I went to see the Tree of Life a few weekends ago after preaching a sermon on the agonizing journey Abraham took with his son Isaac up Mt. Moriah to offer him as a sacrifice. There seems an inherent emotional violence in relationships between first-born sons and their fathers. As a father and first-born son, I have now experienced both sides of the strangeness that might be described as raising and being raised by myself. Thus I related equally to... Read more
Leadership Network started a great video conference a few years back called “The Nines.” The idea is that Christian leaders / voices will be given nine minutes exactly to say whatever they want to the broader church regarding innovation in mission and church. I was recently nominated by my good friend, Dale Best. He told me that I need to get the word out and invite my readers to vote for me. So, here I am… going out on... Read more
I love it when Shane Hipps talk about technology. This is a great talk! (more…) Read more
I moved my family from Connecticut to Nashville exactly one year ago. It wasn’t long after we arrived in the “buckle of the Bible belt” that I began to meet Jesus followers who I call the “Christian diaspora.” The word diaspora is derived from a Greek word meaning “a scattering of seeds.” It refers to the migration of a people away from their homeland who yearn to one-day return to it. (I found this material on Wikipedia. I made it... Read more
This video was a trailor for a sermon series that took place at The Meeting House (Brethren in Christ) a while back. Pastor Bruxy Cavey interviews folks such as Tony Campolo and Greg Boyd. Would love your feedback! (more…) Read more
This weekend was wonderful. I finally got to meet my church planting coach in person. Prior to this, our entire friendship was phone / Skype based. I took a trip with Lauren down to southern California and spoke at a great church, where my mentor is the pastor. As I hung out with him, his wife, and congregation, I was reminded about how big my dreams are for the church. Lauren and I are discerning a possible call into church... Read more
Here’s the original video that will give this a bit of context. If you haven’t seen it yet, you really should watch it before you listen to this remix. Enjoy! (more…) Read more
Any thoughts on this video? This comes from the good folks at Work of the People, who create videos to be used in the context of church and various other communities… check them out! (more…) Read more
Progressive Christianity has a lot of things in its favor: thoughtful theology, rich tradition, social engagement, etc. But too often it’s missing one important factor: passion. Some people probably gravitate to more conservative churches because, frankly, they’re bored and uninspired by worship at progressive churches. But it’s possible to be progressive and passionate. One important aspect of being a more rousing church is music. There’s something about music that goes deeper than words alone. Music naturally facilitates passion, energy, and... Read more
This week I shared an article with you describing the journey that I’m on with God (“I’m Done With Living Like a Christian“). I desire to know Jesus in a fresh way, one that is not defined merely by theological theoreticals or “doing,” but rather “being.” “Being” meaning to discover who I am in relation to Jesus rather than merely “doing” the ethics of Jesus. This is not some weird “doing vs being” dichotomy, but rather that out of our... Read more
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