In his book, In the Name of Jesus, Henri Nouwen talks about the temptation to be relevant. It’s a very real temptation in our churches, culture and amongst leaders today. As we seek to do ministry, we often feel the need to be relevant to those we serve both in and outside of our churches. […]
Written for Fuller Seminary’s Burner Blog… A Parable for the Church The other day I found myself reflection on the Parable of the house built on sand found in Matthew 7:24-27. I have thought about and reflected on this parable many times over the years, but something struck me this time that I […]
Tim Tebow seems to make the news quite a bit and has been a conversation point for years now. Its been interesting as well as nauseating to read, hear and see all of the stuff about this one person, athlete and Christ-follower. I do not know Tim personally nor have I met him. Neither have […]
It has been a crazy season of change and transition, which had made it hard to blog yet very easy to reflect. It is amazing how much we can hear from the Holy Spirit when we choose to listen. Its been a season of learning so much that has been so wonderfully transformative. One […]
A quote from Richard Rohr: We grow spiritually much more by doing it wrong than by doing it right. That might just be the central message of how spiritual growth happens; yet nothing in us wants to believe it, and those who deem themselves “morally successful” are often the last to learn it…. […]
Below is an interesting quote that I read in a book recently. It speaks to leadership, but it also speaks to a theology of authenticity… “The more you tell the truth about yourself…the more effective your leadership will become, the more you will develop a true leading character.” Bill Hybels I love this […]
Below is an article written for Connections Magazine… Modeling Covenant to our Kids Rev. Marcus J Carlson After earning my Masters in Theology, I decided to attend a nearby seminary to take courses for my Masters of Divinity Equivalent. In choosing to attend this seminary, I knew the theology of the seminary was […]
Below is an article written for Connections Magazine on the tragedy in Newtown… Lessons from Newtown Rev. Marcus J Carlson There are very few moments in my lifetime I will never forget. Many of them are personal; some of them are communal. I will never forget my wedding day. I can still envision […]
Recently I spent a week in California for a required class for my doctoral degree. The class was Greek exegesis. I had to take the course since I avoided language in my Masters degree work. I have always struggled with languages and that is part of the reason I had avoided this class. The class […]
Recently one of my friends encouraged me to pray more boldly. Rarely do I offer bold prayers. I am not sure why this is the case as I believe both in God and prayer deeply. Perhaps it’s a lack of trust, a feeling of guilt, a fear of unanswered prayer. Maybe its none of the […]
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