Currently reading: Three Hours by Fleming Rutledge 📚

For Palm Sunday:

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. From the house of the Lord we bless you. The Lord is God, and he has made his light shine on us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar.”
(Psalm 118:26-27)

Currently reading: Being Christian by Rowan Williams 📚

I took this photo last night in Milwaukee while walking around with my family. I loved the highlights of the setting sun. But it’s such a different world today as all that has been covered by a heavy blanket of snow.

I’m so proud of my youngest son, David, who today delivered his capstone Senior Thesis presentation on electric vehicles to a room of his classmates and an excellent advisory panel. It was great to watch him do an outstanding job after a lot of hard work!

For any pastors or church leaders, I have a research question for you. Do you or do any pastors or churches you know have a formal pastoral rule of life that either you or the church uses to guide the pastoral calling and life? If so, would you share it with me?

Beautiful places from last week’s vacation: Deep Creek trail in the Smoky Mountains just outside of Bryson City, NC. I’m so thankful for the wonder of God’s good creation.

“Food is the daily sacrament of unnecessary goodness, ordained for a continual remembrance that the world will always be more delicious than it is useful. Necessity is the mother only of clichés. It takes playfulness to make poetry.” - Robert Farrar Capon, The Supper of the Lamb, page 40.

So thankful to be with family and friends in beautiful places.

As I’m working on a message from Genesis, chapters 6-7, on the first part of the flood and Noah’s life, I was reminded of this wonderful book illustrated by Peter Spier that won the Caldecott Medal in 1978. This copy was gifted to me by my aunt when I was 3.

Canopy of beauty lofted overhead. The unobservant are unaware.

Currently reading: Frederick Douglass by David W. Blight 📚

Working on messages for upcoming weekends at @EastbrookChurch from Genesis, chapters 5-7, bridging from Cain and Abel to the flood. The darkness of evil’s expansion on earth seems a perfect focus for our journey through #Lent …but it’s not lightweight or pretty.

O God, make us children of quietness, and heirs of peace.

– St. Clement of Alexandria,

The power of roots

A couple weeks ago, Kelly and I were in South Carolina. I still cannot get over this picture of the textures cut into the sand by the receding tides of the Atlantic Ocean. There is so much wonder right under our feet!

“We have seen and known some people who seem to have found this deep Center of living, where the fretful calls of life are integrated, where no as well as yes can be said with confidence. We’ve seen such lives, integrated, unworried by the tangle of close decisions, unhurried, cheery, fresh, positive.” - Thomas R. Kelly in A Testament of Devotion

Just finished reading A Testament of Devotion by Thomas R. Kelly and still contemplating all I read! 📚

As I prepare for this coming weekend’s message at @EastbrookChurch on Cain and Abel, I’m struck by the number of verbal and thematic echoes between Genesis 3 and 4 that I had never noticed before.

As we begin the journey of Lent, I want to share a devotional resource we wrote together at @EastbrookChurch for this season rooted in Genesis 4-11 that you can access online here. You’re welcome to join us!

“Being unable to cure death, wretchedness and ignorance, men have decided, in order to be happy, not to think about such things.” - Blaise Pascal in Pensées

I always love this rendition of Matthew 11:29-30 by Eugene Peterson in The Message:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Currently re-reading: The Contemplative Pastor by Eugene H. Peterson 📚

Working on a sermon today from Genesis 3:14-24 for this weekend at @EastbrookChurch to conclude our preaching series, “In the Beginning,” on Genesis 1-3. So much here it’s hard to know what to cover and what not to cover. Prayers appreciated!

I love this recent article from Paul Kingsnorth bringing togther Celtic Christianity, the desert fathers, and our current experience of declining Christianity in the West: “A Wild Christianity.”