This time of year, as so many people return from vacations and summer schedules (or don’t because they couldn’t get away in the first place), I think a lot about work and how it relates to worship. I find both in a multifaceted, multifunctional Hebrew word, avodah. Throughout Scripture, the… Read More

My friend Joan was bragging about an actor she often worked with. “He’s so good, he doesn’t need a director.” Joan obviously meant well, but she clearly didn’t know much about directing. It’s far more than merely telling actors where to stand. Directors are mirrors, mentors, conductors, cheerleaders, translators, philosophers… Read More

My acting student was mumbling lines from a Tennessee Williams masterpiece. I was straining to hear him from the back of the room. “But I was really feeling it!” he said later. “That’s great,” I replied, “but you need to let those feelings live. You need to share… Read More

The bustle of New York City always catches me off guard. “You’ll find people from every tribe and nation in New York,” my cab driver told me as we left Penn Station. Taxis, tourists, billboards, fast-paced locals—everyone seems to be meeting in this epic center of civilization. “Every language… Read More

I have a love-hate relationship with technology. Purchasing my iPhone several years ago simplified and enlarged my life. With a GPS in my hand, I could go anywhere. I could know what was going on in the world at any given moment, just one app away! I could calculate… Read More

There has been some hand-wringing over our latest State of the Bible survey, which showed that “Bible skeptics” now outnumber the “Bible engaged,” 21% to 17%. We have been brainstorming ways to reverse that trend by countering skepticism in our society, and that’s a worthy pursuit, though a challenging… Read More

People are busy these days. It’s hard to get our church folks to spend even 15 minutes a day reading the Bible. But consider this. If you watch a one-hour TV show, you’re spending at least 15 minutes viewing commercials. That point was made by one of the participants… Read More

Our lives are made up of anything but space. Our culture promotes activity, stimulation, and achieving. It is not surprising that our annual State of the Bible survey reveals the number one hindrance for people in reading Scripture is feeling too busy with life’s responsibilities. There is never enough time. Read More

The team that brought us The Bible miniseries is back. A.D. picks up the story of the early church from the first part of Acts. The new twelve-part series launched on Easter Sunday night to more than 10 million viewers, but you probably knew that already. The media blitz… Read More