imagining how the church can reorient around mission

These are the coolest and eeriest pictures of winter along the Spokane River.  The river is absolutely raging right now creating a misting effect over the falls.  That coupled with the current cold snap has created some amazing images.  You can check the article out at Spokesman Review.

Here are the Falls right now. read more

Here is a candid discussion about Porn from three seasoned guys who each have rich theological backgrounds.  It really highlights the the needed balance of grace and repugnance concerning the sin of pornagraphy.  Let me know what you think???

When our senses are heightened we usually experience things in a way we have never experienced before. If you fast for an extended period of time, say for over 24 hours, the first bite of food you take after the fast sends your taste buds into a frenzy. The banana you peel in your hand suddenly becomes a BANANA!!!!!! in your mouth. Well over the past 12 months God has heightened my sense of pain. For over a year now I have dealt with chronic low back pain. And while the pain is miserable, I find myself praising God for the way He has literally opened my eyes to the things unseen by heightening my sense of pain. And I had one of those insights in church on Sunday that I would like to share with you. 

In years passed when Psalm 84 has been read, or the worship song "Better is One Day" is sung, I always wrested with it. Sure, it's a honoring thing to say to God, "Lord, I'd rather have the lowest job for one day in your court than spend thousands of days here on earth." But let's be honest, we could all create our own paradise here on earth that would be pretty freaking sweet. And so I always found myself doubting that song and that Scripture verse. Or if I wasn't doubting, I was at least creating an earthly paradise in my head and comparing it to God's Kingdom.  A year of pain changes things, though. For the first time in my life on Sunday, I sang the song without a shadow of doubt the ONE day is far better than any time spent here on this earth. Before the pain, I cared little about Christ's return. Before the pain I was comfortable with this life. With the pain I realize that I'm not living for this life…I'm living for the next. But I spent 20 years of my life with no true desire for Christ's return.  read more

I get the pleasure of being a part of Christian Associates’ North American Engage this weekend in Portland, Oregon (Portlandia – You Gotta Watch This!!!).  What a pleasure it is to meet and encourage a crew of folks who have set there sights on multiplying missional communities in some of the most amazing cities of the world.  We have people interested from Germany, the UK, Norway, and Latin and North America.  If you would make a note to remember to pray for them as they get poke and prodded a bit and as they further investigate the next steps for their lives (a weighty proposition, indeed) it would be deeply appreciated!

Thanks!

If you follow “The Drum” you have realized that it was deluged during the month of January by guest bloggers.  These fine people (18-22 year olds) were students of mine from Whitworth University who were in a course I teach called, "The Missional Church (Hey, back off. I named it before it was faddish)."  Their assignment was to publicly blog throughout the term.  I shamelessly volunteered mine for the exercise.  That wasn’t all they were to do, but we felt a little global exposure would be healthy as they processed the grand narratives of missionality in western culture.

I hope you enjoyed their honest and sometimes raw thoughts about the mission of God, our culture and how the Bride of Christ is to interact with both.  read more

This is a short excerpt from my dear (and brilliant) friend, Al Tizon (you can find him at Word and Deed or on FB at Evangelicals for Social Action):

What is the role of the church in the face of national crisis in general and the recent Tucson
shootings in particular? The answer is multi-dimensional, but it always includes offering hope to a traumatized nation by way of prayers, sermons, and honoring those whose lives were lost. Churches around the state of Arizona did just that in their Sunday services after the rampage. And not just in Arizona, but around the nation. Churches in Houston, for example, united for a day of mourning the dead, praying for those who were still fighting for their lives and for the health of the nation. Along these lines, an article appeared in the Yakima Herald that aptly remembers a sermon-speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the wake of the senseless deaths of four young black girls as a result of a church bombing. In the face of yet another national tragedy, the words of Dr. King—"God still has a way of wringing good out of evil"—defines the church’s message to the hurting, the injured, the needy, and the poor.

Last semester I had the opportunity to take Evangelism and Discipleship with Kent McDonald. It was a great class to take and I highly recommend it to anyone in Missional Church. One of the things we discussed was based around Matthew 28:16-20 (The Great Commission). This passage is the foundation to this missio dei concept we have been looking at. Our whole mission is to go out and make disciples. Kent did not like the phrase commission because it pertains too much as a duty or some sort of chore that we have to do. Instead, he chose to name it as “The Great Connection.” Sure, the whole point of mission is going out and spreading the good news, but it also requires us to have a deep relationship with the disciples we are creating. It should not be a one time thing, but an ongoing process. Incarnational relational ministry is something that should be directed toward “The Great Connection.” Jesus did this with his disciples. He did not only tell them a whole bunch of religious facts, he also ate dinner with them, talked with them, and just hung out with them in general. If there is any intention of spreading the Kingdom of God to the city there needs to be a relational aspect to the mission.

Brian

"Mission begins with a kind of explosion of joy. The news that the rejected and crucified Jesus is alive is something that cannot possibly be suppressed. It must be told. Who could be silent about such a fact?" says Lesslie Newbigin in his book, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.

As we near the end of our Missional Church class, these words are ones that seem to sum up what I’ve learned; or, rather, what’s been rekindled in me. Missionality is something I have always longed for, without knowing the words for it. As I think and hope most Christians do, I find the story of Jesus intoxicating. That being said, I have always felt this frustration, not knowing where to begin communicating that. read more