If you took a tally on what Jesus talked most about, we would see that his conversations were oriented around one thing: the Kingdom of God. He connected how the Son of Man is connected to the Kingdom of God, who is a part of the Kingdom of God, and what the Kingdom of God is like. And he told …
Pruning branches on a living plant helps it to be more productive, grow better fruit, and sustain the plant for the long haul. As churches have become dispersed because of COVID-19 it has revealed the fruit of our labor when times felt much less complicated. The lessons we are learning in order to be church today can help us to …
The Covid-19 pandemic is disrupting life as we have known it. It will take radical social distancing for us to flatten the curve. What does it mean for the people of God to be a blessing to their neighborhood and networks in a time that feels chaotic and unpredictable? In this webinar we will be drawing practical, on-the-ground, missional lessons …
At 57 years old, a lot has changed in my perspective of things. Life looks different, the future takes on the priority of legacy-leaving, and my idealism has taken on more grace. The other thing that has exited my priority list is the need of a title. I often have people ask me what I do and so I have …
A couple weeks ago I woke up, ate breakfast with the family, and walked my son to elementary school. From there, my 3-year old daughter and I walked to the local cafe, as we usually do. After properly caffeinating, I responded to a few emails, texted a new friend to hang out, and got to know the person sitting next …
The year was 250 CE and Rome found itself facing, invaded even, by a different kind of enemy. It was not an army it could simply defeat on the battlefield, but a plague that swept through parts of the empire. Most historians think the invader was akin to Smallpox or Bubonic Plague, based on the early descriptions of symptoms. Whole …
In a previous post I discussed why new plants (or any church for that matter) should have neighborhood presence as a central identity piece. Easier said than done. There are challenges to make this reality including: leaders who are figuring it out themselves, no active connection to the neighborhood, superficial relationships, or unrecognized activity. Sometimes we need help to turn …
John 1:14 from the Message reads:“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.” There’s something significant, inspiring, and mysterious that the Creator of all things dwelt in a neighborhood. Accessible God That God would care to be known in a simple and tangible way to humanity is a powerful reflection of the incarnation. It makes God from “way out there” …
When my church plant began it was perfect. We had a full roster of mature leaders who were experts at shared leadership and conflict transformation. There were people eager to be discipled in the way of Jesus and willing to substantially commit to that endeavor. Because of the relational depth we had cultivated, we agreed on everything, and our gatherings …
In my first blog in this series I suggested that after years of teaching students to preach the way I was taught to preach (assign each student a text, which fit me well as a “teacher” on five-fold), I started to wonder, “Am I trying to force apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherds, to preach like teachers?” I began to imagine, …