Teaching

Ministry in general is fraught with interesting situations that beg for theological reflection. Add to that the intricacies and confusions accompanying Presbyterian ministry these days, and an elder must give priority to thoughtful engagement with the issues in order to decide what to do. Yesterday I shared an educational tool for interpreting and applying content one has come across. Today I share a model specifically for theological reflection on case studies (or events as they unfold). The hope is that with these tools, presbyters can define the issues, categorize them, expand their awareness of options, and then narrow the choices […]

This post is my 100th for “Bringing the Word to Life.” I was not sure when I started this project in late July that it would be a discipline I could sustain. It has turned out to be a discipline that has sustained me, and I am grateful to have had the time and venue for writing. Today I would like to reflect on how such a discipline can make a person a better Presbyterian and more thoughtful Christian. Whether the mode is blogging or journaling or jotting notes in one’s calendar, the act of reflecting on a daily basis

The apostle Paul dramatically encountered the Risen Christ on his way to round up “illegal” Christians in Damascus. A zealous Pharisee and a Roman citizen from Tarsus, this convert understood the Law and claimed to have lived it to the letter. His world was rocked, however, when Jesus himself confronted Paul with the question, “Why are you persecuting Me?” Just as Jesus had addressed Peter personally with a Key Question, now in Acts 9 Jesus personally addresses this one misguided and angry enforcer with the grace and truth of the gospel. A career change was in Paul’s future, and it