Gary Neal Hansen

Theology. It's good for you.

  • About
    • Speaking
    • Contact
    • Home
  • Books
    • Love Your Bible
    • Christmas Play
    • Kneeling with Giants
    • Review Crew
  • Library
    • Join
    • Login
  • Blog
  • Lenten Prayer Class log in
    • Lenten Prayer Class Info
    • Class Info: Your First Sermon
      • Your 1st Sermon — Course Login
    • “Pray Like a Reformer” Class Info
      • Pray Like a Reformer Login
    • Advent Lectio Divina Class Info!
      • Lectio Divina Class Log In
  • Christmas Play
  • Love Your Bible
  • Kneeling with Giants
You are here: Home / Archives for Faith

Shouldn’t This Be Easy? (Letters to a Young Pastor)

August 18, 2016 by Gary Neal Hansen 4 Comments

Shouldn't this be easy?

Dear ______: Thanks for your note. You are definitely right: seeking a mountaintop experience is by no means the only off-target assumption people bring to seminary. And the assumptions that you bring make a big difference on the experience you have. Anyway, the conversations you mention point to another assumption that can keep people from […]

Filed Under: Faith, Ministry Tagged With: Letters to a Young Pastor

Letters to a Young Pastor: What to Do at a Fork in the Road

September 10, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen 6 Comments

A Fork in the Road

Dear ______: Yes, I suppose it is hard to just set aside your feeling that hearing God’s call is kind of scary. You’ve come to a fork in the road. You must choose. You might get it wrong. What is the worst thing that could happen? Yes, sometimes there are serious consequences. In my first computer programming class […]

Filed Under: Bible, Faith, Ministry Tagged With: DIvine guidance, Finding the Will of God, Fork in the Road, Joseph and his brothes, Letters to a Young Pastor

Lent 3: Food as Food

March 9, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Evagrius Ponticus (d. 399), the great Desert Father with whom I’m spending this Lent has a  has a way of pointing out obvious things that I’ve spent a very long time not noticing: biblically speaking, food has a long history of getting us into problems. Desire for food gave birth to disobedience and a sweet taste […]

Filed Under: Church Year, Faith, Theology Tagged With: Evagrius of Pontus, Evagrius Ponticus, Food, Gluttony, Martin Luther

Lent: Taking Stock with Evagrius Ponticus

February 26, 2015 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Lent is a season for self-examination. It is not mainly about feeling guilty. It is more like a chance to check the GPS (that might be “God Positioning System” if you like acronyms) and figure out exactly where you have come and where you still have to go. We often describe this life as a spiritual journey, […]

Filed Under: Church Year, Faith, Monasticism, Theology Tagged With: Desert Fathers, Evagrius of Pontus, Evagrius Ponticus, Lent, Self-examination

How to Organize Your Faith (Heidelberg Catechism Q24)

September 23, 2014 by Gary Neal Hansen Leave a Comment

Shhh! A whole lot of Christians are quietly afraid that someday, someone will ask them about their faith. We need some outline points, like the pegs on a coat rack. No hooks and you just have a pile of stuff on the floor. Add a row of pegs and you can hang up a whole lot of stuff […]

Filed Under: Bible, Faith, Heidelberg Catechism, Theology Tagged With: Apostles' Creed, Confirmation, Evangelism, Guilt grace and gratitude, Know what you believe, Lord's Prayer, Sharing your faith, Ten Commandments

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • Next Page »

AWESOME children’s sermons? Absolutely! Here’s how.

I'd love to send you my free Children's Sermon Cheat Sheet! You'll learn eight solid strategies to engage with kids on the Gospel.

Subscribe and I'll send it to you -- plus all my new children's sermons will come to you in my almost-weekly newsletter.

Theology. It’s good for you.

I'm a Church historian by trade. My writing, speaking, and teaching explores the Christian past to equip today's disciples. Join me here for regular posts on the best of theology, spirituality, community, and ministry. read more…

Recent Posts

  • A Children’s Sermon on John 14:23-29 — Four Gifts
  • A Children’s Sermon on John 13:31-35 — A New Commandment
  • A Children’s Sermon on John 10:22-30 — The Good Shepherd
  • A Children’s Sermon on John 21:1-19 — Easter 3
  • A Children’s Sermon on Luke 24:1-12 — Easter!

Search the site

Need a new way to engage with the Bible?

Subscribe to my newsletter and I'll send you a free ebook copy of Love Your Bible: Finding Your Way to the Presence of God with a 12th Century Monk. It's a modern introduction to a classic spiritual discipline that brings prayer and Bible study together.

It's manageable. It's fun. And it's free, along with my (almost)weekly newsletter that brings you every new article and announcement.

Archives

Let’s connect on social media…

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter

Search the site

  • Community for Mission
  • Letters to a Young Pastor
  • Christianity as a Second Language
  • Role Models for Discipleship

© 2025 garynealhansen.com · Rainmaker Platform