Several weeks ago, I shared in a sermon that there is still a part of me that sometimes doubts that God’s love for me is unconditional. Afterward, a gentleman told me that he could tell from what I said that I’ve never had a direct experience of the Holy Spirit, because if I had, I […]
Why I Wish Charlie Sheen Would Shut Up
He’s a loathsome, offensive brute. Yet we can’t look away. Oh the grandiosity. The pomposity. The insanity. Charlie Sheen has our attention and we feel guilty for watching, but we can’t stop. Can you believe what he’s saying? He thinks he’s different. That the same rules that apply to the rest of us don’t apply […]
March 1, 2011 by 1 Comment
A Mean Prayer
Dear God: You know I’m not very good at prayer. I try, but my small words always get stuck on big ideas. I’m trusting you know what I need–and what my prayers mean–even when I don’t. I’ve read my Bible a few times and there are lots of things in there that bother me. Some […]
January 12, 2011 by 2 Comments
The Funnel of Love
Here’s something that some of us at Fulcrum have been kicking around. I’d love your feedback. ****** As we’ve thought about our ministry strategy for Fulcrum, we’ve developed three environments and one exercise that are central to our pursuit of Christlikeness. 1. Large Group Worship Gathering: Primary purpose is worship and teaching. This is the […]
July 14, 2010 by 8 Comments
Following Christ in a Pluralist Society
Thanks for all the many great responses to the question in my previous post. Really good stuff. Here is my first pass at it. I’m thinking out loud here so don’t hold me to these in a gunfight. My thought process here is that ultimately a church’s “programming” should be designed to facilitate these outcomes. […]
April 28, 2009 by 8 Comments
Defining Christlikeness
In my last post I made it clear that I don’t really care whether our new church will be labeled “missional” or “attractional” as long as we’re making disciples. This begs the question: what does it mean to make disciples? If we’re going to judge the success or failure of a church based upon the […]
April 27, 2009 by 14 Comments
Unintentional Nondiscipleship
I’ve got a new piece called “Unintentional Nondiscipleship” up at Wineskins. Check it out. Come back here and leave a comment if you want to discuss further.
June 24, 2008 by 11 Comments
Two Problems for Present Day Christianity
1. Present day Christians are not very good at accepting outsiders (sinners who do not follow Jesus). 2. Present day Christians are far too accepting of sinful behavior from insiders (Christians who have been following Jesus long enough to know better). Shouldn’t it be just the opposite? Any thoughts about why this is so?
May 21, 2008 by 23 Comments
Things I Want to Pass on to my Boys
At Garnett today, we did a combo baby dedication/mother’s day celebration. It seemed to fit together really well. I also started a series of teachings where I’m going to interact with UnChristian and They Like Jesus but not the Church. Two very good books that I predict will generate some good discussion and reflection. I […]
May 11, 2008 by 4 Comments
God in the Bathroom
The ancient Hebrew language didn’t have a world for “spirituality.” Apparently that category didn’t exist in ancient Hebrew thought because they believed that all of life had the potential to be “spiritual.” This is very different from our dualistic worldview that separates the world into two categories: the spiritual (sacred) and the material (secular). In […]
October 5, 2006 by
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons