Think Like Jesus

what it means to be Christian

  • Nothing Is Beyond You

    The famed artist Rich Mullins was working on a project at the time of his untimely death. Some fellow-artists took up that project and finished it in his honor. Among those tunes are this gem… one of my all-time favorites. I love the way it attempts to describe the otherness of God. Where could I Read more

  • The Spirit of Jesus and Religious Freedom

    With all of the venom (from both sides of the issue) coming from and to Indiana regarding the recent Religious Freedom Restoration Act, I thought it might be helpful to be reminded of the words of Jesus. The phrase I use in this title is one I have come to use frequently. I am often asked Read more

  • Identity: Knowing Who You Are

    I’d like to begin by exposing my qualifications for writing on this topic. For the last 44+ years I have been trying to discover who I am. Like you, there have been times I thought I was getting close and many more moments that I simply did not have a clue. And while this is entirely Read more

  • God’s Most Difficult Command

    The Bible is filled with commands that followers of Jesus are meant to embrace. Perhaps none is more difficult than the one found in Proverbs 3:5-6… Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do… Sounds simple, you say? I suppose at Read more

  • Ferguson and Immigration: Root v. Fruit

    So I had a mostly-written article on immigration that I started over the weekend and then on Monday evening came news from Ferguson, Missouri of the the grand jury’s decision. I opted to scrap much of what I had written and lean into the heat of the Ferguson situation, as I see them both in much the Read more

  • Mars Hill Church: A Cautionary Tale

    I have stared at a near-blank page every day since the news of the unraveling of Mars Hill Church. All I had previously written was the title. This was no classic case of writer’s block. There is a big part of me that would rather saying nothing at all about the recent happenings in and Read more

  • Death With Dignity, Suicide, or Something Else?

    The beginning and end of this discussion should be charity, sorrow, and grief. A young woman just a few years older than my oldest daughter is dead. Her husband, family, and those that loved her are grieving. Instead of trying to win an argument, perhaps that knowledge should drive our discussions ahead of our own Read more

  • What re:THINK Is Not About

    As important as it is to say what you are trying to be about, I find it equally important to state what I am not trying to do or redo with this blog. The spirit of re:THINK is not to claim to know the best way. This is not about I’m right and you’re wrong. Read more

  • A November Experiment

    For the last two years I have been trying to find and establish an identity that defines “re:THINK”. I have listened and written and observed your responses to conversations. As I have said from the beginning, I especially enjoy challenging followers of Jesus to reexamine, reevaluate, and re:THINK what it means to be Christian. During the Read more

  • You’re Not JUST A Youth Pastor

    Thursday afternoon near the end of my work day I stopped at a coffee shop on my route. I noticed a guy with a Bible and a few other books at a table nearby. We had a short conversation as he was leaving. Included in that exchange was my question, “Are you a pastor?” His Read more

  • Vineyard: A Parable

    Throughout the Scriptures we hear teachings that refer to vineyards… and for good reason. Vineyards were good object lessons because they were everywhere. I can visually identify with this. One unexpected blessing of living in southwest Michigan was its vineyards. That experience made the analogy that much fuller. In Isaiah chapter 5 the writer uses this Read more

  • Stay Salty My Friends

    Jesus tells His followers that… Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? Flavorless salt is good neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand! What was He saying? Contextually this Read more