Tyler Braun's Blog, page 21

The Church and Race “Issues”

Over the past few weeks I’ve posted a fair amount of thoughts on various social networks related to Ferguson, Eric Garner, privilege, and the church. Needless to say, I’ve received a fair amount of pushback in the process. The comments have been: “I don’t know all the facts.” “I wasn’t on the grand jury.” “I’m just following the latest media outrage.”

But what if I’m right? What if this is a critical juncture for racial “issues” in the United States, and, therefore, the world. (I use issues in...

The Silent Killer

One of the more surprising parts of the Bible (to me) are the Psalms of lament. This is surprising because when most people think of godly men and women we think of exemplary men and women of faith who rarely struggled with doubts or frustrations.

Consider the opening verse of Psalm 74:

O God, why have you rejected us forever?

Why does your anger smolder against the sheep of your pasture?

Idon’t hear those kinds of prayers too often. In fact, the Psalms of Lament represent 5% of the entire book o...

Taking After God, like David

One of the more confusing parts of the Bible is David’s description in 1st Samuel 13, as a “man after God’s own heart.” At the moment God has declared this of David we know little of him. He’s the youngest son, severly overlooked and undervalued. We get the sense that he’s a hard worker, but there’s nothing in his actions that scream “Godly man!” or anything close to it.

And, in fact, if we read the story of his life, we learn that while he has some shining moments, and he has given us a treme...

The Empty Moments

This past week I’ve crawled into the half-frozen covers of my bed earlier than usual. Sometimes I just stare at the ceiling. Thinking. Pondering. But mostly just trying not to think about how cold I am before the sheets warm up. Usuallyit’s this part of the day I despise most.

I’m a doer. Give me a to-do list and 3 hours of uninterrupted time and I’ll knock it all out. I live much of my life based on efficiency. Why do something one way when the other is just as good and faster?

I have the kind...

Failing at Faith

Last week I taught a one-week course (9 separate sessions) on the book of Genesis at Ecola Bible School. Thiswas my second week in a row away from my family, but spending a weekat one of the most beautiful coastal cities in the world, andgetting to know the students and staff at Ecola,was a fair trade off for missing them again.

Theme for the Genesis course (graphic created by Ross Gale: rcgale.com)

It’s impossible to summarize the whole book into a short blog post, but one theme I continued to...

Understanding Over Argument (Or That Time I Spent a Week with Friends in San Diego)

Ignore my white feet. Oregon hadn’t seen the sun in about a month.

Last week I spent 3 days with guys I’ve known for the bulk of the past decade. We met via blogs and then Twitter, and have been consistently involved in each others lives since. These areguys I considered part of my core group of friends. Keep in mind, I’d never spent a single moment with any of them in person.

As I expected, it was an incredibletime together. Hard to describe the kind of thankful I am to have gotten to know the...

Dear Christian, Your Politics Are Ruining Your Witness

Today is election day. A general election to be specific.

In my home state we find out whether recreational use of cannabis will be allowed, whether illegal immigrants will be able to obtain driver’s cards, and whether non-GMO products must be labeled as such.Nothing earth-shattering, but clearly important issues.

I voted.I will not, however, be sharing my voting choices publicly. I have two neighbors who have been to known toillegally growmarijuana, but I have not asked them about their illega...

The Peripheral Should Be the Priority

My week tends to revolve around two different times: Sunday at 9am and Tuesday at 6am. Sunday at 9am is the culmination of a week of preparation. Tuesday at 6am those preparations start all over again.

The times of studying for a message, practicing music, or coordinating with people involved with something on Sunday quickly rises to the top of the priority list. And then there’s meeting with people, knowing their lives, and prayerfully considering how best to care for and disciple them.

These...

30 for 30

Today I am officially entering the years of old. 30 years old to be exact. Those of you who are beyond 30 will chuckle, that’s okay. I’m sure I will in another few years. “Oh how young I actually was back then,” I’ll think. As someone who has typically identified himself as a “20-something” today is a day of transition beyond that label.

Don’t blame me if my blog still says I’m 29. I have to hang onto something from the past. Nobody but you all will know the difference.

I’ve taken time in recen...

Millennials and Their Lack of Commitment: 3 Quick Steps to Prioritize Your Life

Every previous generation seems to enjoy pointing out the generalized shortcomings of the millennial generation. We’re narcissistic. We’re lazy. We’re relativistic.

I tend to roll my eyes. Plenty of people want to point a finger, not many want to lend a hand. Of course, the problem with ignoring issues is that it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

My friend JR tweeted this not long ago:

My parents were asked by their church to host a dinner for 20-somethings. 12 RSVP’d. No one showed up. Young adult...