Mission can be excitedly unpredictable! During a recent new believers course, God showed up in an unexpected way. Brittany, one of our new believers, knowing we would be discussing outreach, took the initiative to bring her not-yet-believing friend, Jocelyn. In this session, we introduced “the gospel key” (a method I teach on how to speak […]
Continue readingMore TagRemaking Culture
It is so easy to slam the church and Christian culture. But the challenge is changing it. One of the real treasures that arrived on bookshelves this past year is Culture Making, by Andy Crouch. Weighing in on the dynamics with culture, he writes, “You can’t merely repudiate culture. If you are serious about changing […]
Continue readingMore TagOscars Observations
Being a self-declared movie buff, I have a penchant for the Oscars. As a pastor who is trying to be culturally in-tune, I have viewed this event as a window to the popular culture. From year to year, you never know what you might pick up. So, here is my take on this year’s red […]
Continue readingMore TagPeer Learning
One of the ways to increase faith-sharing effectiveness is to allow Christians to learn from each other. Peer or “experienced based” learning gives others a chance to hear about “live” interactions. It takes us away from irrelevant didactic teaching and moves us into the more intuitive skills of relating. Forming a missions group in your […]
Continue readingMore TagGetting Out There!
While coaching one of our Network’s church planters, he tells me of his recent trip to the Grand Canyon, and a poignant moment that stirred him. He and his wife decided to join the crowd of paying customers to experience the multi-million dollar Grand Canyon Skywalk. Perhaps you have heard of the protruding over-the-edge glass […]
Continue readingMore TagRealigning Dreams
In the famous first calling of the disciples, Jesus the carpenter meets fisherman on their turf (Luke 5:1–11). Bypassing conversation about boards, nails and hammers, he offers a simple invitation to fish, once more. It is just the fact that Jesus fulfills their greatest fishing dream that makes his call so compelling. How many times […]
Continue readingMore TagSoul Whispering Snapshot: Parkor
Sitting down to watch American Ninja Warrior with my son, I picked up a new term: Parkor. My son embellished its street-running pedigree describing it as, “Traveling the distance between two points in a way that is most complicated.” Did you, like me, have trouble wrapping your head around this concept? It is a cross-training […]
Continue readingMore TagA Titanic Mistake
I can surmise a few things about movie icon James Cameron. Most notably, he must be a very rich man having produced and directed two little box office booms: Titanic and Avatar! The other day, I learned something much more telling of him in his follow-up documentary: Titanic: The Final Word With James Cameron. Having […]
Continue readingMore TagBlessing and Burden
I’m back with a blog! My hiatus from the blogosphere gave me a chance to finalize the Soul Whisperer manuscript. Praise God, it’s now done! I thought it fitting with this first returning blog to share some of my intimate thoughts on the book. First off, getting the opportunity to chase a dream like this […]
Continue readingMore TagPuzzling Through Life
This past Christmas I got the brilliant idea of doing a large puzzle. Perusing the Barnes & Noble shelves, I found an exquisite seascape with a large dolphin and tortoise. It was perfect—just what I was looking for, and only a mere three thousand pieces. Laying it out on our family room table I told […]
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