City Pilgrims

A 2012 Challenge

2011-10-19T09:19:00.007-05:00

When people challenge you to something what do you think? Have you ever been challenged to a sword duo and lived to tell about it? Has a close friend or relative challenged you to lose weight or confront some other physical obstacle? Often challenges are wrought and fought in the realm of a community of sorts.So, if you have stumbled here or through a social media link, would you consider joining

When I'm at My Worst...

2011-07-11T02:27:00.004-05:00

As an adult, it becomes easier to become cynical maybe even hopeless. Surely, neither quality is desirable but just a by-product of living in a fallen world.When I'm at (or near) my worst, I sometimes resonate with Sgt. William James (main character in) The Hurt Locker as he talks w/ his baby boy.Start watching at about 0:40. "But you know what, buddy? When you get older, some of things that you

Resolved Re: Scripture in 2011

2011-01-07T00:01:00.002-06:00

This year, I have some ambitious aspirations regarding the Word of God.By God's grace in the latter half of 2010, I memorized 2 Timothy and 1 John. I have been employing a tweaked version of this method. My greatest "fears" are pride, forgetfulness and spiritual obesity (if that is even possible or an appropriate analogy). I fear pride b/c of my own propensity to take something given to me and

A Model Homeless Ministry

2011-01-04T19:29:00.004-06:00

Running a non-profit must be a hard business. It must specialize in the art of "friend-raising" and a heart of compassion. I ran across this WORLD magazine article on a Manhattan rescue mission and Ed Morgan, its leader. As someone who witnesses homelessness and disenfranchised people on a daily and more stark basis (say, than suburbia or rural America) and who has tried to get closer to them, I

What's a Job Worth to You?

2010-12-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

Would you even leave something more comfortable and less strenuous for the less comfortable/more strenuous job?I've heard it said that if you find a job you love, you never work another day in your life. While I certainly sympathize with the sentiment behind that, I don't agree fully. Work is a privilege given from the Creator God to partner with him in his creation. It was quite ideal and even

Why Charities Should Die

2010-12-08T15:29:00.004-06:00

From the Clouds of Common Grace...Nancy Lublin of Fast Company magazine dares to propose that some not-for-profits should just shut down. Not that an external force should come and force them to close their doors but to so clearly envision their mission from the beginning that they know when it has been accomplished. Kind of like knowing when to pull out the troops. That is a noble business

A Healthy Baptist Minimalism

2010-11-11T23:11:00.001-06:00

My friend, and newly installed pastor of the First Baptist Church of New York City, Dr. Matthew Hoskinson, has written a helpful article "On Being Baptist." Not totally satisfied with all the definitions of Baptist identity or distinctives, Matt has set out to prove what for him it means to be a Baptist (at a minimum). He clearly spells it out:Baptists are distinct from other world religions in

The Inner-Inner-City: Hamtramck, MI

2010-11-08T10:55:00.004-06:00

Some of you know that my family and I spent some formative years in metro Detroit (wait: all yrs are formative). While not in the city proper, we were exposed to different American and ethnic subcultures. While training at the local theological seminary, I met a guy who lived down the street from me who had a bunch of kids (his youngest is the same age of my oldest)- Jay and his better half,

Preview of Page CXVI's New Record

2010-11-05T14:23:00.002-05:00

02 Be Thou My Vision by PageCXVI

From the Clouds of Common Grace

2010-09-06T22:54:00.006-05:00

On occasion at my Twitter page, I have passed along articles or ideas using the phrase "From the Clouds of Common Grace". This comes from the verse in Holy Scripture, Matthew 5:45, part b- "For he [God] makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." This verse shows God's goodness (or grace) indiscriminately poured out on his image-bearing people

What is the Gospel?

