Written by R.A. Loyd Perhaps madmen belong in caves wherein the Lord receives them tenderly with mercies unknown to a shaking, howling, blasphemous generation. A mist on the concrete is three oceans to the hermit; the branch of oak is a sight of two colors; to the ascetic it is ninety proverbs. Every game and trial is lowercase theology to the itinerant monk, whereupon the body is a constant altar, a legged Read more
Written by Victor Stanley Jr. Dope game, I’ve seen it all Seen the rise plus I’ve seen the falls, Heart full of hate I’ve seen them on those corners squeezing off (guns) Heart full of love I’ve seen it get taken advantage of I’ve seen the pain Plus I’ve seen the change Good girls end up jaded Good boys end up chasing that paper They all get whored out Ced’ told me “Life got Read more
Written by Dave Lenehan We might call it a pebble, a piece of dirt, a thorn or a pine needle. The Aussies – at least according to former Newsboy frontman Peter Furler – call it a “bindi.” It is a tiny, sharp-needled seed usually found on the beach in Australia. Used as slang, the word means that little pointy, prickly thing that sometimes gets stuck in our foot walking on the beach or in our shoe just walking around the neighborhood. And while its actual size is usually small, it feels like a 6-inch thick arrow tip with spikes sticking out of it. No matter how much you might move your foot around or adjust your sock, it doesn’t go away. That bindi stays there until you stop, remove your footwear and pluck it out. (more…)
Written by Victor Stanley Jr. My father is a quiet man, and I’m like him in that way. My father is a pensive man, and I’m like him in that way. My father takes his time before he speaks, I am trying to be more like him in that way. My father is a humble and gentle man, and Lord knows He has a lot more work to do in me before I’ll be like my father in that way. (more…)
Written by Dave Lenehan If you’ve ever studied either of the apostle Paul’s letters to the Corinthians, you know they are PACKED with incredible theology, encouragement, insight and tools equipping us as followers of Christ. As I’ve been reading them again recently, I encountered some incredible passages from a fresh perspective. 2 Corinthians 5:4-7 is one of those sets of verses. Read what Paul pens to his beloved church…remembering that this is actually Paul’s third letter Read more
Through the sacrament of the Eucharist (The Lord's Supper) we protest death and partake of the resurrected life of Jesus Christ. Here are a few thoughts concerning protesting death and practicing resurrection.
Written by Victor Stanley Jr. Ran from the game then I came back Askin’ “Where the pain at?” Look dog I gotta change that From the sorrow to the joy and These cats wanna make all this noise To shut out the fear, in the silence that they’re trying to avoid Maneuvers employed to build and destroy is a false theology No life in that ecology I murdered the dichotomy That had my hands Read more
Written by Dave Lenehan My uncles Richard and John did it. My cousins Peter and Roger and my nephew-in-law Alex did it, too. I’ve sat under the teaching of over a dozen more who’ve done it. Even a couple of students who were involved in our church’s student ministry eventually did it. The common “it” factor? They all answered God’s call to become pastors. From the many conversations that I’ve had with pastors – Read more
Written by Victor Stanley Jr. Here’s the problem, I was a gangster, and this means that you didn’t just speak to me any way you please. There’s a level of fear and respect that was accorded to me based on my position in the streets. So, when my homie D’s grandmother started chewing me out in front of her building it wasn’t going to fly. I was 19 or so, and I don’t quite remember what I had done to upset her, but whatever it was she was letting me have it. Of course, as I said, you don’t just talk to me any way you want, and I had to remind her of this, so I very kindly said to her, “Shut the ‘F’ up, who do you think you’re talking to?” (more…)
Written by Dave Lenehan “I can’t wait to see what the Lord is going to do now that we’ve lost this one.” Those were the words of a woman living in the Houston, TX area after losing everything when her apartment complex was destroyed by Hurricane Harvey. She had moved to Texas from New Orleans. Guess where she was in August of 2005? In the path of Hurricane Katrina, where she lost pretty much Read more