6 Things I'm Excited About (2024-08-04)

Sweater weather Losing weight with some help from Zepbound Football season (pulling for the Detroit Lions and the University of Michigan Wolverines) Harbor Freight coming out with version 2.0 of its “meme tool” – now with sockets! Hopefully out before the end of the year Reading The Widening of God’s Mercy: Sexuality Within the Biblical Story by Christopher and Richard Hays when it comes out next week Learning auto repair by working on my dad’s 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 (next up: replacing the governor pressure solenoid and sensor in the transmission, which will hopefully help with the truck getting stuck in low gear!) What are you excited about these days? ...

September 4, 2024 · 1 min · joshuapsteele

The Problem of Ecclesiastical Evil

You’ve probably heard of “the problem of evil” (if not, here’s an overview). But there’s a specific version/aspect of it that I find even more devastating. If God is omnipotent (all-powerful), ommniscient (all-knowing(, and omnibenevolent (completely good)… If the Church is God’s main plan for the redemption of humanity and the cosmos (consider the “body of Christ” paradigm in the New Testament)… If the gospel of Jesus Christ has had ~2K years to percolate in and through the Church… ...

March 8, 2024 · 4 min · joshuapsteele

Truth to Power

Mark 6:13-29. John the Baptist lost his life for speaking truth to power. Are we willing to speak truth to power? To tell the truth about power and the power of truth? Or will we abandon the truth to obtain and maintain power?

March 6, 2024 · 1 min · joshuapsteele

Questions Worth Asking (Self-Elicitation Questions)

These are questions that are always worth asking yourself. For a list of questions I’m currently asking and investigating, see my /questions page. Five-Minute Journal Questions Morning I am grateful for… What would make today great? Daily affirmations: I am… Evening What are 3 amazing things that happened today? How could I have made today even better? Morning Questions (5 minutes) What’s one thing I’m grateful for? What’s one thing I’m excited about? What’s one virtue I want to exhibit? What’s one thing I’m avoiding? What’s the one thing I need to do? Evening Questions (5 minutes) What were my biggest wins of the day? Did I have any major realizations? What’s on the agenda for tomorrow? Bottleneck Breaker What’s the biggest bottleneck to achieving my next goal? Why aren’t I working on it today? 80/20 Analysis Where am I feeling satisfied? Where am I feeling dissatisfied? For each of the above, what are the 20% of places, habits, people, beliefs, etc. that are responsible for 80% of the positive and negative results? Compounding Projection If I repeated every action from today for one year, where would I end up? Is this the place I want to be? Course Correction Questions What do I need to spend more time doing? What do I need to spend less time doing? What do I need to schedule? What do I need to do? What do I need to be more mindful of? What unresolved issues am I overlooking? What opportunities are in front of me? What obstacles are in my way? Am I going in the right direction with my commitments? What do I need to add? What do I need to delete? What do I need to expand? What do I need to shrink? What have I done well recently? Source: The Productivity Project Forty-Nine Questions to Improve Your Results, by Josh Kaufman Do I use my body optimally? What is the quality of my current diet? Do I get enough sleep? Am I managing my energy well each day? How do I manage daily stress? Do I have good posture and poise? What can I do to improve my ability to observe the world around me? Do I know what I want? What achievements would make me really excited? What “states of being” do I want to experience each day? Are my priorities and values clearly defined? Am I capable of making decisions quickly and confidently? Do I consistently focus my attention on what I want vs. what I don’t want? What am I afraid of? Have I created an honest and complete list of the fears I’m holding on to? Have I confronted each fear to imagine how I would handle it if it came to pass? Am I capable of recognizing and correcting self-limitation? Am I appropriately pushing my own limits? Is my mind clear and focused? Do I systematically externalize (write or record) what I think about? Am I making it easy to capture my thoughts quickly, as I have them? What has my attention right now? Am I regularly asking myself appropriate guiding questions? Do I spend most of my time focusing on a single task, or constantly flipping between multiple tasks? Do I spend enough time actively reflecting on my goals, projects, and progress? Am I confident, relaxed, and productive? Have I found a planning method that works for me? Am I “just organized enough”? Do I have an up-to-date list of my projects and active tasks? Do I review all of my commitments on a regular basis? Do I take regular, genuine breaks from my work? Am I consciously creating positive habits? Am I working to shed non-productive habits? Am I comfortable with telling other people “no”? How do I perform best? What do I particularly enjoy? What am I particularly good at doing? What environment do I find most conducive to doing good work? How do I tend to learn most effectively? How do I prefer to work with and communicate with others? What is currently holding me back? What do I really need to be happy and fulfilled? How am I currently defining “success”? Is there another way of defining “success” that I may find more fulfilling? How often do I compare myself to my perceptions of other people? Am I currently living below my means? If I could only own 100 things, what would they be? Am I capable of separating necessity and luxury? What do I feel grateful for in my life and work? Testing the “Impossible”: 17 Questions That Changed My Life, by Tim Ferriss What if I did the opposite for 48 hours? What do I spend a silly amount of money on? How might I scratch my own itch? What would I do/have/be if I had $10 million? What’s my real TMI (Target Monthly Income)? What are the worst things that could happen? Could I get back here? If I could only work 2 hours per week on my business, what would I do? What if I let them make decisions up to $100? $500? $1,000? What’s the least crowded channel? What if I couldn’t pitch my product directly? What if I created my own real-world MBA? Do I need to make it back the way I lost it? What if I could only subtract to solve problems? What might I put in place to allow me to go off the grid for 4 to 8 weeks, with no phone or email? Am I hunting antelope or field mice? Could it be that everything is fine and complete as is? What would this look like if it were easy? How can I throw money at this problem? How can I “waste” money to improve the quality of my life? No hurry, no pause. Useful questions for reframing (Derek Sivers, Useful Not True) When something goes wrong What’s great about this? How can I use this to my advantage? Does this change the goal, or the path, or nothing? How can I reduce the downsides? When changing direction When I was at my happiest, what was I doing? What have I strongly wanted for the longest time? What’s the opposite of what I usually do? Which of my old beliefs are not serving me? Forget me. What would be most helpful for others? When stuck What is my one top priority now? How can I begin without waiting for anything? What advice would I love to hear from an all-knowing sage? What am I doing that’s actually a distraction? Instead of avoiding mistakes, how can I make more to learn faster? Who can help? To make peace with what’s out of your control What happens if I ignore it and do nothing? Should I learn a lesson from this, or just move on? How can I blame no one, and see this as nobody’s fault? How can I be OK no matter what happens?

