imagining how the church can reorient around mission

Joke:
Robi (my wife) to Trey (my 9 year old son) – “Hey Trey, did you know that when
your Dad was in college he was a better basketball player than Michael
Jordan?  Trey: “No way, he was that
good?”  Robi: “Actually no, when
your dad was in college Michael Jordan was 13.” 

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Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the
Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

 I leave in a few minutes to Denver for one of Christian Associates
Assessment weekends.  We are evaluating
and orienting several new church planters.  Though our work in Latin America, North America and more primarily
in Europe is going well and though the ones we are assessing this weekend are
amazing young (and a few older) people with massively courageous hearts for
mission, my prayer is the one above. 
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If it was outrageous then, what makes it different now?

You are the God of holiness read more

You’ve maybe seen the “Missional Church Made Simple.” Here is “Missional Community…Simple.” Good stuff.

I am giving this blog thing another go.  I may move to a different host at some point (this one seems creatively limiting), but I feel like I am ready to start blogging/posting again.

Peace!

I read last week that Luther stated in his Disputation at Heidelberg that, “Grace is given to heal the spiritually sick, not to decorate spiritual heroes.” 

I love that because sometime we think of grace as a toy we get to play with or control. Grace is truly for us, but not for us to just keep but to giveaway or pass on to others.  It seems there are many that think  God gives grace for their own self-aggrandizement or advancement. 

Man, I love this quote:

"The congregation, the so-called homeland church, the community of heathen Christians should recognize themselves and actively engage themselves as what they essentially are: a missionary community!  They are not a mission association or society, not a group that formed itself with the firm intention to do mission, but a human community called to the act of mission." Karl Barth, Die Theologie und die Mission, 118.

Here is the link to Karli (my daughter) and Caroline Fowler's free Christmas album.  It is super good and, well, free!

http://www.karlifairbanks.com/christmasdownload.html

Sometimes we find your love in the warmth of relationship.  In the embrace of a friend or in the believing words of a parent or in the intimacy of a life companion.  Sometimes that love even come as mystifying forgiveness from someone we have injured.

We find your love in the traditions of the Incarnation…family gatherings, the trees, the gifting, and the warm drinks…the Jesus story. read more