2010-09-04T22:23:00.006-05:00

Recently, I was licensed by my church (Now, I can officially "marry and bury"). In the process, I had to think hard about and formulate in a paragraph an answer to the question: "What is the Gospel?" Greg Gilbert has even written a book on it.My answer:A happy God eternally existing in three persons out of his good pleasure creates time and space and fills both with created things. Man, his

Going to Church Out-of-Town

2010-07-04T23:10:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking about the subject of out-of-town church attendance (especially on vacation). In fact, I just got back from vacation--today. We have the blessing of attending a church that has four congregations spread out across the city of Chicago. Since we got back early afternoon, we knew we would enjoy the fellowship of saints with our brothers and sisters at the North Side service which

Is Christianity Biased Toward Book Lovers?

2010-06-05T22:21:00.005-05:00

Interesting question posted at the Desiring God website.Answered by John Piper in the video here.

Page CXVI Hymns-- Free Music!

2010-04-27T23:17:00.005-05:00

You will definitely want to check out an emerging phenomenon in current contemporary hymnody: anonymous, hymn-loving indie rockers. This group or rather project is known as Page CXVI hymns. They have already released one project and are on the cusp of their sophomore record. I haven't gotten the full picture yet as to why they don't release their identities. They actually do if you invite them to

Speak Up!

2010-04-23T19:17:00.001-05:00

A clever marketing campaign is going on near my house via a billboard (I'm a student of urban marketing). It is a Greater Than Aids drive. There are race and ideological factors that drive this campaign, but that isn't the purpose of my posting.The campaign aptly uses the greater than symbol to send a plethora of messages related to AIDS/HIV. This particular board tersely says: Speaking up is

The Problem with Evangelical Sola Scriptura

2010-04-21T22:34:00.003-05:00

I live in an ecclesial world that rightly touts the Reformation doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Scripture alone!). I have grown up in this tradition (after my early years in a tradition that held to Scriptura et Magisterium). A lot of ink and spiritual sweat has been spilled over clarifying the fact that for the believer in Jesus Christ, the Scriptures alone as breathed out by God are the final

100 Cupboards Trilogy

2010-04-03T16:33:00.007-05:00

Both my son and I are enjoying and heavily entrenched in the first of the 100 Cupboards trilogy by author N.D. Wilson. N.D. (Nate) is said that his goal is to "bring fantasy to America". To be honest, having just previously finished two back-to-back classics (The Last Battle and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader), this first has been harder to close each night. That is not at all to deprecate C.S.

Malcom Gladwell on Work

2010-03-30T10:15:00.003-05:00

I am really enjoying reading The New Yorker author, Malcom Gladwell in his recent book Outliers: The Story of Success. I would like to review this book, but I'm still processing it as Gladwell masterfully weaves stories with deductions on success. I would call this book a psycho/socio-dissection of success.Those three things--autonomy, complexity, and a connection between effort and reward--are,

Life is Vapor... Get a Tatoo!

2010-02-10T07:00:00.000-06:00

One of the main objections to getting a tattoo that is apparent to all is that it's with you to stay. Duh.But could we not take on a more "eternal" perspective, folks? Since life is a vapor, maybe getting a tattoo doesn't seem as dastardly a move (unless it makes you look really dastardly). That is, if our lives are just a blip on the radar of eternity, then so is that tattoo. So... ink away!

Praying for Others: An Idea

2010-02-08T00:03:00.001-06:00

One of the blessings of being transient is the sheer number of friends that you build up over time. One of the downsides of that is that you can lose touch with them. The ones who are really on top of it, keep their address books current and send you annual Christmas cards. My parents had a post-holiday custom that my family is trying to implement. I think it's really easy and practical.Instead

Nicolas Augusto Pareja- February 5, 2006

2010-02-03T21:12:00.002-06:00

One of the most formative life experiences happened four years ago. It was a tough (second) pregnancy for my wife. It was also a "planned" pregnancy. We were both pumped. All of her pregnancy's have been high risk. It's amazing that the effects of the Fall and beauty of creation collide in this 9 month journey for women. At about 8 weeks, it was discovered that Rachel had a tumor in her

