Part of this post appeared in a message I gave at my church in 2010. How do you view evangelism? How does your church view reaching out to the surrounding world to proclaim Jesus’ Lordship? Ever thought of it as a song? Ever thought of it as The National Anthem? Here’s my thought process: Most … Continue reading
I was driving in northwest suburban Chicago, listening to the radio. I stumbled across this crazy radio show that was … just … stories. Just people talking and telling the stories of their quirky lives. I couldn’t turn it off. Next week, I went back to the team of folks I used to work with, … Continue reading
“…(E)ven if there is, strictly speaking, no such thing as private interpretation of scripture, the illusion of private interpretation leads to much mischief. It encourages individuals to forget that every text has an original, and so appropriate, context. To remove a refrigerator repair manual from its original context–the world of refrigerator selling and repair–is to … Continue reading
Recently I was talking to a friend of mine. He was the lead pastor of a church we started together up in Chicago, however he left a couple of years ago just to take some time off and consider some possible new directions for himself in ministry. Unfortunately, the economy dropped into the pooper, and … Continue reading
As the 20th century drew to a close, a German scientist named Karlheinz Brandenburg was working on a logarithm that would help reduce the size of certain types of computer files; specifically music files. Eventually, he landed on a formula that helped him shrink the size of a standard music composition by about a factor of … Continue reading
“No One Stands Alone” The church where my faith initially took root and began to grow legs had a motto, “No One Stands Alone.” I wasn’t a part of its development; I don’t know who came up with it, or what debates may have surrounded its selection. What I do know, however, is that it … Continue reading
This morning I stumbled across Billy Corgan’s “faith” blog (Twitter is a wonderful thing). Being an artistic “child” of the 90s, I have a certain soft spot for Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins. They’re responsible for some amazing musical/emotional moments, some of which will always be hardwired into my soul. It’s also been refreshing to … Continue reading
Was thinking this afternoon: what are the basics of Christianity, of discipleship, of apprenticeship to Jesus? I’m sure everyone has their lists, so here’s mine: Allegiance to the risen Christ. Christ is king, to the exclusion of all other pretenders. The pretenders in the 1st and 2nd centuries were Herod and the Roman emperor(s). Christ’s … Continue reading
This is from a church here in Tallahassee; some friends of mine go here. St. Peter’s is (in my opinion) doing a great job of reaching folks in their 20s and 30s. As an evangelical, I daresay it’s even shocking. My evangelical “programming” has told me for virtually ten years that folks want loud music … Continue reading
Recently, I was reading a favorite author/theologian of mine (I’m very sorry I can’t remember who it was, but if it comes to mind I’ll post it). He was discussing “sermon preparation”, and he wrote something to the effect of, “I’ll struggle through the texts and commentaries so that my congregation won’t have to.” That … Continue reading
