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 […]
Continue readingSignature Jesus: Learning from the life of Christ
The last two weeks at Co+op we have had the opportunity to hear from two great guest speakers: Pastor Nathan Brown and Gary Comer. Pastor Nathan spoke on “Satan’s Will for Your Life” where he highlighted the tactics of Satan. Such tactics included, emotional bankruptcy, and lies. Lies of inadequacy and entitlement. All Satan wants is for […]
Continue readingSoul Whispering Snapshot #3: Go Deep
Tawny tells me about her conversation with Armenian friend Dacia, who quickly shuts down her attempt to discuss faith. Armenians, by the way, are proudly Christian in the fact that they adopted Christianity even before Constantine. Yet Tawny senses her Christianity is merely cultural and not real. She asks me one night after our community […]
Continue readingBoycott “Christ-Like” – Part II
In follow-up to my “Boycott Christ-like” blog, I received a comment that too many use the term “Christian” improperly as well. Certainly, this is true. Many “cultural Christians” are not believers. Yet I found myself wanting to add a clarification to his comment that is important. A Christian is one by faith, not behavior. Otherwise, […]
Continue readingThe Power of Your Presence
Over the past years, I have taught Christians a Faith-Sharing Skills course. One of the issues facing the church today is how isolated Christians can get from non-believers. In every class, I ask participants to step up into the life of a non-Christian by connecting on a regular basis. Without this positioning, we do not […]
Continue readingTraining Circle
In the movie, The Mask of Zorro, the original “Z”, played by Anthony Hopkins, instructs his younger replacement, Antonio Banderas, in the training circle. According to his swashbuckling wisdom, it is futile to control anything beyond one’s immediate sphere. Yet if one focuses inside a tight radius, he can deal with everything coming from outside […]
Continue readingSoul Whispering Snapshot #2: Fence Jumping
I am astounded at how impotent the church remains in mission. The other day in our community group, Tawny shared of a friend’s encounter with a Muslim who had given her a Koran. Seeing what had occurred, the husband reacted angrily, telling his wife to give it back! I know that many would think it […]
Continue readingBoycott “Christ-like?”
When was the last time you heard someone describe another as “Christ-like?” I have wondered if we use the term far too loosely. My issue is this. It is entirely possible in the modern church to teach the idea of Christ-likeness devoid of mission. This shouldn’t be! Can you be Christ-like without possessing his most […]
Continue readingSoul Whispering Snapshot #1: Drawing
This blog begins a series on evangelistic skills. My intention is to bring you into a vivid living color picture of reaching our world. —————————————————— “We don’t do the church thing in our family.” This rather curt, walk off, response came from Liz to her friend Anne. What do you do […]
Continue readingLooking Back at Your Life Map
Have you ever made a life map? It is an exercise where you look back at your life and categorize the big events by designating them as either good or bad. To create a visual picture of your journey, you lay them out on paper using different color post-it-notes. If you have done this before, […]
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