Going Old School on Discipleship

Discipleship is one of those words that is…well…let’s be honest…worn out! It triggers so many things for so many people. For example, I was recently in a conversation with someone who, after I used the word discipleship, asked why I still used that term. He said “Why don’t you just use the term ‘spiritual formation.’” To be honest, sometimes I …

Lent: Eight Ideas for Creating Sacred Space

It’s time to get ready for Lent but I am not giving up chocolate or coffee. Lent is not about denial or sacrifice. It is about letting go of all that prevents us wholeheartedly following Christ. I have recently updated Lenten resource lists on my blog. It’s a rather frustrating task because we don’t really need more to read or …

Five Reasons We Do "Liturgy"

Ask a ‘missional church planter’ about how they plan to do ‘Sunday worship’ and the response might range from leery to apologetic to an explanation about how it might be a necessary evil. My own journey has reflected some of this. Having seen churches focus almost entirely on the weekend experience, I found great hope in these words from Jurgen …

(Un)biblical: 3 Shifts Toward Reclaiming Scriptural Literacy

Neglected, dusty, and crisp—3 descriptives that aptly describe the Bible that sits motionless from the bookshelf in many American homes.  It rests just low enough on the shelf to be noticed, yet remains high enough to go untouched.  Recent estimates purport 3.9 billion Bibles have been purchased over the past 50 years.  Ben Irwin, a creator of the Community Bible …

How Would Waffle House Organize Your Church?

I was driving back form Huntsville, AL recently, and I was doing what I normally do on long trips…doodling in my little black book, developing diagrams and reviewing previous notes. I turned to my wife as she was driving and shared with her the matrix I was working on in relation to the gathered and scattered church. The more I shared …

Leading with a Limp by Dan Allender – A Book Review

Soon I will be posting about my top ten books on leadership. In anticipation for the post, I wanted to share with you one of my top ten leadership books now. It is entitled Leading with a Limp: Turning Your Struggles into Strengths, by Dan Allender.  I read this book a number of years ago, and on an annual basis …