As we prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of our nation this weekend, we should be filled with gratitude for the great country in which we live. Despite our challenges, we have a lot to celebrate in this country. The founders had a dream for building a nation where we would all have the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These are our “inalienable rights,” and we should never take them for granted. However, we do have a significant spiritual challenge facing American society at this moment in history,......

Read More

We are quickly approaching the 250th anniversary of our great nation. This will be a major milestone for our republic, a time for us to reflect and to look ahead. How do we think about the American experiment, and is the dream still alive for new generations? How do we think about the current state of our nation? That can lead to some interesting conversation at a dinner party. Columbia University professor Andrew Delbanco published a fascinating book in 1999 titled The Real American Dream: A Meditation on Hope. In the book,......

Read More

This Sunday, June 7th, we will start a new summer series titled “The 10 Commandments for Today’s World.” God gave Moses the Ten Commandments centuries ago on Mount Sinai. These rules would govern the relationship between God and the Israelites for years to come. Are we still abiding by them today? When Moses came down the mountain after being away for a while, the people were worshipping a golden calf. Consider the irony of that image. I am recommending a great book by Stanley Hauerwas and Will Willimon to go with the......

Read More