November 8, 2022 · 6 min · joshuapsteele

Mentor Me! 11 Questions I'd Like You to Answer

Say what you will about Tim Ferriss, I’ve always really enjoyed the questions that he asks himself and others. I also really enjoy LEARNING as much as I can from other people. And so, with that in mind, I’d like to “open source” my search for mentors and invite you, dear reader, to answer at least one of the questions below. Please comment your answers below this post (that way others can benefit from your knowledge as well!). Or, if you’d like, send them to me via email (use my contact form here). Then, go ask these questions to others! Cheers! ...

April 15, 2022 · 2 min · joshuapsteele

Why Haven’t You Torn The Sky Open Yet?

Sermon preached on Saturday, November 28, 2020 (First Sunday of Advent) via Zoom at Church of the Savior in Wheaton, IL. --- If there are two things I hate, they are waiting and staying awake. I hate waiting. Ask anyone who knows me. I am absolutely horrible when it comes to delayed gratification. I’ve been known to open new boxes of cereal on the way home from the store. And I hate staying awake. ...

November 28, 2020 · 10 min · joshuapsteele

We switched Anglican Compass over from HostGator Shared to Bluehost VPS Hosting

As of this morning, it looks like everything for Anglican Compass has been successfully moved over from our HostGator shared hosting to Bluehost VPS hosting. I’m hoping that this new arrangement works well for us! Although, to be honest, it’s still an open question in my mind whether or not managed WordPress hosting with WPEngine would be a better fit. I just can’t quite tell whether or not it would be worth the extra cost, given our current traffic and budget. ...

May 16, 2020 · 1 min · joshuapsteele

"They laughed when I became an Anglican, but when I started to pray!" 27 Anglican Headline Ideas

I’m reading my way through the new (4th) edition of Robert Bly’s classic The Copywriter’s Handbook. On pages 33–36, Bly offers “38 Model Headlines for Your ‘Swipe File.’” Here are some headlines ideas that came to mind, all geared to an Anglican context (due to my work at AnglicanCompass.com). Why are Anglicans so angry? How do I use the Book of Common Prayer? How can I become an Anglican? What do Anglicans believe? Why “Clarity & Charity” is the best way forward for the Church in a pluralistic age Announcing an ancient way to reclaim your days and years for God Don’t become an Anglican! You can now do the Daily Office with just this booklet and a Bible The 5 Anglican books you should own NOW Using the BCP—Once difficult, now easy A feast for the senses: The richness of Anglican worship “I was about to give up on the Church when I was introduced to the Anglican tradition” FREE booklet helps you pray How to avoid the biggest mistakes you can make when visiting an Anglican church The WORST Article in the Thirty-Nine Articles. Hint: It’s NOT what you think! Anglican clergy’s best-kept secret We’re looking for people who want to leave Anglicanism better than they found it It’s never too late to start doing the Daily Office Sick of iChurch and McChurch? Give Anglicanism a try Will your church pass the Word & Sacrament test? 3 reasons why you should NOT become an Anglican Christian Why most people leave the Church—and what you can do about it Crazy as it sounds, the Daily Office could save your marriage 5 reasons why written prayers are better than extemporaneous prayers 7 questions to ask when you visit an Anglican church Now you can create a personalized discipleship plan—for FREE Where’s #27? Read the title for this piece. ...