Being a Disciple of Jesus and your Money

2010-02-02T09:48:00.004-06:00

Had the opportunity to teach again at HTC. This time from the text assigned to me for our stewardship series: Matthew 6:19-34.Audio here.Video here (be warned: it comes in five parts; better for the attention"ly" challenged=+)

Urban Farming

2010-02-02T08:30:00.005-06:00

Read this great article in Fortune on urban farming possibilities. Time/Inc. magazines have taken as its project over the last several months and into an indefinite future to chronicle the story of Detroit and her future. They demonstrated their drive for this story by buying a house in Detroit--- yeah, some editors bought a house!Some highlights from the article:John Hantz is one of the drivers

Goose Island Recycling Center

2010-01-28T11:38:00.003-06:00

It's super helpful to know a place where I can drop off some hazardous stuff and other electronic/household stuff.The City of Chicago has a recycling outpost right at the infamous Goose Island Brewery. I wish someone would have told me earlier that such a place existed.

One of my favorite writers...

2010-01-26T10:13:00.005-06:00

Carl Trueman, a VP and Historical Theology prof at Westminster Seminary in Philly, has got to be one of my favorite living thinkers. He borders on cynicism (and maybe that's why I'm attracted to him) as he turns words in to punching cultural critique. Dr. Trueman just came out with this post on his reflections on a visit to Rome. Being a former Catholic (who is being wooed "home" by his

America's Favorite Unopened Text

2010-01-17T08:54:00.004-06:00

I came across this stimulating article on Christian illiteracy among youths. Author, David Nienhuis, argues cogently for the need to get past mere "sword drill" or trivial type of Bible knowledge and encounter the Scriptures in a more holistic, multi-perspectival fashion.He particularly draws upon his context-- the Christian college."It is not enough for a Christian university to function as an

The Burj Birdmen

2010-01-16T19:12:00.007-06:00

Most of you know that the tallest building in the world no longer is the Sears (not Willis) Tower. I guess it hasn't been for a few years now b/c of Malaysia and Taiwan . Leave it to sheiks, shahs, oil, drive and innovation and you've got the Burj Khalifa; better known as the Burj Dubai.For the Chicagoans out there (or those who know the Chitown landscape), the Burj is taller than the Sears Tower

Praying through Scripture: An Idea...

2010-01-07T10:46:00.004-06:00

I'd like to share an idea with you. It regards my inability and sometimes my sinful propensity to not prioritize my time to spend with Jesus in his Word and in prayer. Sometimes, lack of time to commune w/ our Savior isn't about inability or sinfulness. Maybe it's just providential circumstances that purposefully have squeezed out your regularly scheduled time. This, too, we must accept from the

Hey nightclubs, got an idea...

2009-12-21T09:19:00.006-06:00

Just about every Sunday driving home on Ontario St. from church, I cast a glance at one of downtown Chicago's "premier" night club's marquis. I purposefully won't link to it, but only regular visitors of downtown Chicago or Chicago residents will know which one I'm referring to (not that it's a unique idea to them). Now that I've got you curious...(by the way, [to my Christian friends and

Dear Black Friday Fans

2009-11-25T10:32:00.006-06:00

Dear Black Friday Fans:I would like to remind you that last year some really eager counterparts of yours (read: greedy) took the life of someone's son. What a shame that a reduced-priced gadget is worth more to you than a living, breathing person. What a travesty that the flat screen you want so badly on which you will witness thousands of unreal deaths will be the cause for you to participate in

They being dead still sing God's grace... Wow!

2009-11-18T10:49:00.005-06:00

My friend, Bill Provenzano, recently wrote me:"Almost 2,000 years ago, Christians were massacred in the Roman Colosseum. It gives me pause when I consider that so many years later, Amazing Grace shakes the very walls wherein our brothers and sisters were slain for the sake of His everlasting name, even by a group called Il Divo."Singing this hymn at games, concerts and other venues seems trite

Experimentweeting

2009-11-18T10:25:00.002-06:00

Check out the side bar. You'll see I've plummeted further into the world of social media. I was on Facebook previously for my previous employment and discontinued that. This seems more doable to me.

