Each year, a different aspect of the Easter story grabs my attention and causes me to reflect. This year, it’s been Pontius Pilate.

Pilates’ sins were many. He ignored his convictions and his wife’s wise counsel. He gave in to the whims of an angry mob. And he condemned Jesus to be crucified — not because he believed Jesus was guilty, but because it was more politically expedient.

And when it was all over, he washed his hands — trying to convince himself and others (unconvincingly) that he was not responsible for the unjust execution that was about to take place.

Pilate exhibited a complete failure in political leadership. Unfortunately, his failures are all-too common. Continue reading →

This post about faith and work was originally published on IntersectProject.org.

Everywhere you look, Christians are talking about the importance of re-connecting faith and work. You can find a growing body of resources to help you think through these topics.

But I often still wrestle with the question of how. As a pastor, I know that connecting faith and work is important, but practically how can I do it? If you’re a pastor, teacher or small group leader, perhaps you’ve asked this question, too.

As I’ve been reflecting on this question, here are a few practical tips I’ve considered:

Continue reading →

In Russell Moore’s recent interview on C-SPAN, a caller made this statement:

I really wish Christians would not have anything to do publically with politics…You’ve got to ask yourself: What would Jesus have done? Jesus wouldn’t have had a thing to do with politics.

This caller is not alone in his disdain for politics. Scores of Christians believe that Jesus was about saving souls, not addressing politics. They believe that Jesus cared about spiritual matters, not earthly ones. Perhaps you hold this opinion, too.

Is this perspective correct? When it comes to politics, what would Jesus really do?

Read the rest of this post at the Intersect Project>>

My toddler occasionally watches Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. (If you haven’t seen it, think animated Mr. Rogers with a preschool tiger.) One day I heard the characters singing this jingle:

Everyone’s job is important. We all help… in different ways.

My ears perked up, so I sat down to watch alongside my son. I learned that Daniel wanted to be the line leader. But when he received a different classroom job, he was disappointed. By the end of the episode, he learned that some classroom jobs are less glamorous, but all of them are important.

This lesson is simple enough. So simple, in fact, that the show’s creators put it to music. But believing that everyone’s job is important is painfully hard to put into practice.

Read the rest of this post at the Intersect Project>>