Tag: christianity
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Alchemy on an Airplane
I don’t enjoy random conversations with people on airplanes (way too close sitting in the seat next to me, but that’s my introvert neurosis), but I love listening to other people have weird conversations. The other day on a flight that I had strategically planned to have no one else on my row, I overheard…
matthewcgillum
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The Nintendo Prayer
With our family’s propensity to spend too much time on video games, when we got our Nintendo Switch I made the decision to put time limits on the device, specifically 15 minutes before getting locked out and asking for parent permission to reactivate. It creates a fun interaction most afternoons after school where one of…
matthewcgillum
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Snorkeling the Heights
I was online today (as one does when in a Texas ice day and the boy is having him some Cocomelon on TV), and ran across the phrase “Deeper Christian.” It caused me to pause. This idea the cause for a lot of our problems in Christianity. I think we need to ditch it. I…
matthewcgillum
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I Made a Fire
Growing up, I understood that a fireplace in Texas was a lot like a Texas creek. Just like you couldn’t assume that something called a creek in Texas would ever have water in it, you couldn’t assume often that the elements would line up well enough to actually make a fire in a fireplace. Cold…
matthewcgillum
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The Erasing of a Workaholic
If you know me, you know that my mind is usually running on 5 different rails with various tasks popping up at different times. It’s both the blessing and the curse of an Executive Pastor that every day has variety and responsibility. As part of my survival, I rely on a whiteboard that I keep…
matthewcgillum
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A Tasty Communion
This past Sunday as our church did Communion, one of my children after drinking the cup of grape juice quietly said, “Mmm. That was good.” It made me laugh, generally because when it comes to Baptist Lord’s Suppers, I’m not sure tasty has ever been high on my descriptor list. The little papier mache cracker…
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Life, Death, and Gas Stations
I want to let you see what a pastor sees. A few weeks ago, I noticed that my gas tank was low so I pulled over to the side of the road at a gas station to fill up (and grab a Red Bull). As I stood at the pump with the sound of rush…
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Maybe You’re Here
Having worked in ministry for a long time, I often latch onto strange phrases that become part of the normal language of ministry. We can do this with other churchy words like sacrament and doctrine and liturgy, etc. One phrase in particular that makes me stop in my tracks, but which I hear almost every…
matthewcgillum
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Bricks
A few weeks ago I had the chance to teach a seminary class at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Frightening, I know. But one of the cool things about when I return to the campus at SWBTS is seeing some of the legacy from my wife’s family there. Her father and grandfather both led the Physical…
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War and Peace
(Photo credit: Chris Barton) Having grown up in church, I’ve heard the passage from Luke 2 many times where Scripture shows us the announcement of the birth of Christ. We’re exposed to angels telling people not to fear, pronouncing good news, and singing of peace on earth and goodwill to men. In my mind, this…
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And yet, and yet... 