Towards a Discipleship Framework
I’ve been working on the following thoughts for the last year or so and I am honestly apprehensive to even publish this because it has morphed and changed so much over the last year. It’s far from perfect but I’d love to hear your thoughts to improve it and tighten it up a bit. Discipleship…
Read MoreTwo Weeks from Today…
…I’ll be recovering from running 26.2 miles… that is if i finish! For the last 4 months I’ve been training hard for this marathon. I’ve made a couple posts on my blog as to why I’m running the marathon (Why I’m Running The Chicago Marathon) and what I’ve kept on running (Why I Run.). When…
Read MoreMeasuring Church Effectiveness
What he said… “Ultimately, each church will be evaluated by only one thing. It’s disciples. Your church is only as good as its disciples. It does not matter how good your praise, preaching, programs or property are: If you’re disciples are passive, needy, consumerist, and not moving in the direction of radical obedience, your church…
Read MoreWhy I Run.
I used to be one of those guys who would look at people running and say “those people are nuts.” I mean, why would I run? Growing up playing sports, running was always the punishment for doing something wrong. Miss too many free throws? Run. Drop a fly ball? Run. Make the wrong pass? Run.…
Read MoreWhy I'm Running The Chicago Marathon
(I’m raising awareness/money for Lemonade International by running the 2011 Chicago Marathon. You can help education and feed the children of La Limonada by donating here). About a year and a half ago a friend of mine, Katie Nolan, was lost on Mt. Hood. She and her two friends who were hiking with her died…
Read MorePreaching on the Run: Preparing Sermons as a Bi-Vocational Pastor
I was told in seminary that I should spend 1 hour of sermon prep for every minute I will be preaching. For many of us that means we should spend 20-30 hours preparing sermons? This approach poses some serious problems for me. First of all, I have other pastoral responsibilities. Second, I am bi-vocational so…
Read MoreThe Necessity of Community for Witness
In light of my post yesterday on the problem of isolation and individualism in our culture I offer you this short expert from Darrel Guder’s excellent book, The Continuing Conversion of the Church. This is an older book (published in 2000), but I read this in 2001 and it single-handedly recalibrated my understanding of the…
Read MoreNormalizing Individualism and Isolation
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about the importance (i.e. necessity) of community to our formation and mission. I just finished up spending a week in Guatemala with Lemonade International. In the evenings we would naturally debrief all the things that happened that day and all the thoughts that were passing through our heads as…
Read MoreThe Primary Task of the Church?
“We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28 The church, in the context of its missional calling, must work with all its energy to present…
Read MoreThe Way of the Christ, the Way of the Cross
When we make sure the cross is at the center of the gospel, we realize that the way of Christ is one of redemption through sacrifice and struggle and that those on the inside are those who humbly trust him with the whole of their lives and entrust themselves wholly to his agenda and his…
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