My favorite scene from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: Ron: “Mmm. San Diego. Drink it in. It always goes down smooth. Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diago, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.” Veronica: “No, there’s no way that’s correct.” Ron: “I’m sorry, I was trying […]
You may not care much about football. Touchdowns, first-downs and tackling people may be as boring as watching paint dry. Yet if you are a human being than you should care deeply about the NFL’s latest example of completely and totally blowing it. Ray Rice, the running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was recently suspended for two games after beating his […]
“I guess ultimately I feel like you are discouraging anyone from going to church, and since you were a pastor for over a decade, that confuses me.” That’s a quote from a close friend who read one of my recent Facebook posts in which I took a very calculated and intentional risk, and posted… I’m […]
So, you want to become more intentionally missional. You’ve heard the stories of amazing missional endeavors, and the incredible fruit they’ve seen. You want to be more intentionally incarnational. You’ve read books, watched videos online, scrolled through websites and tweets, and you get it. You’re ready. You’re pumped/jazzed/motivated. But like any leader, you want your […]
Recently I had a conversation with a young and newly minted pastor who was asking me some questions about preaching. We spent some time talking about different homiletic principles and I recall that one of the last things that she said was, “I want to preach like the apostles.” Despite the fact that some of […]
In any dysfunctional relationship, there are several roles that are enacted: the Perp, the Victim(s), and the Enabler(s). Since ministry is a relational theatre, it should come as no surprise that for every dysfunctional situation that can be encountered, there are inevitably enablers supporting the dysfunctional system. In linking the Loyal Liar syndrome to worship […]
Three key ideas inspire my motives for writing this post. First – I recently read a series of posts asking the question, “Is there a ‘the Christian Worldview” by Roger Olson. You can read the first in the series here (then follow Olson’s links to the rest) if you want to enjoy them. Second – Three […]
Over the past eight years I’ve taken a number of different approaches to having a leadership/ministry/staff team. In this post I want to share a few of the things that I’ve learned over the years from my experience, both positive and negative, and the resources that I’ve learned from. When I first started pastoring, I walked into […]
So You Want to Preach Like the Apostles…
Recently I had a conversation with a young and newly minted pastor who was asking me some questions about preaching. We spent some time talking about different homiletic principles and I recall that one of the last things that she said was, “I want to preach like the apostles.” Despite the fact that some of […]
On the Road Between Ephesus and Thyatira: An Alternative Model to Ken Wilson’s in ALTMC, Part 3
So, let’s review. On one end of the spectrum, we have an otherwise healthy church who, in their rejection of sin (which probably included some porneia), have become unloving. Somewhere in the middle, we have a community who are under persecution, even to the point of being martyred, but Jesus even corrects them for allowing […]
The Whole Bible is About God Establishing His Kingdom
N. T. Wright dropping some knowledge on fools: “… the point about God’s authority is that the whole Bible is about God establishing his kingdom on earth as in heaven, completing (in other words) the project begun but aborted in Genesis 1– 3. This is the big story that we must learn how to tell. […]
Karl Barth Recognized Churchianity as Opposed to Community
Karl Barth writes: “When theology confronts the Word of God and its witnesses, its place is very concretely in the community, not somewhere in empty space. The word “community,” rather than “Church,” is used advisedly, for from a theological point of view it is best to avoid the word “Church” as much as possible, if […]
In any dysfunctional relationship, there are several roles that are enacted: the Perp, the Victim(s), and the Enabler(s). Since ministry is a relational theatre, it should come as no surprise that for every dysfunctional situation that can be encountered, there are inevitably enablers supporting the dysfunctional system. In linking the Loyal Liar syndrome to worship […]
Toward a framework for a “Christian” Worldview
Three key ideas inspire my motives for writing this post. First – I recently read a series of posts asking the question, “Is there a ‘the Christian Worldview” by Roger Olson. You can read the first in the series here (then follow Olson’s links to the rest) if you want to enjoy them. Second – Three […]
A Commentary on the Psalms: Volume 2 (42-89), by Allen P. Ross
Of the Psalms, John Calvin said that “the varied and resplendid riches which are contained in this treasury it is no easy matter to express in words.” Martin Luther stated that the Psalms are a “Little Bible, wherein everything contained in the entire Bible is beautifully and briefly comprehended.” Deitrich Bonhoeffer said that “the more […]
Praying in God’s Theater, by Joel L. Watts
Throughout the year I often find myself asking questions about personal “soul care” and this usually turns into questions about my time spent reading Scripture and praying. I used to always feel like I was the worst follower of Jesus in the universe because I really struggled to pray according to the models I had inherited from previous experiences […]
Elders in the Life of the Church, by Phil Newton & Matt Schmucker
I think a case could be made that the Bible offers a variety of options regarding church polity. However, I personally find the plurality of pastors model the best option for the local church (see my top 5 books on the subject). In fact, if you take a look at my list of top five books […]
Neighborhood Based House Churches (and the corporate organization that supports them)
So I’m continuing to explore the idea of more organic forms of church. I came across this blog post entitled How the Local Movement is Revitalizing Church. Its basically about “reclaiming the ancient idea of the parish” – that’s right a community-based church! You might want to go to the link and read it first. […]
Agree to Disagree. “Disputable Matters” in Romans 14.
My favorite scene from Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy: Ron: “Mmm. San Diego. Drink it in. It always goes down smooth. Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diago, which of course in German means a whale’s vagina.” Veronica: “No, there’s no way that’s correct.” Ron: “I’m sorry, I was trying […]
Smoking Pot is Worse than Beating Women: Why the NFL Just Totally Blew It
You may not care much about football. Touchdowns, first-downs and tackling people may be as boring as watching paint dry. Yet if you are a human being than you should care deeply about the NFL’s latest example of completely and totally blowing it. Ray Rice, the running back for the Baltimore Ravens, was recently suspended for two games after beating his […]
Some Things I’ve Learned About Spiritual Disciplines Over The Years: Fasting
Welcome to week 5: Fasting – the final installment in our series on Spiritual Disciplines. Years ago, I used to like to do the three-day, juice only fast, every once in a while. But now I have developed a more regular discipline of fasting? I’ll just be honest: I fast once a week, every Tuesday, to be specific. I […]
“A God to call Father” – A Father’s Day Reflection
Have you ever heard someone refer to God as “The Man Upstairs,” or perhaps more piously, “The Lord?” Certainly, the Bible is full of titles and descriptions of God, which are appropriate to use when we refer to Him. But there is one sense in which God reveals himself which truly shows the depth of […]
A few months ago I posted a review of Kevin Scott’s absolutely fantastic book ReCreatable (review here). Kevin was kind enough to answer a few questions for us and I want to again encourage you to pick up his book! It’s excellent. ************************************ Luke: Kevin, thanks for taking the time to answer some of our questions! If you wouldn’t mind, […]
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