Eikenbary-Barber, Ryan
Digging Deeper (Summer 2003)
We often get caught up in familiar things and deeper meanings escape us. We can’t see the forest for the trees. The truth is not a secret. Everyone can know the truth if they desire it, but sometimes we miss the big picture because of the close-up right in front of us.
Housing the Sacred by Glen Wiberg (Summer 2009)
Like any good sermon, Housing the Sacred is not overlong. It’s just 97 pages. The preacher says what he needs to say and then sits down. And those of us who appreciate good preaching want to stand up and cheer! Here is a book on preaching that avoids the academic temptation to dissect the sermon like some unfortunate frog. If preaching is a craft, Glen Wiberg successfully mentors his apprentices with a simple illustration and six sermons that are concrete examples of his own artistry in the pulpit.
Reflections on “Pietism and Postmodernity” (Spring/Summer 2011)
A report on Roger E. Olson's Aus Memorial Lecture at Luther Theological Seminary.
The Pietist Option (Fall/Winter 2017)
The Pietist Option by Christopher Gehrz and Mark Pattie III has much in common with Philipp Jakob Spener’s Pia Desideria. Both books are slim, readable, and packed with practical advice on church revitalization.
Cascades Camp and Conference Center: A Century of Covenant Camps in the Pacific Northwest (Fall/Winter 2018)
This is a wonderful book for anyone who ever went to church camp. It is a particular treat for people with fond memories of Lake Sammamish, the Beach, Circle C, Driftwood Point, and, of course, Cascades. You might just find some old camp friends in the many colorful photos.
Serving in love in times of crisis (Spring/Summer 2020)
Jesus confronts our fear, our controlling behavior, and our desire to avoid suffering. In our text, a couple of Jesus’s disciples are struggling with power issues, namely James and John. They attempt to control Jesus: “We want you to do for us whatever we ask…. Let one of us sit at your right and the other at your left in your glory.”
Wrapping our minds around the gospel (Fall/Winter 2022)
I first visited Bethlehem Covenant Church in November of 1990. My friend David Palmquist brought me home with a few other stray North Park College freshmen for Thanksgiving break. We slept in the parsonage basement. Pastor Kent and Bonnie Palmquist generously included us in a family meal of barbecued turkey at the Bevis household. It was a fun trip!
Created in the image of God (Spring/Summer 2023)
It is always an honor to preach the Gospel. Today’s scripture is a strange passage to speak on for any preacher. Yet, a wise, old preacher named Glen Wiberg coached me to preach out of the lectionary especially when it feels uncomfortable. Glen taught that the Holy Spirit moves in wonderful ways when we submit to the Word of God, rather than trying to make the Bible fit what we want to say.