Celebrating the Divine providence of marital love
I had the honor yesterday of officiating the marriage of a young couple. Each one of these special occasions is brimming over with excitement, anxious tension, and joy.
The big day has finally arrived. Months of preparation have come to glorious fruition.
My counsel to the groom and bride, well in advance of the occasion, is to make sure that they are not preoccupied with executing wedding day details on the day of celebration. Those should be left to someone else so that the couple can capture memories of a day that will pass faster than a vapor. …
How police chiefs and Black community leaders overcame years of antagonism in York, PA
In the summer of 2016, I sat strategizing with a small group of Black ministers about how to find a common ground breakthrough between police and the Black community in York, PA.
Our local community, less than an hour north of Baltimore, MD, was boiling over with agitation over the deaths of Black men at the hands of police, young men like 25-year old Freddie Gray of Baltimore.
As leaders in our community, we were keenly aware that our city was on the brink of potential riots if even one police interaction went wrong.
The Gospel According to Jonah: three sermon or Bible study ideas that highlight God’s radical love for our neighbors
The Old Testament book of Jonah is one of the clearest expressions of God’s love for humanity. While most of the Old Testament is focused on God’s special care for the nation of Israel, Jonah reminds us that God’s love for our neighbors is not a new idea that simply started with Jesus or the New Testament.
One might say that Jesus’s explicit command to the Church to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19, NIV) is present in seed form in the prophet Jonah.
God also declares of Israel in the Old Testament,
“I will also make…
Three trends dramatically reshaping their future
As a Dad invested in the future well-being of my six kids, I confess that I am struggling to keep up with the blistering pace of technological advancement.
This sentiment represents a humble admission for a guy who considers himself an early adopter of new technologies.
I grew up playing the latest video game consoles, was surfing the internet long before YouTube videos arrived, and eagerly embraced the wonders of each new iteration of the smartphone since the early 2000s.
As part of my career journey, I gained exposure to technology in jobs that had me selling computer chips and…
Finding hope in “A Grief Observed” and “The Great Divorce”
Where do we turn in our grief to find comfort in the unexplainable losses we endure in life?
There are two titles by CS Lewis that I have commended frequently as a pastor to people journeying through the valley of the shadow of death: A Grief Observed and The Great Divorce.
Images have the power to carry us through the fog of grief
Death never knocks on the door at a convenient time. It matters not whether we experience the shock of a sudden tragedy or the expected news of the passing of a declining loved one.
Death leaves us confused and even questioning God as our minds wrestle with the heavy…
Dietrich Bonhoeffer warned us in “Life Together”
Dreams and visions are powerful. They inspire us, give us hope, and fill us with energy to attempt the seemingly impossible.
Whose heart does not climb into their throat in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech when he declares, “I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood”?
That single line moves me to do all that I can to hasten that day of unity, and also to…
What if you could muster the energy to soar again?
You are in good company if you have asked yourself, “Should I quit or try to stick it out for one more season?” Millions of workers in search of more money, happiness, or flexibility are in the midst of saying “I Quit.”
Our world is beginning to show signs that it is emerging from a global pandemic that has lasted a year and a half.
I have surmised for some time that an upheaval of this magnitude would lead masses of people to leave their jobs, churches, and schools.
The time away from the office gave employees a fresh perspective…
Lessons from my Dad, a man full of the Spirit of Jesus
On this Father’s Day 2021, I want to take the opportunity to honor my Dad, Ricardo James Anderson.
His friends call him Rick. My six children call him Grandpa. I call him Dad.
How do we fully recount the influence of those men in our lives we call Dad?
I am painfully aware of the fact that many in our world have fathers who abandoned them, were absentee, too harsh, or were never around.
An undeserved grace was given to me and my siblings in that we had a Dad who was a model father. …
The cracks in our Union are widening
We should all be deeply concerned about the fracturing of our nation. The snag in the fabric has torn all the way into local communities and houses of worship. The tear does not show any signs of slowing.
I am not pollyannaish about a “golden age” where America was completely united and whole. The celebration of Juneteenth this week is reminder enough of our nation’s divided history. We have always had our differences. Humans always do.
This week I read two particular pieces I would commend to you for background on my concern:
You can’t wait for life to be free of hardship to be happy
This year was my fifth opportunity to teach personal finance to a group of seniors at Logos Academy where I serve as CEO. All of our students are required to take this class where they learn about money, budgeting, the stock market, and a bit of basic economics.
I am convinced that their most important takeaway is not how to stay out of debt or become wealthy, but rather how to find joy in a life where hardship and difficulty will be unavoidable.
Two-thirds of my student body come from homes living with the harsh economic realities of poverty. …
