Scott Hoezee

Some years back there was an advertisement in Fortune magazine that depicted a chauffeur standing next to the open door of a limousine. The caption on the ad was: "Drive yourself today, be driven tomorrow. Let Fortune show you how."…

As the schedule would have it, election day in the U.S. coincides with my turn here on The Twelve.  I spent a long while Monday morning staring into space, wondering what to write. It would be great to bracket and…

Some years back I had the privilege of doing an on-stage interview with Rev. Eugene Peterson at the Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin College.  Like most pastors I know, I had long found that Peterson's writings fed my…

My friend Frederick Dale Bruner loves teaching the big narratives in John's Gospel.   When he and I used to do a preaching seminar together, a favorite story Dale taught was of "The Man Born Blind" in John 9.   Or as…

Years ago I had a page-a-day calendar that featured each day a quote from some semi-famous person or another.  I can't remember to whom this was attributed but someone on one of those pages that year said "Being in church…

A couple of weeks ago I had the great privilege of being the featured teacher at "The School of Preaching" held at a church in Nairobi, Kenya.  Having the opportunity to speak with, teach, and interact with around 175 pastors…

Recently here on The Twelve, colleague Jim Bratt gave a glowing review of Ron Chernow's brilliant new biography Grant.  Among other things, Bratt noted that even as David McCullough's bio of Harry Truman went a long way toward rehabilitating Truman's…

The summer seminars I help to lead often provide fodder for this blog.  That was the case last month after a seminar in Colorado.  And it is true now again following last week's seminar "Addressing God: How Preachers Encourage Vibrant…

We saw it a few years back.   There was a major refugee crisis.  We knew many thousands were fleeing violence and poverty and trying to come to Europe, often taking treacherous sea crossings in shabby "boats" to do so.   We…

Recently I returned from leading a seminar for twenty-one pastors at Snow Mountain Ranch in Colorado.  On this particular seminar I was joined in leadership by two colleagues, Peter Jonker and Heidi De Jonge (who also blogs here on The…