Holy Saturday (Shauna Niequist)

This piece by Shauna goes along with my Easter message this past Sunday. Thanks for sharing this, Keri.  -JB Holy Saturday. We live next to the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. We walk by it dozens of times a day, and those doors are always, always open—no matter how early I’m leaving for a flight,…

Locked Doors, Deflated Hearts

This Thursday we will gather in our home for our first HouseChurch gathering of the spring. We will share a meal, fellowship, hear the apostles’ teachings, celebrate the eucharist and pray for Thy Kingdom to come on earth as it is in Heaven. The shades will be up and our doors will be unlocked and…

The Journey Through Easter Mountain

Driving through the Colorado mountains in our minivan last month, our family got a great kick out of holding our breath as we drove through the tunnels that drill their way through the mountain. After a suspenseful moment of darkness, the light would appear up ahead, and a few seconds later we would be laughing…

The Persecuted Church Today

We recently watched the movie Paul, Apostle of Christ (2018) at MainStreet which is a stirring account of the last days of Paul’s life before he is martyred in Rome. In our discussion time afterwards, someone rightly pointed out that persecution isn’t just ancient history or an early church reality; more people today are dying for their faith…

He Suffered For Us (by John Stott)

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the one Nietzsche ridiculed as “God on the Cross.” In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples and stood…

Jesus’ Humiliation & Ours (Skye Jethani)

Why did Peter refuse to let Jesus wash his feet? One possibility is that Peter was embarrassed for Jesus. He didn’t want to see his rabbi, his master, take such a humiliating role. Maybe he was trying to protect Jesus from his own undignified behavior. That is one possibility, but I don’t think it’s the…

Martyrdom of Paul Carlson, Covenant Missionary

You cannot be part of the Evangelical Covenant Church family very long before you come to know the story of Dr. Paul Carlson, a medical missionary to Congo (1962-1964), who gave up his life in service to Jesus. Here’s his story: Doctor Paul E. Carlson, or Monganga Paul as he was known by the Congolese…

The Martyrdom of Perpetua (203 AD)

The Passion of Saint Perpetua, Saint Felicitas, and their Companions is one of the oldest and most notable early Christian texts. It survives in both Latin and Greek forms, and contains a first person prison diary of the young mother and martyr Perpetua. Scholars generally believe that it is authentic although in the form we…