Skip to content

chrisaltrock

Chris Altrock is an author, spiritual director and preacher, serving as the Senior Minister at the Stamford Church of Christ. He and his wife Kendra are parents to Jordan and Jacob.

Revolution: The Scandal of Love (Jn. 7:53-8:11)

Time magazine and CNN collaborated recently to create a list of the “Top Ten Scandals” from 2008.[1]  Here are five of them:

1.      New York Governor Eliot Spitzer resigns after his infidelity is discovered.

2.      AIG leaders receive an $85 billion bailout then take a lavish $400,000 retreat.

3.      Former senator Bob Edwards cheats on his wife of 31 years. 

4.      Seventeen Gloucester High School students get pregnant as the result of a pact.

5.      Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick resigns after his affair with a former aide is discovered.

Every year notable people make scandalous moral and spiritual choices.

Read More »Revolution: The Scandal of Love (Jn. 7:53-8:11)

The Offering: What Happened When God Offered All (Rom. 12:1-2)

Steve Prothero is a Boston University professor and author of the book Religious Literacy.[1]  When Prothero began teaching twenty years ago he found that few students could name the authors of the Christian Gospels.  Fewer could name a single Hindu Scripture.  Almost none could name the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.  This concerned Prothero.  He believes that many political conflicts in world history have had religious roots.  Thus he feels it imperative for students to know something about the religions of the world.  Most of his Boston University students, however, knew nothing.  Thus, this non-Christian professor proposes in his book that students should be required take a course in Bible and World Religions before graduating from high school.

Read More »The Offering: What Happened When God Offered All (Rom. 12:1-2)

The Yes That Makes Possible the No (Mk. 1:21-39)

Ron Wade is one of the shepherds at Highland.  About fifteen years ago when a campus minister asked Ron if he would start a ministry to Asians in Memphis, he said “Yes.”  About four years ago when the Highland church asked if he would serve as a shepherd, Ron said “Yes.”  About two years ago when we needed to restructure our leadership so elders had more time for shepherding and were less involved in administration, we asked Ron to outline a plan.  He said “Yes.”  About a year ago leaders at HopeWorks asked if Ron would become their new director.  Ron said “Yes.”  But several months ago, Ron told me he needed to learn how to say “No.”  He was too busy.  He had too many demands on his time.  And so half-jokingly and half-seriously, when I would see Ron in the hallway at church services I would mouth the word “No.”  Each time we saw each other, I would mouth the word “No.”  It’s still a struggle, but he’s learning.  When I emailed him earlier last week to ask if I could have his permission to tell this story about him this morning, he replied “No.”  But he explained he was just kidding.

Read More »The Yes That Makes Possible the No (Mk. 1:21-39)

Dreams from The Holy: A Dream of the Future (Is. 40:1-31)

In Is. 39:5-6 Isaiah delivers bad news: 5 Then Isaiah said to Hezekiah, “Hear the word of the LORD Almighty: 6 The time will surely come when everything in your palace, and all that your predecessors have stored up until this day, will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD. (Is. 39:5-6 TNIV).  Isaiah the prophet had to tell Hezekiah the king that tough times were coming—the city of Jerusalem would be attacked and its possessions and people dragged off to Babylon.  Tough times were coming.  Times of great struggle.  Times of great weakness.

Read More »Dreams from The Holy: A Dream of the Future (Is. 40:1-31)