Letters to a Congregation
Every Thursday I write a pastoral letter to the west congregation of The Austin Stone Community Church. These letters are simple, pastoral musings on what it looks like to live a life that is attentive to God in the midst of a shared context.
The One About the Wisdom of Living As If You Are Dying
In the day to day distraction of life, I tend to forget that I am going to die.
In the day to day distraction of life, I also tend to forget that I will be resurrected to live forever.
The reminder of those two realities helps me to remember that I shouldn’t waste time!
The One About “Loop” 360, Mayoral Elections and Ruling the Rollercoaster
You know what’s more difficult and more significant than ruling over a city? Ruling over your own spirit and the emotions that it would love for you leave unchecked. Being slow to anger when you feel outraged, and being patient when you feel anxiously rushed, and being loving when you feel a desire for vengeance, these things are all more complex and more meaningful and more powerful than the complexities of leading a city that needs to expand a loop that actually doesn’t loop.
The One About Friendship and Middle-Aged Men in Lycra
There is a painful proverb which says, “Better is a neighbor who is near than a brother who is far away.” (Proverbs 27:10b) As someone who lives with both of his brothers very far away, this has rung true. There is just something irreplaceable about physical presence and proximity. You simply cannot match it, try as you might.