The end of the year is a good time reflecting on what has shaped you, and few things have shaped me as profoundly as books. Here is a list of my top ten favorite books that I read (or listened to) in 2020. 1. The Abolition of Man – C.S. LewisIt is only someone likeContinue reading “My Favorite Books of 2020”
Author Archives: Danny
Defrost your heart
I have a love/hate relationship with large cuts of meat. I don’t like to keep raw meat in my fridge, because I always feel I’m on a timer before it goes bad. But, since I keep my fridge really (probably too) cold, It may take two or three days to thaw meat that I’ve pulledContinue reading “Defrost your heart”
Why fundamentalists do well in missional churches
I’ve noticed that people with fundamentalist backgrounds tend to do well in missional churches. Now I know “fundamentalist” is a broad term and “missional” is a broad term, but I need to say something, right? Fundamentalism Fundamentalism was a movement that grew in part as a reaction to theological liberalism. Fundamentalists were a group ofContinue reading “Why fundamentalists do well in missional churches”
The space between expectations and reality is called disappointment
Imagine Satan shows up before God and the council of angels and, just like the original story, wants to test Job. But in this particular permutation of the story, God says no. Don’t hurt his body, don’t hurt his children, don’t even hurt his livestock. So Satan pulls out plan B. “Can I lie toContinue reading “The space between expectations and reality is called disappointment”
Create Dissonance
A few things stuck with me from the general education classes I took in college. One of these was the idea of “cognitive dissonance.” In psychology, this is the idea of having two inconsistent thoughts, neither of which you want to give up. Having these contradictory ideas in your head at the same time causesContinue reading “Create Dissonance”
The command to like your neighbor
Francis Chan tells a story from when he was a young pastor. He was speaking to another, much older pastor who was telling Chan about the older pastor’s church’s Christmas play. The pastor said that they spent thousands of dollars and had hundreds of volunteers putting in 15 hours a week practicing. Then when ChristmasContinue reading “The command to like your neighbor”
What I would tell a 20-year-old me
In a little bit more than a month, I’ll be turning 30. I’m wrestling of the finality of the end of my 20’s. Looking on the last 10 years, I see some things I am really glad I did, some things that I really wish I had done, and the overwhelming grace of God inContinue reading “What I would tell a 20-year-old me”
Learn to Fall
“In other words,” [Bree] continued, “you can’t ride. That’s a drawback. I’ll have to teach you as we go along. If you can’t ride, can you fall?” “I suppose anyone can fall,” said Shasta.“I mean can you fall and get up again without crying and mount again and fall again and yet not be afraid ofContinue reading “Learn to Fall”
Feel strongly and think deeply
I wish people would start applying the old story of the elephant and the blind men to more than just religion. This little story really does a poor job explaining religions and a pretty good job explaining a lot of other things. For the uninitiated: Three blind men stand next to an elephant. (For ourContinue reading “Feel strongly and think deeply”
Book review: Evangelism in a Skeptical World – Sam Chan
Christianity is true. Now, if that is the case, it makes sense that worldviews that deny Christianity are false. And since they are false, if you poke and prod them enough, you will find the (sometimes gaping) holes in them. Now there is a very unfortunate tendency among some Christians to find those holes, tellContinue reading “Book review: Evangelism in a Skeptical World – Sam Chan”
