Nate Pyle's Blog, page 2

To My Daughter’s First Mother on Mother’s Day

To my daughter’s first Mother,

I cannot imagine what you are feeling today. Two months ago you did what I cannot imagine doing. After nine months of carrying a child in your womb; growing as she grew; smiling when you first felt the flutters of a life; and settling into discomfort as the due date drew close, you walked out of the hospital without your daughter. You are a mother, and yet, on this Mother’s Day, I imagine it is more painful than it is joyful.

This is not lost on me and my wife....

Wholeheartedness: A Guest Post from Dr. Chuck DeGroat

Today on the blog I have my friend Dr. Chuck DeGroat. Chuck is the Associate Professor of Pastoral Care at Western Theological Seminary. Chuck is a wise soul, someone who plumbs the depths of the intersection of the human soul and God’s love. His new book, Wholeheartedness, recently released, so be sure to check it out!

When Nate’s book arrived in my mailbox last Fall, I was excited…but it wasn’t the first time I’d seen it. I had the privilege of getting to know Nate as he wrote it and readi...

Belief in Hell is Not Necessary to Know the Love of Jesus

photo credit: Thomas Hawk

Just over two weeks ago, my wife and I jumped into our car and headed down to Florida. We’d been waiting for this day for nearly five years. No, the trip wasn’t a vacation. This was the day our baby daughter was born (if you’ve been following the blog for a bit you may be wondering, “But I thought it was a boy?” Surprise! Apparently, ultrasounds aren’t 100% definitive.). This was the day our family of three was going to become a family of four.

I’ve spent a lot of ti...

It’s Been a Really Hard Wait

“It’s taken a long time for mybaby brother to come into our family,” my son said.

I put my fork down and paused. Three weeks ago we got the phone call we’ve been waiting for; a birth mother chose us to become the parents of her child. We’ve talked about names, about what it will look like when the baby comes, about how things will be different, about how Luke will help. Excitement and a joy reverberate throughthese table conversations.

There was no anger, no frustration, no angst in the simp...

This Day Will Never Be the Same – On Adoption and MLK

My five year-old bounded into our bedroom well before I was was ready for any kind of activity. My wife and I had been up late, gone to bed tired, and laid awake until the stupid hours of the morning with our minds racing. We weren’t ready for the sun to come up yet. And we certainly aren’t ready for what’s on the horizon.

I looked at my son, laying there with his head on the pillow next to mine. This is good, I thought. He snuggles up to me, settling into the pocket between my shoulder and...

Beginnings – A Guest Post by Steve Wiens

I never expected that I would meet so many great people through blogging. Steve Wiens is one of those people. Steve is a pastor, blogger, author, and podcaster. More than that, he is a great guy with a love of helping people. It’s my joy to introduce him and his writing to you.

When you’re done reading this post, be sure to check out his new book. You can find all the the information a the bottom of the post. Full disclosure: I had the privilege to endorse this book. Here’s what I said.

“Thi...

What Wheaton Tells Us About Evangelicalism in America

Wheaton College has begun the process of terminating associate professorLarycia Hawkins. Hawkins was put on administrative leave after donning a hijab in solidarity with Muslim women while stating on a Facebook post that Christians and Muslims worship the same God. This is all happening despite the fact that Hawkins has affirmed the statement of faith of the college.

The whole controversyfeels like the conversation Jesus had with the Samaritan woman at the well. The woman wanted to focus on...

A Fork in the Road: Civil Religion or Christianity?

After Jerry Falwell Jr. said,“If more good people had concealed-carry permits, then we could end those Muslims before they walked in and killed them,” I posted a quick responseon Facebook. After seeing it my wife looked at me and said, “You’ve been a lot more political lately.”

I suppose I have, and there’s reason for that.

I believe we are coming to a fork in the road where the Civil Religion of America will distinguish itself from biblical Christianity. In one direction itwill be Country a...

The Dead Faith of Empty Prayers about Gun Violence

photo credit: Dickson Phua

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” Fourteen more people have died because of gun violence this year. Another mass shooting. There have been more mass shooting than days in the year. Naturally, people were horrified by the tr...

I’m afraid, but I will not live in fear

Photo Credit: Patrick Marione

In the wake of the horrific attacks in Paris, conversations about America’s immigration and refugee policy are ignitingmemes conversations across the country. Everyone from the President of the United States to the old man with a Facebook account has weighed in on whether or not we should respond to the refugee crisis.

It isn’t an easy conversation, and there aren’t simple answers. Agovernment is charged with theresponsibility to provide for the security of its p...