Tyler Braun's Blog, page 6

Responding to Exile

This is the 3rd post in the short series on exile, using Walter Brueggemann’s Cadences of Exile to help initiate these thoughts. Be sure to check out parts ONE and TWO on this subject, because the three posts are deeply connected.

As we’ve already discussed, there are many aspects of Old Testament exile that are true for followers of Jesus in the western world today. Though we are only in rare cases geographically taken from our homes, it continues to get more difficult for Christians to feel...

The Discombobulation of Exile

Let’s continue working through our short blog series on what Old Testament exile might have to teach 21st century believers in the western world. We’re using Walter Bruggemann’s book Cadences of Exile as a jumping off point. Make sure to check out the first post in this series because each post will build on the previous ones.

The Babylonian exile has some striking similarities to our own cultural climate. Though this specific exile started in Babylon, it was eventually taken over by the Pers...

Church Talk

I’ve been working through Walter Brueggemann’s wonderful book Cadences of Home: Preaching Among Exiles. It’s a book comprised of various essays he wrote in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Though it is a book about the craft of preaching, it’s more a book on a theology of exile. Over the next few weeks I’m going to highlight a few insights the book provided for me, giving a foundation for conversations needed some 25-30 years after his original thoughts were expressed.

The context for the work...

Chelsea Patterson Sobolik on the Pain of Childlessness (Called Out Episode 020)

One of the often unspoken realities is that 20% of women are facing childlessness, whether through miscarriage or inability to get pregnant. Churches are filled with women and couples who carry with them the pain of their loss or unmet desires. This is a subject that must be addressed in order for people to be able to experience the healing Christ offers.

On this episode of Called Out hear from Chelsea Patterson Sobolik on how her personal journey has shaped her unmet desire for motherhood,...

The Sunday Morning Battle

Last fall I shared a sermon with my church from Hebrews 4:1-10, with verse 3 from that passage continuing to stick with me weeks later. The whole section in Hebrews 4 is a comparison between the New Testament Hebrew people and the Israelites who failed to enter the Promised Land because they did not take God at his word, that he would give them the land. Verse 3 then answers the question: if this rest is still available to us, how do we enter it?

“Now we who have believed enter that rest.” He...

Trevin Wax (Called Out Episode 019)

For many people the goal of life is finding their authentic voice, and then expressing it to the world. This could be described as the “you be you” attitude. In order to find happiness within ourselves we want to know who we are and then have the freedom to express it within inhibition. As self-expression continues to grow as a value, it also invades the church despite the call of Christ for followers of Jesus to lay down their lives in order to take up His cross.

On this episode of Called Ou...

The Power of Encouragement

I came across a video from a few years back, featuring Maggie Rogers in her recording class at New York University. The class has a guest presenter in Pharrell Williams, most widely known for his hit song “Happy”, which my daughter thinks is the greatest song ever. Watch the video below (click here email readers):

As of this week, Maggie has one of the top newly released albums in the world, and just a few months before this she was the featured musical guest on Saturday Night Live. In the m...

Drew Dyck (Called Out Episode 018)

In Paul’s list of the Fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5 one fruit is clearly overlooked compared to the others: self-control. Though looking through the self-help section of the book store shows how in vogue focus on self-control is, godly self-control has little to do with the self-advancement of a self-help book or it wouldn’t be a Fruit of the Spirit of God.

Recently Drew Dyck endeavored to make self-control a bigger part of his life. This involved research into how self-control works in...

The Ultimate Goal of Life

What would you say the ultimate goal of life is? What would our society say the ultimate goal of life is?

I think the obvious answer is happiness. A recent Barna survey revealed that 67% of church-going Christians believe “enjoying yourself is the highest goal of life.” Thankfully that percentage is lower than the 84% of Americans who agree with the statement, but it is concerning, considering the call of Christ on all of our lives is call to die to ourselves and a call to carry His cross. It...

John Mark McMillan (Called Out Podcast Episode 017)

 

I’m thrilled to have John Mark McMillan on the podcast to talk about becoming an artist, worship as a genre, and worship music as a business. John Mark is one of my favorite musical artists and has been putting out music for over a decade. If you come over to my house you can hear my daughter belt out his song “King of My Heart” because it’s her favorite.

Worship as a genre of Christian music has exploded in the last 15 years. As I was cutting my teeth in worship leading as a high schooler...