Chicago occupies nearly thirty miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Much of it is parkland, so you can walk, ride bikes, swim the beaches, hear live music, visit museums, go sailing, and more. There’s even a Ferris Wheel. In direct contrast, the shoreline also features a highway. Lake Shore Drive, a commuting artery, borders the park […]
Category: Church
The curious tension of canyon hiking.
Of all the ways to experience the western states, hiking is the immersive option. Whether you’re exploring national parks or enjoying regional secrets, hiking serves every age. That doesn’t mean it’s safe, exactly. Engaging with nature means venturing beyond civilized conveniences. All you have is what you bring, and who you’re with informs how far […]
Seven ways to mentor one another in the local church.
Karl Vaters makes an important point in his book, Small Church Essentials. Many of us learned the basics of our faith in Sunday school or discipleship classes, but it takes mentoring to understand how to put it all into practice. The goal of mentoring is to help us move from knowing to becoming. Here are […]
Seven things I learned about community from a Louis L’Amour Western.
Ninety people in a theatre aren’t a community — they’re strangers sharing an experience. The same is true for passengers on a plane or shoppers in a store. Community is the product of shared ownership and a commitment to the common good. There are many good books on developing community, but the best portrayal I’ve […]
Patrick O’Brian on the storms of life
The tempests of life don’t always surprise us. Some we’ve faced before, and we often see them coming. When that’s the case, it helps to remember the experience. There’s an episode in Patrick O’Brian’s The Wine-Dark Sea that features four common stages of a storm. Though no two trials are identical, these stages rang true for me. […]
