We cannot assume people will come to us. We must go them. We need to do church and mission in the context of everyday life. We can no longer think of church as a meeting on a Sunday morning. We must think of church as a community of people who share life, ordinary life. And…
Don’t Lift up Goals, Lift Up Jesus
If you want to inspire people to the mission of God, you must lift up the Son. When we grasp the glory of Jesus, it becomes the sustaining inspiration that transform life. Isaiah was inspired by seeing Jesus in the temple (Isa. 6:1-8). Peter was inspired by seeing Jesus after his resurrection (Acts 1:1-11). Paul…
Do you feel like a Loser?
Jim Hamilton commenting on Revelation 12 and how God works through weak things: It's almost as though God shows up on the playground to pick his team, and instead of picking guys who look like they can play, he picks the obviously inferior team...Do you ever look around your life and feel like God has…
You Don’t Make A Decision To Join a Local Church
Steve Timmis and Tim Chester, in their book Total Church, speak on the true nature of church membership: By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means…
The Trellis and the Vine–A Short Review
Six years ago I started a college ministry called SPUR with my best friend. I think about 15 people came to the first worship service we held. Our first ministry budget was $3,000 which covered about three months salary for us both as well as all our expenses. In the early days, we spent a…
Small Group Advice from Big Church Pastors
Most people have a cursory knowledge of seven deadly sins: sins which could derail a person’s life. In their book, The Seven Deadly Sins of Small Group Ministry, pastors Russ Robinson and Bill Donahue also argue that there are seven deadly sins. But these sins have to do with mistakes churches make concerning small groups,…
The Suburban Christian–A Short Review
This past year, my wife and I moved from the city—Louisville, KY—back to the suburbs of New Jersey. I went from being a member of a church in a poorer part of the city to being a pastor of a fairly affluent, suburban church. So with great enthusiasm I cracked open Albert Hsu’s book, The…
Raising Lazarus 