Category: Uncategorized

Someone noted that “thinking outside of the box keeps you from suffocating inside of one.” We must continue to allow God to shape us and our expressions of his church (ekklesia). He is an innately creative God. It is in this vein that I offer the following thoughts. This is not a definitive way to…

Sometimes we can look at the church here in the west and wonder if we, as followers of Jesus, are impacting people at all. Is the leaven of our lives working its way into the lump of worldly dough that we are surrounded by? Of course, such a pessimistic view is not warranted. Each of…

Some excellent twitter-thoughts from a variety of folk I follow: Steve Simms @CSteveSimms When I read the book of Acts & see the passion & joy of early Christianity, I wonder what happened?__________________________________________ Rob Ross @oikosministries “The model we have used — a church, a pastor and a commitment by people to support the enterprise…

“You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions (Mark 7:8). Jesus repeatedly challenged his disciples to avoid the yeast of the Pharisees who placed the traditions of men above the commandments and word of God “How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition.…

There are two truths championed by simple/organic church paradigms that are vital to the health of the whole church: There are no superstars in the Kingdom of God. Rather, spiritually speaking, we are all superstars equally filled with the Spirit, equipped with gifts of the Spirit, and called to a vocation of serving others. When…

There is nothing like Victor Chouhrie to keep our compasses pointed true-north and to… well… challenge us.  Victor has one of the most fruitful ministries ever with thousands of churches planted and hundreds of thousands of baptisms in India. You can read all 21 of his steps in a paper entitled “Mega Church to Meta…

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 2 Corinthians 3:3 The simple/organic church lifestyle opens the door for every believer to step into his unique…

Regardless of how we ‘be and do’ church, our first work is to pray and love. Nothing else will touch others and prepare the way for Jesus to draw them. Nothing else will actually make a difference in the world or in the lives of people. Nothing else can change us or those we love.…

One of the easy things about being a member of a traditional church is that someone else takes responsibility for providing programs for your spiritual growth. Your job is to choose the program and show up! This can work for us although, after some time, we may find it stifling and religious rather than life-giving.…

Someone recently asked me what our African friends do at Christmas time. First I replied that most of them travel, if possible, to spend time with extended family and enjoy those relationships. There is no expectation around gifts that cannot be afforded, but a few extra dishes for the Christmas meal turns it into a…