Category Archives: Wisdom

Why Those Who Off-Shore Their Treasures Beyond the Age of Decay Inherit the Earth

Posted on November 10, 2014 by PaulVK

You Can Survive Almost Any How If You Have a Why Yesterday’s episode of The Walking Dead entitled Self Help nicely illustrated the work of Victor Frankl. We learn Abraham’s backstory and what created his bond with Eugene. It illustrates … Continue reading →

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Surprise! No one Expects Brain Plasticity! And Why It Impacts our Relationships and Our Spirit

Posted on November 8, 2014 by PaulVK

Surprise! No one expects brain plasticity! In The Body Keeps the Score the author writes Research from these new disciplines has revealed that trauma produces actual physiological changes, including a recalibration of the brain’s alarm system, an increase in stress … Continue reading →

Posted in Culture commentary, Devotional Reflection, Wisdom | 1 Comment

Embracing Jesus-Fiction: Why Fiction Fuels Faith in a Skeptical Age

Posted on February 28, 2014 by PaulVK

Road to Cana I’m reading/listening to Anne Rice’s Christ the Lord: The Road to Cana (not finished yet) and am quite moved by it. I usually chafe at Jesus movies and Bible fiction. I am deeply conditioned by my obsessive Protestant … Continue reading →

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Anger as Zombie Virus

Posted on November 20, 2013 by PaulVK

Anger wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t contagious. One angry person infects the next and before you know it the world is full of angry people who are spewing venom with their lips, drawing blood with their fists, burning … Continue reading →

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A Rubric for Mapping Social, Cultural and Religious Group Taxonomies

Posted on December 22, 2012 by PaulVK

Part of negotiating our access to diverse groups, better understanding their positions and anticipating their responses is figuring out how they work. The goal is to create a map to analyze how the group things and where the thinking takes … Continue reading →

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Of Starbucks and Calvinism, The Difference Between What I Want and What I Need

Posted on September 24, 2012 by PaulVK

Got this wonderful link from my friend Eric Dirksen on The Starbucks Lifestyle. It nicely illuminated the heart of the consumer mindset. It also struck me how badly I’ve wanted my church to be as welcoming, comfortable, popular, accepting, popular, … Continue reading →

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The Speed of the Internet vs. the Speed of Wisdom

Posted on July 27, 2012 by PaulVK

Last week the blog buzz was over Jared and Doug Wilson’s statements about sex and women.  This week things are churning over Chick-fil-a. There are of course dozens of other “trending topics” on Twitter and all other media channels. The news … Continue reading →

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The Banality of Ministry

Posted on June 8, 2012 by PaulVK

Lottery Winners Church planters are an exciting breed of cat. They are filled with enthusiasm and drive. They overflow with visions of the church finally done right and whole cities renewed. In most cases this lasts until they actually start, … Continue reading →

Posted in Institutional Church, On the way to Sunday's sermon, Wisdom | Tagged | 2 Comments

The joy of small churches and blogs

Posted on June 2, 2012 by PaulVK

I pastor a small church. I write a small blog. These are good things. I know I’m supposed to want my church to be huge, and sometimes I do, but often I don’t. Sure, I wish I didn’t have to … Continue reading →

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Of Rights and Grace

Posted on March 18, 2010 by PaulVK

Again, another response to a CRC-Voices post. I suspect the word “grace” is often misapplied when we demand the benefits of it for ourselves or those we ally with. Grace can only be asked for in an request from a … Continue reading →

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