Vere Library (Page 2)
The Great Commission & The Purpose of the Church
What is the purpose of church? It’s a question I’ve been reflecting on over the last several months, as “church time,” as my two-year-old calls it, has shifted to a digital experience. As we’ve had our normal rhythms stripped away, it’s given space to reflect once again on the purpose and nature of the gathered life of the church. This is a question theologians and Christian thought leaders have written shelves-worth of books about, so I in no way presume…
Everyday Incarnation and Waiting on Jesus (Luke 2:22-32 Devotional)
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the…
Advent Hope for the Valley (Christmas Devotional)
We find ourselves now in the season of Advent. It’s fitting, really, that we end our Through the Valley series during this season, for I believe it’s in the promise of Advent that we find hope as we walk through whatever valleys life may bring our way. Some, I suppose, may deem the topics we’ve covered over the last several weeks to be “depressing” or too heavy to dwell on for too long. We’ve waded into some deep waters: racism…
How to Survive Enduring Uncertainty and Transition
Rashad Clemons was in the middle of a major transition when the pandemic struck. He’d recently moved back to the east coast with his family to become the new pastor of Reality Church Boston. The plan was to do a one-year handoff, in which he would be the pastor-in-residence and slowly receive responsibilities and leadership as the planting-pastor transitioned out. When the pandemic hit in the middle of this year, the plan had to change. Rashad remembers that he and…
Spiritual Formation in the Midst of Chronic Illness (Mary and Peter Frey – The Frey Life)
“Mary, how has having cystic fibrosis affected your relationship with Jesus?” This question from a summer camp nurse sparked Mary Frey’s curiosity years ago. Since then, part of her journey with a chronic illness has been learning how to ask how following Jesus fits into a broken situation. “The illness that I have does not define me, in the sense that it is not the entirety of who I am, what I am, and my purpose in life,” Mary says.…
Encountering God in Loneliness (Jason Gaboury Book)
Jason Gaboury says he’s wrestled with loneliness his whole life. He felt this sense of disconnection in a particularly powerful way when he was in his mid-thirties, with two young kids at home, doing campus ministry. His home was in a “constant state of relational connection,” but he still felt lonely. “My assumption was that if I was lonely, there was something wrong with me,” he says. “A lot of people assume that. They assume that if I’m lonely, I’m…
Walking with Others Through the Valley (Kim Findlay Story)
Content Warning: This post contains a story of loss and tragedy that may bother some. Fifteen years ago, I sat on a waiting room couch, frozen in fear as the doctor delivered devastating news. “The little girl’s daddy, he’ll be okay. The recovery will be long, but he’ll survive.” Time held its breath as my reality began to shift. “But the little girl? She’s not going to survive.” A few hours earlier, firefighters battled a blaze that engulfed our home,…
The Call Has Not Changed (No Matter the Election Results)
As I’m writing this, it’s still October. I’m sitting on the other side of the election than you are today. Still stuck in the campaigning, the uncertainty, the pre-election rhetoric. When you read this, the election will be in the past tense. The votes will have been cast. And (Lord willing) the results will be in. Some of you will be rejoicing and relieved. Some of you will be mourning, angry, or afraid. Those feelings will coexist in our churches…
A Nuanced Kind of Christianity – The Kingdom of God and Politics
It is clearly evident that we are living in polarized and polarizing times. Christians in America find themselves facing several converging issues at once: the fray of an election season, ongoing conversations about the need for racial justice, all while continuing to navigate a pandemic. What are disciples of Jesus to do in the face of polarization and contention? How does the Kingdom of God shape the way we live in such a context? In the face of such questions,…
One of Our Own (Sam Kim & Racial Trauma)
Every time Sam Kim sees something horrible happen to his African-American brothers and sisters, it immediately brings back the racial trauma he’s experienced. He’s transported to the first time he remembers being called by racial slurs, to being chased through the streets of Chicago, to hearing his parents laughed at and taunted. This trauma has continued, even after living and working in the United States for decades, even after serving as a U.S. soldier in a war. He can tell…
Can Whole-Life Discipleship Prevent Pastoral Burnout?
In a time when he was struggling personally, someone came up to Drew Thurman after his sermon and said, “I just wish I had your faith.” He says, “I was dying inside, but they equated the fact that I was on a platform, with theological training, presenting the Word in a way that stirred them with a certain spiritual status.” It became a paradigm he knew he had to shake, but not only because he wanted to embrace a vision…
How Do We Talk About Politics In Church? Political Discipleship
Does God care about our politics? How do we grapple with politics through a discipleship lens? And what role does a pastor play in this process? This is something Jonathan Romig has reflected on as a part of his pastoral ministry. The first need in connecting whole-life discipleship and politics, Jonathan says, is a self-awareness of how our politics shape us spiritually. “When you turn on cable news or that podcast, you are being discipled, even if you don’t realize…