Articles By: Richard Dahlstrom

Pastor: Bethany Community Church, Seattle - in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty - in all things charity. Teacher: Torchbearers Missionary Fellowship, conferences, and plans to do more in Africa and East Europe Author: o2: Breathing New Life into Faith, and a new book in 2011! Fun: Skiing, Backpacking, Movies, Family, Climbing, Art, Wine, and so much more

Wooden Gold

The death of John Wooden over the weekend has me remembering the life and legacy of a man who left his mark on me when I was addicted to basketball in Jr. High. But this isn’t a post about basketball as much as what making God’s good reign visible looks like: Dear John - I’m not sure...

June 18th, 2010 | Sports | Read More

“Perhaps” – the power of risk, and the paralysis of fear

If you’re climbing a rock face, the thing that spares you from death in the event of a fall is your protection (which is some sort of anchor you put in the rock that will put an end to your fall). Of course, the higher you climb beyond your last piece of protection, the farther you’ll fall...

May 30th, 2010 | Featured, Meditations | Read More

A Letter to Mom for Mother’s Day

Happy Mothers Day Mom… I know you won’t read this, because I tried to teach you how to use a computer about five years ago, and it was simply too much for you. You’re still amazed at the digital picture frame I gave you when you moved into your new room at the retirement center. Maybe...

May 9th, 2010 | Featured, Meditations | Read More

Farming Faith: Jesus’ lavish use of seeds

You’ve no doubt heard about the parable of the seed and the sower? It’s one of those stories I’ve seen illustrated with little shreds of flannel when I was in 2nd grade, heard it taught at camp by a guy who illustrated it in what was called a “chalk talk” and studied it...

April 4th, 2010 | Featured, Meditations | Read More

WWJE? Food choices are theological

If you’re one of those “it’s all going to burn up anyway” Christians, in love with your dispensationalism, there’s a good chance you’ll be eating a big slab of meat tonight, cooked over a fire (maybe burn a few California Redwoods?), complemented by a pesticide laced...

March 9th, 2010 | Culture, Featured, Food and Drink, Social Justice | Read More

The Need for Lament in our churches

Survey the landscape of American Christianity on any given Sunday and you’ll find plenty of evidence that God is on the throne, we’re walking in victory, and Satan’s utterly crushed. There are lots of praise choruses about our victory and God’s goodness, along with clapping...

February 21st, 2010 | Featured, Meditations | Read More

The quake: shaking our assumptions?

David Brooks’ excellent article about this week’s quake in Haiti is a must-read. Whether you agree with his diagnosis or not, he shines a light on a problem that absolutely must be addressed: there is no formulaic relationship between monetary aid and economic development/autonomy. Haiti...

January 20th, 2010 | Featured, Social Justice | Read More

The Value of Ecumenism…Or At Least of “Getting Along”

The school where I’m teaching this week is in the Bavarian region of Germany, a predominantly Catholic part of the country in contrast to the prevalence of Protestantism in the North. Both Protestant and Catholic claim to follow Jesus and declare without hesitation that “Jesus is Lord”....

January 6th, 2010 | Essays, Featured | Read More

Thanksgiving… Stray Dogs and Good Invitations

I wake this morning intending to skip rope in the backyard forest, but as I sip my morning coffee, the sunrise is too inviting for such confinement. I’ll run the stairs at the Aqua Theater while the sky gives me a light show to ease the pain. As I’m jogging down to the lake, the husky pup...

November 25th, 2009 | Featured, Meditations | Read More

The Bible as Idol

The Bible: Maybe the most dangerous idol? In Exodus 20, the very first of God’s ten commandments is His declaration that we must “have no other gods”, and right on the heels of that, we’re warned against “graven images”, which is a warning against fabricating gods...

November 1st, 2009 | Featured, Meditations | Read More