A friend in ministry, Dan Bouchelle, has just announced that he is leaving his pulpit to head up Missions Resource Network, a church-planting entity that sponsors churches and church-planters world-wide.



He is writing on his blog about his "why" and I resonate with much that he is saying. Here's an excerpt:



"What we really need in North America and throughout the West is new expressions of Christian community that were not designed in the

Christendom model. We need to… Continue

At its heart, in my opinion, missional theology is about being salt and light in bland and dark places. The level of intolerance in our culture is disheartening to me. It is a prime opportunity for Christ-followers of all shapes, sizes, and practices to bring the Kingdom into being. Check out this post to read more about one person's challenge to the intolerance of our… Continue

OK, made you look. :)



Seriously, I'm running a series on my blog this week about the ways in which Gen X has been entrusted with gifts and experiences that can resurrect and transform various parts of our broken world.



Today, I posted about how the faith of Gen X is desperately needed in churches to bring back faithful questioning of God and a departure from forms of faith that prop up… Continue

It is the holiest week in the Christian calendar, the culmination of 40 days of liturgical practice, spiritual discipline, soul searching, and story-telling. Today is Palm Sunday, followed by Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and finally, next Sunday, Easter. Jesus is risen.

The promise of resurrection makes Easter Sunday the holiest day of the holiest week. It is cause for celebration, and it echoes the unseen unceasing celebration around the Throne. As a Jesus…

Continue

I'm going to make an attempt in the next few blog posts, an attempt at verbalizing a "theology of strength." Like all good theology, I'm going to start with theology proper--the investigation of God, Who He is, Who He was, and Who He will be. Woven throughout the conversation today will be an anthropology--an understanding of who we are made to be.



I Am Who I Am. I Will Be Who I Will Be.



A theology of strengths begins with a recognition that God reveals himself, even if that… Continue

Can be read here in less than 10 seconds.

I posted on my other blog last month about my strong feelings towards sales in general. I've had to change my perspective on sales as I started a business, and I understand an approach to sales that isn't about "making the sale" as much as it is "giving value to others." Sales as I've seen it is often self-serving, self-centered, and self-aggrandizing. Hearing a theme there?…

Continue

My wife Marla and I love American Idol. We didn't start watching until season five, but now we can't imagine missing a show. It's something of a date night for us. And since we both have some musical training, we consider ourselves to be highly informed critics. :)



Whether you're a fan of American Idol or not, there is an interesting dynamic that takes place in the phase of the show where they whittle down the Top 24 to the Top 12. Many of the contestants find this to be a very… Continue

Or so says Bruce Feiler in a recent Time article ("How Moses Shaped America," October 12, 2009 edition). Apparently there's more to Moses than Charlton Heston or The Prince of Egypt.

Feiler has done his homework. He points to the number of Moses references in the eulogies of George Washington. Of course, the anti-slavery movement in the 1800s used Moses imagery to issue their

own call of "let my people go." And here's one I never would have put…

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Neighbors and hospitality were the topic of conversation this week...we discussed three categories of people where graciousness, kindness, and hospitality are required. Here's what we left with:



Strange: Find a neighbor and spend 10 good minutes getting to know them. Use the formula we talked about last week. Ask about family, work, and recreation. You might even (gasp) invite them to dinner.



Stranger: Do a little investigation into the challenges of… Continue

Highland Oaks friends, here's your mission for the week:



Identify someone in your workplace that you don't often associate with. Your reasons for not talking much with them may be good (you don't see them much) or not so good (you just plain don't like them). Reason doesn't matter; your job is to spend 5 good minutes with them.



In case you're looking for a way to start that conversation, here's a couple of ideas:



1) Look for something in common--anything--to… Continue

Here goes, Highland Oaks friends...



In Bible class today, I described two activities you could choose from this week to step outside of our "sheltered" Christian lifestyle and invite others to come with us.



1) Find a friend who doesn't know Jesus. Ask him/her how you could pray for them. Pray on the spot. Then, with their permission, take it to the prayer team at Highland Oaks and ask them to add this request to the prayer list. You can reach either Donna King or Diane… Continue

Welcome Highland Oaks friends,

Here is where you can come to discuss our class for the next eight weeks. I'll have a new blog post up each week with a question, and jump in to the conversation. Week One:

Is it our job to call people into Christian community?

Have a ball!