This Starbucks red cup thing needs no more press (yeah, so here’s a blog post about it . . . smooth). Some are upset that Starbucks’ holiday disposable cup doesn’t saying anything about Christmas. I would hope that Christians are too busy with doing the things Jesus said to do as he read from the… Read more »
Posts By: Matt Rawle
Adele’s Prophetic “Hello.”
I’m always searching for what Jesus is trying to say to me. Sometimes I hear the Lord speaking during my prayers or daily scripture reading. Other times I can hear the Gospel when someone tells me about his or her new life in Christ, and how the sins of someone’s past have been forgiven and… Read more »
Those Pagan Kids
I recently read a Facebook post from someone upset that so many churches were celebrating that “Pagan” holiday, Halloween. This irritation is as perennial as church pumpkin patch fundraisers. Some suggest that churches are bowing to culture and diluting Christ’s Gospel, or that celebrating Halloween crosses an idolatrous border. It is true that Halloween isn’t… Read more »
Is Mercy Ever Wrong? Doctor Who and the Magician’s Apprentice
Sorry for the long post and the rambling, run-on sentences . . . “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). Is there ever a situation in which showing mercy is wrong? This was the parting question during the Doctor Who season 9 opener last week. In lieu of giving away spoilers, the Doctor is… Read more »
The Games We Play
“Games, then and now, often possess this unusual, revelatory quality, offering participants and spectators new insights into themselves and the world around them.” —Dr. Ken Evers-Hood My daughters and I love playing “The Game of Life.” For them, the game is about who can finish first. They love rolling a ten every time they set… Read more »
When Job, Occupation, and Vocation Collide
There is a great difference between a job, an occupation, and a vocation. Your job is your list of responsibilities. If you work in a button factory, you might list “pressing buttons” as your first priority, but it’s certainly not your only job. If you have a family, I’m sure you’re preparing a meal for… Read more »
The Hope and Fear of New
The start of a new semester can sometimes be like watching two athletes in the Octagon. In one corner there is a great hope. On the first day of class everyone has a 4.0 Dean’s list opportunity. How proud my family would be if the semester ended with the first class. No blemishes, no lost… Read more »
In Response to “The Middle Way is the Wrong Way”
I would like to share a few words in response to J.D. Walt’s “8 More Reasons the Middle Way is the Wrong Way.” I often offer my congregation to meet a dichotomy with quick suspicion. There is never only two options when walking with Christ. Walt references Matthew 7 where Jesus says: Watch out for… Read more »
Go Set a Watch, Man
On the heels of finishing The Faith of a Mockingbird (hitting the shelves of your favorite bookstore soon!), reading Go Set A Watchman has me asking, “Who is the real Atticus Finch?” Harper Lee’s latest (and second or is it really the first?) novel is due out in stores this week, and the reviews are… Read more »
A Good Father
What does it mean to be a good father? What does it mean to be a bad father? Let me first offer some assumptions about fatherhood so that I neither lead you astray nor steal away your time. It is challenging to be a good father without first being a good husband. Even though I… Read more »