It’s an embarrassing story. It was my 13th birthday, and I was beginning to get into music. Knowing I was a Christian, my friend Thane bought me cassette tape[1] of an artist I had never heard of. His name was Steve Tayor, and the album was called On the Fritz. When I got home, I…
We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us!What joy! (Psalm 126:2-3, NLT). How well do the words in this Psalm describe you? When you reflect upon what God has done,…
Of the thousands of books I’ve read there are a handful that stand out as making a significant impact on me. Francis Schaeffer’s Pollution and the Death of Man was what helped me see my faith as something that interpenetrates all of life. The gothic novel, The Monk, by Matthew Lewis hauntingly exposed what can…
April Fools’ Birthday “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Everyone has probably sung this little ditty after an insult, or had it sung to them after insulting. We know the song is not true. Words do hurt. Words do bite. That’s why we sing the song as a…
Big Enders vs Little Enders In 1729, Pastor Jonathan Swift published his “Modest Proposal” to address the severe poverty in 18th century Ireland. In it, he suggests that the poor Irish should fatten up their children and sell them to the rich landowners as a win-win! This way, the poor can get out of…
On Farting Boggarts I ended my last blog with the following quote from the jesting Martin Luther: “Almost every night when I wake up the devil is there and wants to argue with me. I have come to this conclusion: When the argument that the Christian is without the law and above the law doesn’t…
Andrew Root notes that today’s pastors often feel unnecessary, mirroring our culture’s anxious drift into tragedy and meaninglessness. But the gospel offers a different story—a Divine Comedy.
Like the jesters of old, pastors are called not to juggle or entertain, but to speak truth with wit and courage, exposing cultural lies and pointing to the…
Stef Piva 