by Robby McAlpine | Apr 25, 2017 | Church Life, Discipleship, Leadership, Practical Theology
“Do you know why retired pastors always sit at the back of the church?” he asked, with a knowing wink. I smile back, shaking my head. “I have absolutely no idea. Why?” His grin broadened even more, and he leaned back in his chair with a hearty laugh. “Because we can!”...
by Robby McAlpine | Apr 7, 2017 | Discipleship, Ethics, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology
Before reading any further, take a moment to soak in the statement captured in the image above. In some ways, that picture+insight could simply exist as a blog post on its own, without any need for elaboration. But writers just can’t resist. My own trajectory as a...
by Luke Geraty | Mar 29, 2017 | Church Life, Cultural Engagement, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology, Preaching
I have a huge interest in homiletics, the art of preparing and delivering sermons. I’ve read dozens of books on the subject, written a lot on it, and trained a lot of preachers in the past decade, not to mention having taken a number of courses in my undergrad...
by Luke Geraty | Mar 20, 2017 | Church Life, Discipleship, Practical Theology
I’ve long been intrigued by the elusive subject of Christian discipleship. As a “child of the church,” having spent the entirety of my life in and around churchianity, I’m well versed in numerous definitions of what it means to be a disciple...
by Luke Geraty | Mar 14, 2017 | Church Life, Cross-Cultural Ministry, Cultural Engagement, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Preaching
Over the years I’ve been approached by a few people who wanted to either use the gifts they believed they had or be trained and equipped to minister through speaking (e.g., preaching, teaching, training, etc.). In simple terms, they wanted opportunities to speak...
by Luke Geraty | Mar 6, 2017 | Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Preaching
Preaching is the art of provoking hearts and minds toward Jesus and his kingdom. I believe it’s an art because I’m convinced it’s similar to painting or composing music. You can take a class on painting and learn the basic mechanics of brush strokes,...
by Brad Blocksom | Jan 22, 2017 | Devotionals, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology
Leviticus, p. 135 You must present it at the entrance to the tent of meeting so that it will be acceptable to the LORD. (Books of the Bible, NIV) The worshiper, a common farmer or herdsman, must enter into the outer court, ceremonially lays his hands on the...
by Luke Geraty | Jan 4, 2017 | Church Life, Discipleship, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology
Reading through the Gospels and taking Jesus’ words seriously, not to mention reading through both the Old and New Testaments, leads me to the conclusion that it’s perfectly “normal” for followers of Jesus to face persecution and to suffer. I...
by Brad Blocksom | Jan 1, 2017 | Devotionals, Ethics, Practical Theology
Revelation 9:20-21 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by the plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk, nor did they repent of...
by Robby McAlpine | Dec 31, 2016 | Church Life, Conflict Resolution, Cultural Engagement, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Ethics, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Revival, Small Groups
“I’ve decided to stay out of those discussions, until I can be sure that we can have a non-hysterical conversation about it.” A “non-hysterical conversation”… The moment my friend casually uttered that phrase, I was immediately...
by Robby McAlpine | Dec 22, 2016 | Discipleship, Evangelism, Practical Theology, Preaching, Revival, Social Justice
But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord…” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with...
by Able Baker | Dec 18, 2016 | Politics
I have not had much to blog about over the last six months. I read some of the things my fellow contributors write and I feel like a one trick poney heading for the glue factory. It seems like the only reason I want to write lately is to figure out what I think about...
by Brad Blocksom | Dec 11, 2016 | Church Life, Devotionals, Ethics, Evangelicalism, Gender Issues, Messy Church, Practical Theology, Sex
Exodus, p. 109 If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins. (Books of the...
by Robby McAlpine | Dec 7, 2016 | Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Practical Theology
Every now and then, I hear (or read) something that mocks the idea of Jesus as a “personal Savior”. The rationale is usually along the lines of: “What? You think you own Jesus, or something? Like, He’s your personal Savior — what a...
by Robby McAlpine | Nov 24, 2016 | Conflict Resolution, Cultural Engagement, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Leadership, Practical Theology, Revival
If it hasn’t been obvious before, it’s obvious now — as in: ‘how could you possibly miss it?’ — that evangelicals need to do some serious soul-searching, humble themselves, and REPENT. And no, actually, this isn’t just a cheap...
by Luke Geraty | Nov 7, 2016 | Church Life, Politics
According to Captain Snark, our very own Kenny Burchard, the following facts need to be accounted for: “Hi Facebook. Just a gentle reminder that there is only one way for a true Christian to vote. And that way, as expressed and clarified daily right here on...
by Luke Geraty | Nov 2, 2016 | Practical Theology, Revival
What is revival? How do you define this religious experience? The esteemed J. I. Packer suggested that revival is “God’s quickening visitation of his people, touching their hearts and deepening his work of grace in their lives.” Robert Baird...
by Robby McAlpine | Sep 30, 2016 | Evangelicalism, Practical Theology, The Vineyard Movement
In any group of people — spending a lot of time together, growing in community and working alongside each other — tidbits of jargon appear. Jargon isn’t a bad thing, if you take the time to explain what you mean. At its best, jargon serves as a sort...
by Brad Blocksom | Sep 27, 2016 | Church Life, Church Planting, Cross-Cultural Ministry, Cultural Engagement, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Family, Leadership, Messy Church, Missional, Money, Practical Theology, Prayer, Preaching, Small Groups
I came across these podcasts and, quite frankly, they were pretty eye opening for me (they’re kind of all related). So I wanted to share them here and see if we could get some good discussion going in the comments below. And, here they are: This one talks about...
by Brad Blocksom | Sep 11, 2016 | Church Life, Devotionals, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Leadership, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Small Groups
2 John 12 Though I have much to write to you, I would rather not use paper and ink. Instead I hope to come to you and talk face to face, so that our joy may be complete. (ESV) John is such a person of the heart. He prefers to be there face to face, so that he can...