April 16, 2020 · 2 min · joshuapsteele

Barth, Bonhoeffer, and the Sermon on the Mount (Dissertation Dispatch 2020-02-04)

I’m still very much in the weeds, taking a closer look at how Bonhoeffer and Barth read the Sermon on the Mount. Given the importance of the Sermon on Mount for Bonhoeffer’s life and work, I’m persuaded that there’s something important to be found here—something that will hopefully shed some light on the Barth-Bonhoeffer relationship re:their theological critiques of religion. Additionally, there are at least two other tidbits that have me interested in how Barth and Bonhoeffer read the Sermon on the Mount. ...

February 4, 2020 · 3 min · joshuapsteele

Quit claiming that we mutualists (egalitarians) don't take the Bible or tradition seriously.

In the ongoing debate about women’s ordination (in the Anglican realm and beyond), I keep hearing oversimplified claims from hierarchicalists (or “complementarians,” but that’s not the most helpful term in this debate) that they have the entirety of the Bible and Church tradition on their side. Therefore, we mutualists (or “egalitarians,” but that’s not the most helpful term in this debate), it is argued, have arrived at our positions for various reasons—perhaps capitulation to liberal cultural trends and hermeneutical methods—but not because we’ve read Scripture or studied the history of the Church very carefully. ...

November 16, 2019 · 7 min · joshuapsteele

A Deacon's Last Day

Lord Jesus, you are the Good Shepherd who cares for his flock: We ask you to bestow upon your Church the gifts of the Holy Spirit in abundance, and to raise up from among us faithful and able persons called to the ministries of Deacon, Priest, and Bishop. Inspire them to spend and be spent for the sake of the Gospel, and make them holy and loving servants and shepherds of the flock for whom you shed your most precious blood. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen**.** ...

November 2, 2019 · 2 min · joshuapsteele

Here's what I'm committing myself to as a priest.

I’m getting ordained to the priesthood this Saturday, November 02. For public/posterity’s sake, I wanted to post some of the main parts of the ordination liturgy (from the ACNA’s 2019 Book of Common Prayer). The Presentation The Bishop and People sit. The Presenters, standing before the Bishop, present the Ordinand, saying Reverend Father in God, we present N.N. to be admitted to the Order of Priests. Bishop: Has he been selected in accordance with the Canons of this Church? And do you believe his manner of life to be suitable to the exercise of this ministry? ...

October 28, 2019 · 10 min · joshuapsteele

A Prayer for Relatives and Friends

O Loving Father, we commend to your gracious keeping all who are near and dear to us. Have mercy upon any who are sick, and comfort those who are in pain, anxiety, or sorrow. Awaken all who are careless about eternal things. Bless those who are young and in health, that they may give the days of their strength to you. Comfort the aged and infirm, that your peace may rest upon them. ...

October 28, 2019 · 1 min · joshuapsteele

"Why You Never See Your Friends Anymore" (The Atlantic)

Judith Shulevitz offers up a (depressing) eye-opening analysis of our overbusy lives. There is another way! But community and Sabbath both require sacrifice. Whereas we once shared the same temporal rhythms—five days on, two days off, federal holidays, thank-God-it’s-Fridays—our weeks are now shaped by the unpredictable dictates of our employers. Nearly a fifth of Americans hold jobs with nonstandard or variable hours. They may work seasonally, on rotating shifts, or in the gig economy driving for Uber or delivering for Postmates. Meanwhile, more people on the upper end of the pay scale are working long hours. Combine the people who have unpredictable workweeks with those who have prolonged ones, and you get a good third of the American labor force. ...

October 16, 2019 · 1 min · joshuapsteele

What are the most important theological terms that every Christian should know?

Which theological terms would make your shortlist? Here’s the list of terms found in “Jargon-Busting: A Glossary of Theological Terms,” at the back of Alister E. McGrath’s excellent Christian Theology: An Introduction (25th Anniversary Edition). adoptionism aggiornamento Alexandrian School allegory Anabaptism analogy of being (analogia entis) analogy of faith (analogia fidei) anthropomorphism Antiochene School anti-Pelagian writings apocalyptic apologetics apophatic apostolic era appropriation Arianism atonement Barthian beatific vision Beatitudes Calvinism Cappadocian fathers Cartesianism catechism catharsis catholic Chalcedonian definition charisma, charismatic Charismatic movement Christology circumincessio conciliarism confession consubstantial consubstantiation contemplation creed Deism dialectical theology Docetism Donatism doxology Ebionitism ecclesiology Enlightenment eschatology Eucharist evangelical exegesis exemplarism fathers fideism filioque Five Ways fourth gospel fundamentalism hermeneutics hesychasm historical Jesus historico-critical method history of religions school homoousios humanism hypostatic union icons ideology incarnation justification by faith, doctrine of kenoticism kerygma liberal Protestantism liberation theology liturgy logos Lutheranism Manicheism modalism monophysitism neo-orthodoxy ontological argument orthodoxy parousia patripassianism patristic Pelagianism perichoresis Pietism postliberalism postmodernism praxis Protestantism Quadriga radical Reformation Reformed Sabellianism sacrament schism scholasticism Scripture principle Socinianism soteriology synoptic gospels synoptic problem theodicy theopaschitism theotokos Thomism transubstantiation Trinity two natures, doctrine of typology Vulgate Zwinglianism

October 16, 2019 · 1 min · joshuapsteele