Blue Like Jazz…

by The RevNo Comments
One day in the spring of 2002 I returned home from a long day on campus. I was in the midst of my first year as campus director at Illinois State University with CRU. I was tired. In my mailbox was a little package and inside was a book entitled, Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller. I hadn’t ordered this book, it just arrived. The next day I sat outside a coffee shop and read. I kept reading. I kept reading. I finished the book in one sitting. I read it again. What I discovered afresh in Blue Like Jazz was clear call to gospel living. I realized that I had become more about convincing people of a worldview and winning an argument than I was about introducing them to Jesus. This book re-introduced me to radical grace. God used it to change my life. The gospel stopped being “Jesus and…” and became a clear call to Jesus himself. Legalism quickly became a thing of the past and in the pages...
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Once Upon A Time…

by The RevNo Comments
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rga4rp4j5TY?wmode=transparent] via youtube.com Fairy Tales which are glimpses into our cultural psyche. They paint pictures of deeper bits of reality. ABC’s Once Upon a Time paints an interesting picture: The town of Storybrooke is under a curse. The people there do not know who they really are because of the curse. There is one woman and a little boy who know the truth. The woman, the Evil Queen is doing everything in her power to conceal the truth. The little boy, proclaims the truth about the curse and the people’s real identities. The town thinks him crazy. My 10 year old son said, “Dad, this is just like the gospel.” Indeed it is son, indeed it is. ...
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The Young, Restless, and Re…uh…formed…

by The RevNo Comments
At the end of every year people write their evaluation blog posts. Kevin DeYoung has produced his where he critiques the Young, Resltess, and Reformed (YRR) “movement”. I want to take a moment and give my own critique. I would encourage you to read his post to get a bit of background and also take note of his helpful suggestions. I think Kevin is correct in his critiques. I would however add one and that is of dogmatic clarity. I think Kevin might argue that he holds to a similar critique when he argues for folks to go deeper into their ecclesiastical traditions. I am arguing here for something a bit deeper and more specific. Whenever conversations about YRR come up there are three terms that are used almost interchangably: Evangelical, Calvinist, and Reformed. It’s as if to be truly Evangelical one must be a Calvinist and to be a Calvinist means that you are Reformed. These words actually h old specific meanings...
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I Know Him!

by The RevNo Comments
There aren’t many Christmas movies as good as Elf. It’s hilarious and it is also poignant. Like most other Christmas movies related to Santa Claus the issue at the center is belief, or the lack thereof. One of the best moments is when Buddy finds ou that Santa is coming to the Mall… [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9jyCfRHumHU?wmode=transparent] This scene has been in my mind for a few days now. I keep thinking about it’s illustrative purposes for me as a follower of Jesus. Buddy’s excitement is overwhelming and full of passion. It is clear that he loves Santa and that he desperately wants others to know him too. Look what happens when he finds out that the real Santa isn’t at the mall… [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NY4bUP48RE8?wmode=transparent] These two clips paint a picture that ought to challenge us as Jesus followers. We do not know an omniscient, legalistic, elf. We know the God of the universe. We know the King of kings and Lord of lords. Isaiah 9:6 describes...
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Shootings at Ferndale and VT — What’s wrong with the world?

by The RevNo Comments
The picture is from the front page of the Detroit News website. Two shootings, one day, two different parts of the country. The question that I see in my Twitter feed is simple: What’s wrong with the world? The answer to that question is simple too: We live in a sin soaked world that is broken. Does that answer sound trite? It’s not. You see living in a sin soaked world means that we should be surprised when good things and not the bad. We typically think of sin as a simple moral act of doing wrong. Sin goes much deeper though. It corrupts everything it touches. It makes all things broken. Do you notice that we are appalled? Think about it, we live in a world where we are surrounded by brokenness the way a fish lives in water, and yet we are shocked by these kinds of things. I think that’s because we experience the common grace of God on a moment by moment basis....
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If you know a girl then you need to see this.

by The RevNo Comments
I am a Daddy of a Princess. She is the apple of my eye. I love her desperately and want more than anything to protect her and keep her from crying. When I look around the world and see the standard of beauty that she is expected to live up to it makes me sick. Below is a great video that gives significant wisdom and insight. If you know a female of the species, you should watch it. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTlmho_RovY] ...
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