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 …

(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 …

Limited Time Only! Special Opportunity from Our Friends at Missio Alliance

Our friends at Missio Alliance are hosting their Annual Gathering May 7-9, 2015. Here’s how they describe it one the event website: BEING TRULY HUMAN: RE-IMAGINING THE RESURRECTIONAL LIFE The Cross is Not Enough. While obviously of profound significance, the cross seems to have usurped the resurrection as the unique centerpiece of Christian faith, practice, and even how we understand the nature …

How Will Missional Survive the Apocalypse?

I’m a total Sci-Fi fanatic. Most of the sci-fi post-apocalyptic movies or books that come out get me all jazzed up. I’m fascinated with the concept of how humanity survives when the existing structures previously depended upon on are no longer dependable. The Western World is changing. Many of the cultural structures that formed the church for centuries are disappearing. The images …

Help Wanted! A Critique of DIY Spirituality

Sometime around 1410, Andrei Rublev painted an icon of the Trinity. The image depicts the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit gathered around a table. As they are seated they are positioned with an openness to the viewer inviting each person who reflects on the image into the communal moment they are sharing together. Thomas Merton reminds us that “when we …

3 Critical Elements to Building Collaborative Ministries

‘Collaborative’ is a particularly popular descriptor that excites ministry leaders today. Like its cousins ‘missional’ and ‘incarnational,’ it attempts to capture a unique temperament of the ministry enterprise. Namely, the desire to seek partnership in mission and values through the contribution of a number of uniquely different voices. But what are we saying and what are we doing in our …

Start the New Year Right – Take a Spiritual Audit

Welcome to a new year filled with incredible potential. Here in Seattle the sun is shining, the Olympic mountains are covered in snow, and it is not hard to believe that only good things lie ahead. By the end of summer, the snow will be gone and the hope and promise they offered may be gone too. Unfortunately, our new …

How to Evaluate Preaching in the Missional Church

After seven articles, and almost as many months, we finally come to the end of this series on Sermon Preparation for the Missional Pastor. While the last article was on the actual development of a sermon outline, I suggested there is one more step that’s all too easy to overlook: Evaluate. So may I offer you four questions to ask …

How White is Your Church?

mulThe deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown impacted all of our lives. Hopefully, it has made many of us consider the great divides that separate us from people of other colours and ethnicities. I wonder if in the roar of the protests what real changes we are willing to make to our lives. Are we really prepared for the …