God Being Who He Is, and We Being What We Are…

A. W. Tozer is one of my all-time favorite authors. In The Pursuit of God, Tozer writes this:

As the sailor locates his position on the sea by “shooting” the sun, so we may get our moral bearings by looking at God. We must begin with God. We are right when and only when we stand in a right position relative to God, and we are wrong so far and so long as we stand in any other position.

Much of our difficulty as seeking Christians stems from our unwillingness to take God as He is and adjust our lives ...

What Does a Cross Bearer Look Like?

A friend recently asked me, "What would be some of the characteristics of the life of a person who is bearing their cross? (Matthew 16) What does this cross-bearer look like?"

It got me thinking. I'd love to hear some of your thoughts in the comments. Here are some of mine:

Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Final Thoughts on his Life and Death

Before we get to Bonhoeffer, I want to make some observations. If you want to shorten your read and move to the Bonhoeffer part, skip these first nine paragraphs.

Most of the feedback on my blogs has been positive, but I always welcome constructive criticism and disagreement. I really like to learn from input, and it’s not unusual for me to adjust my thinking as a result. My many years of being a writer (not to mention addressing the always-edgy prolife subject) have thickened my skin, and it’s rare that I feel defensive.

Since writing the political blogs ...

Bonhoeffer Resources and Lessons for Today

This photo is of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in Tegel prison, prior to his move to the notorious concentration camp of Buchenwald. Though visits weren’t frequent or long, at Tegel his parents and his fiancé Maria were sometimes allowed to bring him books, such as the one in his hand.

One of the great joys of Christmas for Nanci and me, and many of you, is being with family. Dietrich knew that most of his family and his Maria were gathering for Christmas, while he couldn’t. He wrote from prison this thought about Christmas:  

A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes… and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside, is not a bad picture of Advent.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and The Cost of Discipleship

When I mentioned Dietrich Bonhoeffer last week, five people told me they’d like to hear about him. I’m glad to oblige, in this blog and the next.

I first read The Cost of Discipleship in the summer of 1971 (I wrote the date in the front of the book). I was a teenager who’d known Christ less than two years. It made a great impression on me.

Three weeks ago I picked up my original copy (Nanci located it for me on one of my bookshelves, since being a man I can’t find things). Two weeks ...