I ran across this quote in a preview of Scot McKnight’s new book The King Jesus Gospel: The Original Good News Revisited in a post titled Did Jesus Preach the Gospel? on the Out of Ur blog. “McKnight is concerned that we have confused “Gospel” with “Plan of...

While many of you studied the story of David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17) in Sunday school, I did not really appreciate this story until I was in my early thirties and watched the Veggie Tales version called “Dave and the Giant Pickle.” So here is a quick refresher: Israel was at war...

With my new ipad and great tools like flipbook, I find I am spending more time reading blogs than books lately.  This week I stumbled upon several interesting but challenging posts.  Below are the highlights but I encourage you to visit the links and read the full article. These words from...

Welcome to the McCaig Family Luxury Retreat Center Upon your arrival, proceed through the security gates and park in our expansive parking lot. Our valet staff will escort you in style down the side of the ridge to our main campus. Our facility features this luxury suite which comfortably...

Last week, Embrace Richmond added a new staff member.  Scott had only been with us few days when he entered my office, shut my door and said, “I have something I really need to tell you.”  He had a very grim look on his face.  He said, “I have really enjoyed being here and I...

I often have people get really excited about the work of Embrace Richmond.  They say to me, “I love you guys because you are going beyond ‘giving out fish’ and are ‘teaching people to fish.’” To which I reply, “No, we are actually going beyond teaching people to fish and...

When I set out in my kayak on the James River this morning, I was seeking solitude and silence.       My only companion was this very large dragonfly who hitched a ride.           The uniqueness of other creatures I met along the way, reminded me of...

This month’s Synchroblog is titled, “Stories of the Wild Goose.”  Sadly, I was not able to attend the “Wild Goose Festival” which was held in late June on North Carolina.  This month’s theme will be capturing stories from the festival as well as “stories of how the Wild Goose...

What if every social services agency, the police department, the churches, non-profit agencies, and the educational institutions all started working together, not around a “cause” but instead focused on a particular “community?”  That is the question I have been asking myself this...

I have been reflecting a lot upon the idea of growing a community of great neighbors. I am encouraging our Hillside friends to get to know their neighbors and learn about their hopes and dreams for their neighborhood.  One-by-one we are seeing our friends in Hillside gain confidence and...

Today we participated in a wonderful community day event that was hosted by Richmond City Police Chief Norwood’s Faith Leaders Roundtable.  Congregations, faith based groups and non-profits banded together to bring resources, food and fellowship into the Hillside Court community.  I love...

I took two books on vacation with me earlier this year and read both while lying in the sun on the deck of a cruise ship in the Caribbean, which is of course the best way to tackle books rich with theological import.  The first was Rob Bell’s controversial book, “Love Wins: A Book About...