As some of you may know, my wife (JJ) has been appointed as the RCA’s newest missionary in Italy and we have begun fund raising, language studies, and various other preparations for moving our family to Naples where she will be working (among other things) to coordinate resources for the approximately 500,000 migrants in Naples…
I wonder how many people end their reading of the Belhar Confession at the 4th Section, skimming over the 5th as if it were merely obligatory ending comments. I imagine it might be tempting for some to do exactly that, yet I’d argue that the whole confession would be weak and ineffective if not for…
I grew up hearing about how “warm and friendly” the Heidelberg Catechism is, and I’m glad some people feel that way. To me, however, it’s a bit more reminiscent of an exam or an interview. At times it makes me feel like a “way-ward soul” called before the Elders or the Classis to “give an…
Honestly, few questions irk me more than “When did you get saved?” Seriously, when a street preacher accosts me with the question, my snarkier side occasionally bursts through with something like: Oh, I don’t know, somewhere about 2000 years ago. It isn’t that I don’t “believe” in the concept of salvation, of course. It’s that…
There are three authors that I will admit to being a total groupie of: Katherine Kurtz, Peter Reinhart, and John Williamson Nevin. Kurtz, despite being a historical/fantasy writer shaped my understanding of faith in ways that some people might find remarkable. Reinhart writes the most incredible bread cookbooks. Yes, cookbooks. He uses time as a…
Since my first conversation about writing for this blog, I’ve wondered what to write as my first post and how to introduce myself. Some of you know me, others of you don’t. Some of you like me (or would if you knew me); others of you don’t (or probably wouldn’t if you got to know…