From the Unemployment Line to Entrepreneur?

2009-10-31T10:13:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was my last day on staff at Holy Trinity Church. I was being laid off because of the financial stress the church has been undergoing. There were and are no hard feelings. As in any institution or company, there is no perfect culture. HTC has her organizational problems, but that doesn't change the fact I still love her and serve her regardless of my employment status. I've know this has

Unstoppable Salvation

2009-10-14T13:22:00.007-05:00

At HTC, I have the privilege to preach every now and then. The last opportunity was over Labor Day weekend. More than highlight the sermon, I wanted to recognize my brother, friend and co-worker, Samuel Andres, for his creative design. This piece which he created for the Romans series artwork for the HTC website was unfortunately turned down by one of the decision makers. It is so abstract yet

John Piper's Call to the Pastorate

2009-10-14T13:14:00.003-05:00

As I'm facing job loss and praying about entrance into a pastorate, church planting and/or the EvFree denomination, I providentially stumbled upon this tribute to John Piper's call to the pastorate. God has used JP in a special and strong way in Gospel Christianity. I praise God for the influence and grace he has spoken into my life.Here's an example of a talk that God used in my life from the

Mesmerized by the "Princess"

2009-08-30T21:29:00.000-05:00

We had the delight of attending the wedding of a co-worker. Gabrielle was mesmerized by the "princess" (the bride) the whole time. Of course, here she looks a bit underwhelmed at being with Papi. That's okay. I love getting in whatever pics I can with her.

Praying before Meals

2009-08-18T12:38:00.004-05:00

Lately, I've been thinking about the whole praying before meals thing. I've never really given much thought about why we do other than we're supposed to be grateful to God for all that he gives us and tell him often. No scripture or biblical precent comes to mind as a defence for praying before the meal.So, we have recently tried praying after a meal or segueing with it into our family worship

Guarding the Good News

2009-08-08T12:06:00.000-05:00

This is one of the major themes of the book of 2 Timothy which my church is currently preaching through right now. I had the opportunity to deliver the message on July 5th. Here's a link to the recording. The last 20 or so minutes of the recording shouldn't have been recorded. What matters is the first 30 minutes and even more the Word of God itself.

American Cities and White Flight

2009-07-23T12:34:00.003-05:00

I'm readng Cities right now by Roger Greenway and Timothy Monsma. It's a pretty good read.Greenway on the "white flight" phenomenon of the last half of the 20th American century says: " Insofar as suburbia rose as a reaction to the city and its people, suburbia is an attitude, a mind-set, as much as it is a geographical entity."That is a keen observation. Suburbia is an "attitude". This is not to

It Takes a City to Raise a Child

2009-07-13T09:54:00.007-05:00

Recently, I have been thinking about education and raising my children in a metropolis. If left to myself, I would probably home school my children and keep a very tight "grip" on the leash of influence. I have by no means thought this out completely. Furthermore, I know that several people feel strongly about how their children should be educated.Thankfully, I have a wife who balances me out.

"How to Be a Stranger and a Pilgrim on Earth"

2009-07-11T08:03:00.003-05:00

My good buddy in the gospel, AJ Gibson, recently gave the commencement address at the university he's taught at for the last 5 years (where I also ministered at for 2 years). He addressed the subject of "How to Be a Stranger and a Pilgrim on Earth" from 1 Corinthians 7:29-31. Of note in his address:"Christians have wives and husbands and children and parents, etc., but should never have and hold

On the Lordship of Jesus Christ

2009-04-08T11:12:00.002-05:00

About 2 months after President Obama had been elected to office, I had the opportunity to give the Sunday Sermon at Holy Trinity Church in downtown Chicago. I had been encouraged by one of the pastors to preach from the Messianic Psalms if I ever had a "one-off" opportunity. Well, here is the link.

