On the first official date with my (now) wife, we had finished eating at a restaurant and decided to drive around the city we were in. I didn’t really know the city that well so we just headed off in the direction of the downtown area. Once downtown, I made a turn and just started…
Poet Mary Oliver has said, “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” While Oliver was not a Christian, she was certainly right in her assertion. What you focus on becomes what you love. The formative nature of focus is why the author of Hebrews tells us to “Fix our eyes on Jesus” (Heb 12:1). But focusing…
What are you doing with your life? Just about everyone wants a meaningful life, even though it can feel meaningless, pointless, and absurd at times. Humanity's desire for meaning reveals the power of purpose. Once you know why you're on this speck of dust hurtling through the universe, your life will take off in a…
Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998) was a Britist missionary for many years to India. He wrote many books focusing on the church and her mission. The Open Secret introduces some key issues surrounding the concept of mission. Because church plants must be mission focused in order to survive, the book has direct implications for shaping the discussion around church…
This series of posts is based upon an email exchange with my friend who is also a pastor in Northern Kentucky, Jordan Jones. He oversees the youth ministry of his church, while I primarily oversee the Community Groups at mine. To see where God is at work in our churches and lives, we are discussing various…
After Jonah had been in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights, he is very literally propelled outward on God’s mission: "And Yahweh spoke to the fish. And it vomited Jonah onto the dry land" (Jonah 2:10). In essence, God was giving Jonah a second chance, a fresh start. For all of Jonah’s…
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…
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…
Raising Lazarus 