Tyler Braun's Blog, page 14

What I’m Feasting On

This is my 4th installment of “What I’m Feasting On”–a post where I share some of the new music, books, blogs, and television I’ve been engaging with lately. As a dad of two toddlers, these posts are extremely infrequent. Why? There’s only so much time for free time hobbies that involve reading, listening, and watching.

Let’s go.

Reading A couple books I’ve read recently that I found especially excellent: Essentialism by Greg McKeown and You Are What You Love by James KA Smith. Though they...

The Christian Power Complex

The story told in Luke’s gospel about two disciples walking on the road to Emmaus is striking. The story tells of these two downtrodden men, in disbelief that the man they had once believed was the Messiah, was now dead.

But Jesus disguises his identity and joins these men for part of their journey to Emmaus, listening to them share their grief, pain, and sorrow. Jesus jumps into the conversation, reminding them of what the Messiah had come to do. At their arrival to Emmaus, Jesus breaks bre...

Whose Lives Matter?

There’s a debate taking place right now, maybe you’ve noticed too because it has been impossible to ignore: #BlackLivesMatter followed closely behind by #AllLivesMatter followed recently by the #BlueLivesMatter push.

This is my attempt to cut through the noise.

Let me first acknowledge that I have little to noability to claim experiential authority on this subject. I am a 31-year-old white male(I wrote about white privilege 2 years ago), married with kids, living in a predominantly white cit...

Following Jesus in an Evil World

A few months ago I chose a passage in Matthew 13 to speak on this past Sunday. The parable of the weeds highlights living with evil (righteousness and evil growing in the same soil), even though evil will, in the end,be thrown into the eternal fire.

As events in Baton Rouge, then Minneapolis, then Dallas, then Nice, France took place, it seemed all the more poignant to consider how Christ followers live in light of an evil world. While facing evil some want to run to doomsday theology, forge...

Being Black

I don’t know what it’s like to be black in the United States. I’ve only ever been white, my whole life.

Last night video showed a man dying in the seat of his car, having been shot by a police officer while he was grabbing his ID the officer asked for, having already identified his legally held weapon. This happened a few miles from the house I grew up in, near Minneapolis.

This was all shown on Facebook Live, while his girlfriend was being handcuffed, and his 4-year-old daughterhelplessly w...

The Inept Empowerment of Self-Expression

I read a news headline a week ago that said “breastfeeding bride nurses during weddingceremony, getting praise from moms around the world.” At first I thought, “great work from The Onionon that one.” But no, it’s real.

I have no intention of having a debate about breastfeeding. I simply want to make the observation about the narrative surrounding breastfeeding, which is that moms should be able to nurse wherever is needed. This is the all-too-common narrative of empowerment and self-expressi...

The Danger of Likes (or why I joined Snapchat)

I joined Snapchat. There, I said it. I admit it. If you want proof, find me here.

I joined Snapchat because I was sick of hearing people joining and loving it. I knew all the bad press, all the misuses of the app, but I decided to give it a shot. And I have to say, I kind of love it.

Why, you ask?

Because there’s no likes.

Still don’t get what I’m saying?

Ok, I’ll explain.

Snapchat is an awful user experience.

It’s nearly impossible to add friends unless they’re in your phone contacts. You...

The Holy Spirit as Manifested Love

In his book The Face of the Deep, Paul Pastor makes a striking comparison between Isaiah’s unclean lips and the touching of the Spirit upon the mouths of those at Pentecost in Acts 2.

I’ve only ever known emphasis on the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost to divide Christians. At a Pentecost Sunday church gathering many years ago I remember a pastor explaining to the congregation he was going to wait in silence until the Spirit showed Himself through a sign.I nearly walked out, but I thought...

Why I Will Not Be Voting for a President This Year

Barring the unlikely 3rd party candidate I’d like to see come forward, I will not be voting for a President in this year’s United States Presidential election.

The reasons why are a bit convoluted, so let me share my own context.

I’m a pastor at an evangelical church where the majority of the congregation is conservative minded folks. I come from a conservative family. I’ve only ever known the logical decision in voting to be for a Republican.

I am an unaffiliated voter in the state of Orego...

I’m Busy

“I’m busy.” This is the answer I get most often from people when I ask them “how are you?” It’s quickly replacing “fine” or “good” as the go-to answer for most people. It’s their way of saying they don’t have time to talk to you.

Technology has made large parts of life significantly more efficient, but instead of allowing ourselves to have more margin, we just fill in the cracks with more stuff. This is no knock on technology, it’s a knock on us for lacking the discipline to know when enough...