by Michael Sterns | Sep 5, 2016 | Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, Practical Theology
“Let [the one] who cannot be alone beware of community… Let [the one] who is not in community beware of being alone… Each by itself has profound perils and pitfalls. One who wants fellowship without solitude plunges into the void of words and...
by Michael Sterns | Jul 9, 2016 | Discipleship, Practical Theology
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, Mine!” ― Abraham Kuyper God is sovereign. That’s something we’re all taught in Sunday School. Or maybe we’ve heard it...
by Brad Blocksom | May 23, 2016 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Healing, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology
Hebrews 5:2 He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. (ESV) As humans we are filled with weakness, tempted, sinful. Jesus experienced this same weakness and temptation – “yet without sin” (4:15). By...
by Kenny Burchard | Feb 19, 2016 | Discipleship, Practical Theology
Two daughters are fully restored by Jesus (Mark 5:21-43) — So much of what happens in Mark 4 & 5 involves Jesus teaching beside the sea of Galilee (Mk. 4:1-34), crossing the sea and calming a storm (Mk. 4:35-41), delivering a demoniac once he reaches the...
by Brad Blocksom | Feb 9, 2016 | Cross-Cultural Ministry, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology
So you may recall that I have written in the past here on the Missional Model vs. the Attractional model for Church. I’ve also written here that the commonly used metrics of Butts in Seats & “Decisions” for Christ are poor measures of an...
by Robby McAlpine | Jan 19, 2016 | Cultural Engagement, Discipleship, Ethics, Evangelism, Messy Church, Practical Theology
There was this guy in the Old Testament who gets a lot of bad press. And when you read his story, you gotta admit: he deserves it. If anything, he serves mainly as an example of how not to do life. His name was Lot. He was Abraham’s opportunistic nephew, who has...
by Brad Blocksom | Jan 13, 2016 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Ethics, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology, Preaching
2 Cor. 4:2 But we have renounced disgraceful and underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. (ESV) Wow, this...
by Able Baker | Jan 4, 2016 | Discipleship
I remember growing up listening to sermons on Revelation 3:15-16: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm – neither hot nor cold – I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” The preacher...
by Robby McAlpine | Dec 30, 2015 | Disciple Making, Discipleship, Leadership, Messy Church, Practical Theology
And now for something completely different. Many times over the years, I’ve been amazed at how people belittle theology and theologians. At times, they are treated with the kind of contempt usually reserved for Dastardly Pastors. Theology occurs when ANYONE...
by Kenny Burchard | Dec 23, 2015 | Discipleship, Ethics, Practical Theology
The cross is a mega-compressed symbol of all that it means to follow Jesus, and all that it means that Jesus is Christ for us. There is nothing like the cross in the whole world. The two lines… + … express more than can ever be spoken, and yet they speak...
by Kenny Burchard | Nov 29, 2015 | Conflict Resolution, Discipleship, Ethics, Politics, Practical Theology
The title of this post flows from intermittent and occasional online exchanges that I have engaged in with fellow believers. A regular topic of discussion involves whether or not there is any New Testament encouragement for followers of Jesus to use weapons to defend...
by Brad Blocksom | Sep 15, 2015 | Church Life, Church Planting, Devotionals, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Leadership, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Small Groups, World Misions
Acts 20:11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. (ESV) It was Sunday. Paul had already preached past midnight. They continued to talk and share a meal together (perhaps two...
by Brad Blocksom | Aug 20, 2015 | Church Life, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Missional, Practical Theology
I probably shouldn’t write this blog post… woops, my finger slipped and I just clicked “send.” Seriously though, I’d like to start off this post with a quote from my good friend Kenny Burchard: “If we’re talking about how to “do”...
![Institutional Church [a word to the ‘dones’] (Girard 6)](https://thinktheology.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/girard_chur6.jpg)
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 17, 2015 | Church Life, Discipleship, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology
Re-reading a classic like Brethren, Hang Loose has been much more than a trip down memory lane. Revisiting your roots is always a good habit. You never know what the Spirit might impress upon you, all over again. To be honest, I sympathize greatly with those who...
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 14, 2015 | Church Life, Church Planting, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Small Groups
No look back at Bob Girard’s Brethren, Hang Loose would be complete without revisiting the topic of house groups. “The ‘great revivals’ of American history were nearly always preceded and followed by small groups meeting for prayer and...
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 10, 2015 | Church Life, Discipleship, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology
Bob Girard’s Brethren, Hang Loose is almost a half century old. Not exactly what you’d call a current title in the whole missional community emphasis of today. And yet Girard speaks into our present day, almost prophetically, calling us to think deeply...
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 8, 2015 | Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Leadership, Practical Theology, Revival, Small Groups
There really is nothing new under the sun, as these quotes from Brethren, Hang Loose ably demonstrate: “Every ministerial convention is more of the same. The pastors of the big, successful churches are there to tell you how it’s done, how to organize,...
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 7, 2015 | Church Life, Church Planting, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Small Groups
(Image source: Parable of the Hidden Treasure, Wikicommons) As I continue to re-read Bob Girard’s Brethren, Hang Loose, I find gems chock full o’ wisdom like this one: “The spiritual ministry of each individual member must be a spiritual ministry...
by Robby McAlpine | Aug 5, 2015 | Church Life, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Leadership, Practical Theology, Revival, Small Groups
Re-visiting your roots from time to time is a healthy practice, I’ve found. And as a typical book-learnin’ nerd, there have been some significant authors whose influence in my life came through their writings. (I blogged my way through one of them,...
by Robby McAlpine | Jul 28, 2015 | Church Life, Discipleship, Practical Theology
The Younger quickly sketched the image on a napkin with bold, confident strokes, eagerly outlining the thought he had just blurted out to the Elder. The Elder watched him over the rims of his reading glasses, a steaming cup of coffee — “black, the way God...
