Safe Haven

Just yesterday before noon, we were experiencing some of the best weather that Columbia, MO has ever seen. It was in the 80s, a touch warmer than it has been in the entire state since summer began. And that occasion is extremely strange in itself, if you know anything about Missouri in the summertime. From mid-April through September, the temperature could be classified as Hot, Hotter, and Less Hot. Usually. Anyway, I was walking around campus, looking at all the freshman moving into the dorms with their parents, those concerned looks on all faces, and I thought, "This is where I need to be. No, this is where I want to be." Maybe I'm scared of what comes after this, I'm not sure. But I do know that I've found a place, where I'm wanted and even needed. Perhaps we're all just being selfish, needing a place in the world, but really needing affirmation from others in some fashion. I'd like to think I don't live for the approval of others, but it's...

Holy Communion is always going to be one of my favorite topics. There are excellent theological treatments on the subject, such as Robert Letham's The Lord's Supper . It has few weaknesses, and I'll probably review it here sometime. But I want to relate what Communion has been experientially, and maybe if I'm truly lucky, my experience will line up with something biblical to let me know I'm not crazy. It seems to me that Communion is a uniting act. I am united with Christ (just as in baptism) in his life and death. I see the scenes in my head, like I was there. I'm also united with all those other people in the room. Have you ever looked over at someone while taking communion? Look into their eyes. There's something about that moment that says, "No matter what else happens, you are family." Because at that moment, they're not the big powerful investment banker, or the preacher with a dozen published books. They're just a little kid, comin...