Living for Another Time

2009-04-08T11:03:00.002-05:00

Jonathan Leeman who is the communications guy at 9Marks Ministries in D.C., recently posted on the 9Marks blog about preaching that leaves people longing for eternity. In the study I have been teaching through Hebrews 11, I have been struck with how 'other-worldly' great men and women of the faith lived. Leeman says: "Christianity is not all about learning to live the Christian life as an

Anthrodudes

2009-04-06T08:29:00.005-05:00

I had the opportunity the last 5 weeks to teach a men's class at my church called "Anthropos" (Greek for man). We kind of kidded around about the modern equivalent to 'anthropos' being "dude." So, we struck a happy medium of "anthrodudes."Anyway, we looked at men of faith in the New Testament book of Hebrews; particularly the 11th chapter. Here are some questions I posed at the beginning:Where

One List Chicago Didn't Make it on...

2008-12-30T11:55:00.002-06:00

Apparently, according to Richard Florida, Chicago didn't make it onto the list of America's Most Literate Cities.However, according to GQ, Chicago is the best restaurant city of the US. Shouldn't Zagat or some other service like it determine that? Really, what weight does GQ hold in determining this?

Ride for a Penny on the CTA

2008-12-27T19:57:00.004-06:00

Since at least 1999, the CTA has encouraged New Year's Eve revellers to take advantage of the "Ride for a Penny" program. Every 12/31 from 8pm (I believe) and into the wee hours of the New year morning, party goers get a super discounted "rate" to decrease the amount of work for city, county and state cops and to cut down on highway/road injuries and fatalities. Chicago has a lot wrong with many

Showdown in the 'Hood

2008-12-09T20:58:00.005-06:00

As great as it is to live in the Logan Square neighborhood, like any other community, it has it share of problems. For the first time since we have lived here, we heard gunshots not too far from our home. Apparently, the cops and a high-ranking gang banger got into it.Every night, we pray with our kids for the safety our home and our neighborhood. I know that the Chicago Police don't have the

Shepherds After God's Heart

2008-11-26T09:50:00.024-06:00

I was encouraged recently by Abraham Piper to thank God publicly for my pastor. While I know that I can thank God for one, I must extend that out to four shepherds who have watched for my soul over the years in various capacities.This is quite the motley band of shepherds, I know...Dr. Mark Minnick was my pastor from 1996 to 2001. He pastors Mt. Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC (yes, I

Culture, Contextualization and the Church

2008-10-24T11:08:00.005-05:00

Last week, Rachel, the kids and I headed to Michigan to visit many dear friends. Rachel and I also attended the 2008 Mid-America Conference on Preaching sponsored by Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary and hosted by Inter-City Baptist Church. The subject of the conference was "Culture, Contextualization and the Church." It was intriguing enough to me to return while also reconnecting w/ friends.

Figuring Out the Blogging Phenomenon

2008-10-20T08:59:00.001-05:00

As I am trying to find myself in the blogosphere, I found a brilliant piece written by Andrew Sullivan of The Atlantic's blog team. This guy's been blogging for over 7 years. Though I don't see the world through the same lens that Andrew does, I admire his journalism. I'll be sure to read him again.Here are a couple noteworthy quotes from the article:A blog, therefore, bobs on the surface of the

Flubbed Cubs!

2008-10-06T07:52:00.001-05:00

So ends our dreams and aspirations...However, this video is just downright nice!

This-worldly vs. Other-worldly

2008-08-15T21:56:00.000-05:00

Richard John Neuhaus explores this theme in a recent article over at First Things. I was hopeful that he would breathe some fresh insight into that debate. Alas, that did not happen. It, nevertheless, is a stimulating read.

Introducing this Blog...

2008-07-27T00:47:00.000-05:00

The naturalization process for the blogdom is so easy. I have battled becoming a citizen here, but here I am. I should say, "Here we are." We don't know how long we'll be here. We're pilgrims anyway; it might not be long, and I won't feel bad.=+)The "we"? That is, for now, my wife and I. Starting a blog can be tempting as a means to be popular w/ 15 people. If I invest my time into my blog for my