Elders’ Reflections
Book Recommendation: Dementia: Living in the Memories of God
Having spent years learning the neurobiological underpinnings of dementia, I found myself frustrated when all my knowledge of pathophysiology didn’t really help my patients live better lives (not really) nor their families care for them well. Something was lacking. Seeking to bring theology to bear on the crippling condition of dementia, John Swinton writes in Dementia: Living in the Memories of God, “Dementia is a communal and relational condition that involves but cannot be defined by neurological decline.” Here I…
A Journey Through the Psalms
Searing pain. Boundless jubilation. Crushing despondency. Desperate fear. Brutal revenge. Steadfast faith. The Psalms, perhaps more than any other section of Scripture, invoke a breathtaking range of emotion, from the soaring heights to the darkest depths of our earthbound existence. They are a window into the soul of humanity and the heart of God, ultimately proclaiming God’s lavish affection for his broken people. From the opening lines of the book – “Blessed is the man who walks not in the…
Rescue, Fulfillment, and Freedom
The Old Testament can be intimidating. Unpronounceable names. Long lists of places. Hundreds of laws. Sometimes confusing stories. Prophets. Priests. Kings. An angry God? In the history of the Church, some wanted to throw out the Old Testament because it didn’t seem to depict the same loving God of the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Do we treat the Old Testament, at least functionally, the same way? How can we understand it? Where do we even begin?…
Book Recommendation: The Imperfect Disciple
“My heart,” writes Jared Wilson in The Imperfect Disciple, “is a haunted house – broken, ramshackle, weathered and boarded-up and filled with the mournful sound of the Hound of Heaven howling through the slats” (p. 22). Wilson wanted to write a book on discipleship that didn’t cast its readers into a spiral of guilt and frustration, and so, along with stories of his own failures and struggles, he welcomes us to explore “grace for people who can’t get their act…
Insights on the Christian Life from John Newton
“Amazing Grace” is recognizable by virtually every American regardless of background or religious affiliation. Most are aware that this hymn was written by John Newton – a former slave trader turned Anglican priest living in the 18th century. What may come as a surprise is that this hymn – and hundreds of others, like “Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy,” “Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken,” and “Let Us Love, and Sing, and Wonder” – were born out of a…
Getting Things Done Together
Politics is often considered a dirty word. It brings to mind lies and manipulation, accusations and scandals. But at its most basic level, politics is simply the everyday activity of getting things done with other people: understanding their interests, recognizing the power dynamics at play, and learning how to negotiate relationships and institutions to achieve a common goal. Therefore, to paraphrase Jesus, whenever two or three are gathered together, you have politics. This is true in all places that we…