The Need for Clarity
Clarity is what I want and need at this point in my life. Without it I either mumble or I make stuff up.
The Bible says that…”without out a vision the people cast off restrain.” Literally, it means people give up without some semblance of clarity for the future. We all need to know. I have often said the obedience is not the problem for me (although, sometimes it is), it’s knowing what to do. Granted God is mysterious – I even like that, but to have an idea where you are going is critical to vibrancy and hope.
Suspended Space – Peter Rollins video
This is a helfpful and thought provoking little video. I love Rollins' line, referring to the church, "I am not going to let anyone colonize the space…including myself." I wish this were true of all churches in the west.
Do you obsessively check your smartphone? – CNN.com
(CNN) — There I was at a long-awaited dinner with friends Saturday night, when in the midst of our chatting, I watched my right hand sneaking away from my side to grab my phone sitting on the table to check my e-mail…
For more, check this link out…Smart Phone Problem
“More” A Small Attempt to Magnify God
During one of the directed prayer times at CA’s North American Connect conference recently held in Minneapolis, MN, we were directed to reflect on the concept of magnifying God. What does it mean to magnify some thing? Here is the short prayer reflection that I wrote:
An ocean of grace and more
Are you a Trader? Kingdom Impact!
Planting Churches Worldwide – from CA’s Connections E-newsletter
The following is from an entry from me in Christian Associates Connections e-newsletter. If you would like to get these monthly updates, you can type your email in at the bottom of the CA site.
This last March I delivered one of the plenary session messages at CA’s Summit in Spain. I made a couple of statements that may have come off as a bit confusing. One thing I said with a bit of bravado is that I don’t want to plant churches. Now, that comes off a bit peculiar, since I lead a church planting organization. That is what CA does – we plant churches. What I mean when I say that I don’t want to plant churches must, however, be qualified. What I really mean is that I don’t want to plant churches that just do “church.” I see many churches being planted at this time, but many of them are really simply starting worship services. The reality is, we don’t need more worship services. Most churches in most cities have plenty of seats available – right? Read what veteran missionary and theologian Howard Snyder says about this dilemma:
On Those Who Abandon the Church
I am reading Todd Hunter’s short book entitled, The Accidental Anglican about his journey from Jesus People to Anglicanism. I am particularly interested because both of us started out in the same place. In the first part of the book he lends a quote from James Lloyd Breck, Anglican leader from the 1800’s. It is important to me because I run into so many “Jesus yes, the church is superfluous (that is a positive spin on their view of the church)" people.
Here's the quote:
A multi-faceted Gospel (i.e. the “good news” is not as monolithic as we often make it) « Stirrings
I have been preparing for Christian Associates’ 2nd annual North American conference called “Connect.” On Saturday morning at Connect, our 80 or so participants will wrestle with how we “embody the gospel communally.” The premise is that we default to expressing the good news in quite individualistic fashion, making it harder for normal people to really comprehend the beauty and breadth of God’s message in Christ for the world. The gospel is most clearly understand when embodied by communities that believe it and act as signs, foretastes and instruments of the now-and-not-yet Kingdom of God (as the great missiologist Lesslie Newbigin reminds us).
Hoopfest and the Crazy Parent in Me
Dateline: June 24, 2011
Hoopfest, Spokane, WA USA
The Church and the Kingdom
Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christaccording to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.