Surfing the Inner N8

Insights & Outsights from a Guy Trying to Follow Jesus

  • The Lie of the Winnable War

    Recently I was looking around in iTunes and rediscovered an old song by Sting that was one of my favorites in elementary school. It’s a good Cold War song called “Russians.” One particular line in this song from 20 years ago really jumped out at me: “There’s no such thing as a winnable war/ It’s… Continue reading

  • Yesterday, All My Troubles Seemed… (Sike)

    What a great day yesterday was!  After church, Carolyn and I ate at Zia’s in Salisbury with her parents, then we all headed over to the zoo.  It was such a perfect day for being outside! Afterward we went to an event hosted by SonRise Church and the Ocean City Worship Center.  It was the… Continue reading

  • The Holy Spirit

    Yesterday at CrossWay we wrapped up our miniseries “Creed: God” by looking at what our Mennonite creed teaches about the Holy Spirit. We explored some common misunderstandings and conflicts regarding the Holy Spirit.  Some see Him as a cosmic energy force.  Some see Him as a wind that blows through a church gathering and makes… Continue reading

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  • A True Kingdom Effort

    This morning something really cool is happening in Berlin.  Two churches from different denominations are coming together for worship. SonRise Church and the Ocean City Worship Center have spent the past four weeks doing a series on the Kingdom of God.  Their pastors planned the series together and each one preached it at his church. … Continue reading

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  • Review of “Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be”

    The other day I finished reading Stories: How Mennonites Came to Be by John D. Roth.  It’s one of the best church books I’ve ever read–it definitely deserves re-reading. In order to avoid the common mistake of telling the Anabaptist story by starting in the sixteenth century, Roth opens up by relating the story of… Continue reading

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  • CrossWay On Purpose – Session 13

    On Wednesday, 12 of us had a good discussion in Session 13 of CrossWay On Purpose. We started out by talking briefly about some Mennonite distinctives–that is, things that make us Mennonite as opposed to another denomination. We had an icebreaker, reviewed last week’s discussion, and got down to business. Most of our time was… Continue reading

  • Eastern Shore Priorities

    This morning on the way to the office I saw this amusing K-Coast bumper sticker: “MY KID SURFS BETTER THAN YOUR HONOR STUDENT” Continue reading

  • Bible Horror Movie

    One of the really cool things I enjoy about being married to Carolyn is having a wife who reads the Bible with me.  We’ve done different kinds of Bible study/reading together.  The past few months we’ve been reading through a chronological Bible, which arranges the Bible (or at least attempts to) according to the order… Continue reading

  • Where Do People Get This Stuff?!?

    My wife saw a pretty funny bumper sticker yesterday: “If it ain’t King James, it ain’t the Bible.” Ahh, the irony is almost unbearable! Continue reading

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  • CrossWay On Purpose – Session 12

    Last Wednesday we had a great discussion with the 10 who were present for CrossWay On Purpose.  It really seemed like God was answering our prayers for clarity and direction. We started out by looking at a picture of the Rosetta Stone.  I felt kind of guilty because the previous week I’d dumped a ton… Continue reading