How are we receiving each other? How are we welcoming each other? How do we treat strangers, especially those who don’t agree with us?
Sermon: All That Sparkles
Adventures In Church Planting: 2013 (REPOST)
Writer’s note: I was going to write another post about church planting in Mainline churches, and I still plan to, but I think this post sums up a lot of what I am feeling still. One update: I am not leading the new church team anymore.
As most of you know, I’ve been the head of a new church ministry in my Region. There have been some good and not so good developments in the area of church planting last year, though for the most part it was a down year in many ways. The good news is that our group got bigger as a few more people expressed interest in being involved. The so-so news is how I’m leading. I want to give people the chance to step up and take part, but I have to balance that with the need to just get something done.
The not-so-good things is the fact that a lot of potential church plants just died on the vine. One planter looked like he was going to plant a new community in the eastern suburbs of the Twin Cities. Things seemed to be moving ahead and then he back out…
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God Is A Concept.
When I was in journalism class in high school, I remember seeing a poster in the teacher's classroom that caught my attention. It was one of those posters that shows something like a big sky or the stars at night. At the bottom of the poster were these words: "God Is A Concept." I really... Continue Reading →
What Does It Mean to Be Prophetic, Part Three
It was two years ago, that I wondered aloud what it meant to be prophetic. I've heard that phrase a lot in many of the progressive circles I've been in, but I've always wondered if what is called prophetic is nothing more than espousing your ideology and wrapping it up in God-language. What does it... Continue Reading →
Silence of the Drones
Michael Kruse has a good post that deals with my long quest to find out what is truly prophetic and what is just a poser. Here's a taste: The Christian Left (or progressives) hold themselves up as the antidote to this unholy alliance between the church and state. They are prophetic. Unlike conservatives who were... Continue Reading →
Repost:Why Theology Matters
We are going waaay back on this one to 2005. In the mail today, I recieved a mailing from the Disciples Peace Fellowship, the peace and justice caucus within my denomination, The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). The newsletter had a quote that struck me. It said: "No amount of theology about God and the... Continue Reading →
Repost: What Does the Lord Require?
Originally posted in November of 2011. A few weeks back, I happened to be browsing the religious website Patheos and came accross a blog post by Greg Garrett called "God Commands Compassion, Not Evangelism." The title fascinated me and the excerpt was even more interesting: "Christianity is not about praying in a certain way, or... Continue Reading →
So, What’s Homophobic?
I've been noticing a meme going around social media lately about the Salvation Army. Most of us know the group for it's thrift stores and the red kettle campaign during the holiday season. The new push is for people to boycott those red kettles this year because of the organization's position on homosexuality. Here's how... Continue Reading →
So, What’s Homophobic?
I've been noticing a meme going around social media lately about the Salvation Army. Most of us know the group for it's thrift stores and the red kettle campaign during the holiday season. The new push is for people to boycott those red kettles this year because of the organization's position on homosexuality. Here's how... Continue Reading →
What Does the Lord Require?
A few weeks back, I happened to be browsing the religious website Patheos and came accross a blog post by Greg Garrett called "God Commands Compassion, Not Evangelism." The title fascinated me and the excerpt was even more interesting: "Christianity is not about praying in a certain way, or believing a certain thing, or making... Continue Reading →
The Clockwork Pastor 