A church member poked her head in my office; “Have you read this new book called A Year of Biblical Womanhood? If not, you should. It’s really good.” Some years ago, this was my introduction to Rachel Held Evans. The release of A Year of Biblical Womanhood came at a time when many progressive voices were…
Wednesday-Unconditional Grace
We come to Wednesday of Jesus’ Last Week. Tuesday had been a long day, filled with a lot of teaching and a lot of tension. Wednesday begins with Jesus and his disciples at a house in Bethany, the home of Simon the Leper. Bethany was not far from Jerusalem, about two miles or so. We…
An Open Table
Is your congregation liberal or conservative? The man asked me the dreaded question right there in the middle of the coffee shop. This conversation got serious fast. We had only been chatting for a bit after I told him I was a pastor. I know he was trying to get a feel for the church…
Peyton Manning, Cam Newton, Grace, and Lent
In full disclosure, I watched none of the Super Bowl. I was tired, a bit under the weather, and didn't want to watch a Vol and a War Eagle battle it out for NFL supremacy. I've read a lot today about Cam Newton's actions during the Super Bowl. He didn't pay proper respects during the National…
From Danny – A Note to the Sandy Springs Christian Church
Dear Church, I hope this finds you doing well and having a great week. As we move through the season of Lent, I hope and pray that you continue to find a deepening in your spiritual journey and in your relationship with God. As we continue to move through Growing Together, I hope you see…
Signs of the Kingdom (especially on a day called Moral Monday)
Tomorrow is Moral Monday in Georgia, a day set aside to rally our state government to put the needs of people over politics. It is especially ironic that on a day when we lift up people, the state plans to execute the lone female inmate on death row. Kelly Gissendaner, who was sentenced to death…
Are You in Love with Your Model or Your Mission?
I am probably on more church leadership email lists that I really need or want to be on, but most every article I receive has some nugget of wisdom I can file away and use some time. This morning I read one such article, which was around predictions about church attendance patterns. We know the…
