Coffee with Creamer

Barry walks with us through an imaginary art museum, stopping in front of Psalm 89. This painting’s canvas, background, and complex foreground include most if not all of the colors of the other Psalms, just as the Davidic Covenant echoes the whole of Yahweh’s relationship with His creation.   Scriptures: Psalm 89 1 Kings 4:31 […]

Barry begins a series covering some of the great questions he has encountered through many (and I mean many) years of ministry. Today’s question has to do with what is essential to believe when coming to Christ. The one thing about Jesus that sets him apart from every other human is the resurrection—it declares Jesus […]

Barry continues to think through how to get back to civil discourse, using Robert Frost’s poem, The Gift Outright, to remind us of what we have in common. Simplifying our differences to one or the other side of a political divide does very little for either side and does no justice to our beautiful, complicated […]

Barry once again reminds us what our job is and what our job ain’t. One can determine the outcome they wish before they begin the journey, but God has actually given us the task to complete the journey, no matter where it ends, in a particular way. To lose sight of that way would be […]

Barry talks about a Psalm that hits a minor chord, with a focus on a feeling of loneliness and despair. Sometimes we face situations that cast darkness over days or even years and these moments can feel incredibly difficult to endure. Psalm 88 has both good news and even better news for these moments: not […]

Barry finishes up his discussion of what we are doing and what we should be doing instead. This episode focuses on replacing the Enlightenment’s devotion to comprehend and control the universe with a devotion to understand and live out our purpose within it. Once we know (as we can from scripture) what God expects; all […]

Barry begins the celebration of his upcoming birthday by using your time and mind to focus on a conundrum that has fascinated him since high school: the Tower of Babel. What is the difference between what humans are capable of and what they are responsible for? Let’s help him with his birthday wish.     […]

Barry talks about change and what is required to get there. Our enduring impact on the grand scheme of things can be far greater than the tiny space we occupy in it. However, the risk to change so much relies heavily on the two things we might want to do without: God and others.   […]

Barry skips to the chase scene as he walks through Psalm 87, focusing on the meaning of the city of Jerusalem from the Old Testament to the New. It just so happens, that God finds his people the same places he finds his enemies.       Scriptures: Psalm 87, 48:1-3, 50:1-2 Rev 22:1-2, 7:9-10 […]

Barry finishes his series on how we can let God’s heart change ours. He focuses on a few ruts—both personal and public—that require the special analytical tool of “meta-questions.” The application of this tool can help us respect other image-bearers better, rethink persistent problems, and decide what to do with our own agency this very […]