Reflections from Israel, Part 1
Visiting Israel for the first time, I wondered what to expect. Would it be over-commercialized? Would the holy sites be little more than tourist traps? More lamentably, would I be too old and cynical to appreciate the simplicity of, say, the Garden of Gethsemane or the Jordan River? As it turned out, these fears were unfounded. I loved Israel. I was touched deeply by the direct experience of (as is often said) "walking where Jesus walked."...
Apologetics for Kids, Part 2
Part 1 is here. How do we communicate the gospel to kids? I'm no expert. But I am an experimenter. Here's the latest: I'm working with two of my grandsons, age 11 and 9. I love them both! They're...
A Gen Z Additive, Part 3 of 3: Making A (Caring) Case
In the prior post, I suggested an overall conversational approach for relating to Gen Z. It involves asking good questions, listening carefully, sharing from our own lives, and using "I" statements rather than definitive "truth" statements. This approach helps...
A Gen Z Additive, Part 2 of 3: Building Trust
In my prior post I offered some general notes about Gen Z gleaned from online and InterVarsity sources. My own "additive" consists of four suggestions for relating to Gen Z. They arise from my many experiences in dorm lounges,...
A Gen Z Additive, Part 1 of 3: Who is Gen Z?
Having trouble understanding Gen Z these days? In education, Gen Z refers to middle schoolers all the way up through graduate students in their mid-20s. A few Gen Z characteristics include low religious affiliation, mental health struggles, left-leaning political...
Muslim Dialogue
I just finished my fourth public conversation with a Muslim leader. In this case, Rihabi Mohamed, PH.D. I found him to be polite, articulate, and caring. A model dialogue partner. * Three things (of many) that I'm learning, through...
Apologetics for Kids, Part 1 of 2
My daughter Kelli and husband Greg have a vision for educating their five boys in the ways of the Lord. This includes giving them plenty of "why's" to believe in Jesus. So Kelli recruited me to give the first...
Tradition as a Guardrail
Students on campus sometimes ask me what makes my interpretation of the Bible -- or anyone else's -- the right one. Two replies 1. We need to discern the intent of the biblical authors There's a rule that most...
It’s Not About the Numbers. Or Is It? Part 1 of 2
A church I'm familiar with closed its doors, recently, due to low attendance numbers. Lacking sufficient volunteers and income, they were forced to call it quits. I visited the final service. The message for the morning was presented from...
About Me
Rick Mattson
Evangelist & Writer
Hello & welcome to my blog! My name is Rick Mattson and I'm a traveling evangelist/apologist.