Ryan Swedberg

To say that fasting is largely an afterthought in the modern American church would be an understatement. Just a couple of years ago, Pew Research declared that only 18% of Protestants fast during “holy times.” [1] And while this data might be skewed slightly depending on how Protestants interpret the phrase “holy times” (After all, Protestants are generally far less liturgical than others like Catholics.), it is still reasonable to conclude that if Protestants largely do not fast during...

The old adage that “leaders are readers” has never seemed to be more out of step than it is now in our current age of social media and instant gratification. Who would want to spend an hour reading when there are video games to be played, social media to be scrolled, and movies to be watched? Yet, that old adage has never been more true. Reading widely and wisely is a discipline and habit that must be a regular part of a person’s life for them to grow and change to the glory of God. With that...

As we enter December and the Christmas season, a variety of messages are floating around American culture. Ranging from Jesus is the reason for the season to a consumeristic glut of advertisements all centered on Santa and reindeer, there exists a diverse set of ideas about how to celebrate Christmas. As Christians, we know of course that the main reason to celebrate at Christmas is to consider the wonder of the birth of Jesus Christ. God took on human flesh and our world and eternity has...