toipc at Eastrook Church, here is a powerful quotation from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Life Together on the necessary tension between solitude and community.
The beauty of enjoying 60-degree days here in Wisconsin during November is beyond words. It will end soon, but I’m savoring this joyful respite in the face of so many tough times during the past several months.
Here is the latest “Weekend Wanderer” with John Piper’s surprising take on the 2020 election, troubles in Nigeria, responding to trauma by Diane Langberg, O. Carter Snead on bioethics and what it means to be human, the passing of Thomas Howard, and more.
Working hard to finish an article on preaching and the Christian year. In the midst of so many voices teling us to mark time in political ways, delving deep into the church calendar reminds me to orient myself around the life of Christ not the life of culture.
Currently reading: The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher Beha 📚
I took this photo about a month ago while hiking the Ice Age Trail. A few moments after I snapped this, a raucous storm unleashed torrential rains. I love seeing the clouds roll in over the treetops here.
Here is the latest edition of “The Weekend Wanderer” with an exhortation to reading aloud, reviews of books by NT Wright and Brueggemann, the spiritual formation of Evelyn Underhill, questions about Ravi Zacharias, time distortion during the pandemic, and more.
Today’s blog post is an extended bibliography related to faith and politics that I developed for a recent preaching series on the kingdom of God but also for a seminary class we are co-hosting on that topic. What would you add?
Here is the latest “Weekend Wanderer” with the Fetzer Insitute’s study on American spirituality, views diverge on faith and politics by generation, Christians and Burkina Faso’s milita groups, Vince Bacote on “The Political Disciple,” Karen Swallow Prior on novels, and more.
We had the amazing opportunity to host Dr. Vince Bacote this past week at @EastbrookChurch with a lecture on “The Political Disciple: A Theology of Public Life” and a follow-up Q&A. If you couldn’t be there, you can view the video for the event here.
I invited my 15-year-old son to watch the Presidential Debate with me last night as a sort of hands-on civics lesson. Instead, I found myself explaining why this is not the way things are supposed to work and, no, this is not how grown men should talk to or about one another.
Here is the latest edition of “The Weekend Wanderer” with reflections on the Breonna Taylor verdict, the kingdom of God for Amy Coney Barrett and Barack Obama, Leithart on the church as a political force, Todd Hunter on preaching, and so much more.
Here is the latest edition of “The Weekend Wanderer” with a throwback from J I Packer on the Bible and Christian activism, Jamal-Dominique Hopkins on the legacy of Paul King Jewett, Mark Noll, Barna on race, Ed Stetzer, and more.
I appreciate your prayer support as I work on two upcoming messages for @EastbrookChurch as part of our series on the kingdom of God. I am exploring the ways in which our allegiance to Jesus and kingdom citizenship shape our life in the public sphere. Thanks, everyone!
Every time I check social media I wonder whether I should have checked it. I wish there was a different tone and a different atmosphere. That’s part of why I wrote this prayer.
Here is the latest edition of “The Weekend Wanderer” with Chadwick Boseman’s faith, Barna says 1 in 5 churches face permanent closure because of COVID-19, L. M. Sacasas critiques Elon Musk’s latest tech “innovation,” Noah Toly on vocation, and more.
Hello, friends, what is your favorite resource (e.g., book, online message, video, article) on the subject or theme of the kingdom of God? I have a whole list of my own but am always interested in learning from others.
Here is “The Weekend Wanderer” for this weekend with some news on Kenosha, Wisconsin, a review of Brenda Salter McNeil’s new book Becomoing Brave,11 back to school prayers by David Taylor, Turkey turns another church-museum into a mosque, and more.
