by Brad Blocksom | Sep 8, 2019 | Christian Living, Church & Pastoral, General, Healing, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Reviews, Small Groups, The Vineyard Movement, Theology
Disclaimer: Mike Turrigiano is one of my favorite people in the Vineyard movement! Luke Geraty (his co-author) is a friend and kinda my boss here at Think Theology. What follows is my attempt to, none-the-less, provide an impartial, unbiased review of Pastor...
by Robby McAlpine | Jul 2, 2019 | Cultural Engagement, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Revival
The crackling fire provided a calming soundtrack to their yearly gathering. A log shifted, and a swirl of sparks gusted heavenward, the sizzling sound accented by a choir of crickets in the darkness and the occasional blip of unseen fish breaking the surface of the...
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 30, 2019 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Practical Theology, Prayer
Mark (p. 1791) do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Books) Jesus prophesies the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. The disciples ask ‘when will this happen and what will be the sign?’ Jesus...
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 | Feb 16, 2016 | Devotionals, Practical Theology, Prayer
Galatians 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. (ESV) Paul continues his thematic contrast of the flesh vs. the Spirit (walking in the Spirit/flesh,...
by Brad Blocksom | Dec 30, 2015 | Church Life, Devotionals, Disciple Making, Evangelicalism, Leadership, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, World Misions
So I’ve been reading through the early chapters of 2 Corinthians, where Paul does a defense of his apostolic ministry. And it got me thinking what if we used this instead of (or at least in addition to) the traditional “Pastoral” Epistles (of Timothy...
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 | May 16, 2015 | Church Life, Church Planting, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer
There are, of course, two extremes on this issue. On the one hand we have the Fundamentalist approach: Circle the wagons! Its us against the world. Keep those sinners out of the church. They might have a bad influence on my children, and they might infect us lest sin...
by Brad Blocksom | May 5, 2015 | Church Planting, Devotionals, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Healing, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer
Luke 13:19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” (ESV) Jesus answers His own question on “What is the kingdom of God like?”...
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 25, 2015 | Church Planting, Cultural Engagement, Devotionals, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Healing, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Preaching
Mark 6:12-13 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. (ESV) Jesus sends out the twelve in pairs giving them His (not their own, inherent) authority to perform...
by Brad Blocksom | Sep 2, 2014 | Church Life, Church Planting, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Evangelism, Leadership, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Small Groups
We’ve been talking a lot here at Think Theology lately about Ekklesia (church) thanks to Kenny Burchard and Luke Geraty. So I think what I have to say today will fit right in along that vein. Now I understand all the practical, logistical reasons why churches go...
by Brad Blocksom | Aug 26, 2014 | Christian Hedonism, Cultural Engagement, Devotionals, Evangelicalism, Messy Church, Missional, Politics, Practical Theology, Prayer
Amos 4:1 “Hear this word, you cows of Bashan, who are on the mountains of Samaria, who oppress the poor, who crush the needy, who say to your husbands, ‘Bring, that we may drink!’ (ESV) This could very well be read as an indictment of rich and...
by Luke Geraty | Aug 24, 2014 | Church Life, Evangelicalism, Practical Theology, Prayer, Revival
After what felt like a ton of reading for a class I took on the history of both the Evangelical and Pentecostal movements, I walked away with a deeper understanding of and appreciation for both of these traditions. I think Bebbington’s quadrilateral is still a...
by Brad Blocksom | Aug 13, 2014 | Church Life, Church Planting, Conflict Resolution, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelism, Healing, Marriage, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Small Groups
So last time we talked about the idea that “Butts in Seats” and “Decisions for Christ” may not be the best way to measure the success of the local church. And I proposed that we should focus not on church growth, but rather on discipleship as a...
by Brad Blocksom | Jul 9, 2014 | Church Planting, Devotionals, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer
Daniel 9:3 Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. (ESV) This is no whimsical prayer! it is a seeking of God which means abandoning ourselves. It is repentant, sorrowful, confessing sin...
by Brad Blocksom | Jun 25, 2014 | Practical Theology, Prayer
Have you ever run into someone in the hallway after church – you get to chatting and they share with you something they’re struggling with (job stress, an illness, a teenager gone wild), so you give them a hug and the old standard christianese:...
by Luke Geraty | Dec 23, 2013 | Jonathan Edwards, People of Interest, Prayer
The deeper I go into the Scriptures & heart of God, which are so intricately connected, the more I see the beauty and grandeur of God’s pleasures. Imagine, if you will, discovering that the “cosmic-kill-joy” that you once considered to be god,...
by Luke Geraty | Mar 17, 2012 | Prayer
St. Patrick of Ireland leads to pray: Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of...
by Luke Geraty | Mar 7, 2012 | Charismatic Theology, Counseling, Pneumatology, Prayer, Worship
This past Sunday I started teaching a new series called, “Baggage: Learning to Let Go.” We’re spending the month of March exploring how God frees us from our past as well as discussing how important it is to work through things that we carry around...
by Luke Geraty | Jan 18, 2012 | Cultural Engagement, Prayer
I think that Christians may be able to learn from Muslims about certain spiritual disciplines in ways that many American evangelicals may not realize. There, I said it. In the past few years I’ve traveled to a number of different countries and have spent some...
