I saw The Great Commission with fresh eyes again today. Here it is: 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and…… Continue reading Swept Away
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The One Thing
Ask my children, they will tell you that I can tend to get frustrated and freaked out. I’ve been known to throw a fit or two (or many, many more) when things don’t work out as I had envisioned. When I get like this, it’s a sure sign that I’ve relinquished something that’s important. Correction: not just something that’s…… Continue reading The One Thing
The Normal Christian Life
Watchman Nee, a twentieth century Chinese church planter and teacher, said: “What is the normal Christian life? We do well at the outset to ponder this question. The object of these studies is to show that it is something very different from the life of the average Christian. Indeed a consideration of the written Word…… Continue reading The Normal Christian Life
God’s Family Business
Is the church a family or a business? The answer is, “yes.” The church is God’s family business. We struggle with this idea because “family” and “business” are mutually exclusive terms in our culture. We think of family as something warm, spontaneous, personal, and unconditional. We think of business as cold, calculated, impersonal, and performance…… Continue reading God’s Family Business
The Divine Romance
Did Jesus offer himself out of purely altruistic motives or was there a selfish agenda involved? Would it surprise you if I told you that the New Testament suggests that it was the latter. According to Hebrews 12:2, Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him. What joy might that be? I suggest…… Continue reading The Divine Romance
The Parable of Fish
There once was a poor farming village. The sandy ground bore little fruit despite the daily toil of the inhabitants. They fought over the meager produce and the weak starved to death. No one considered leaving the village because the leaders, out of desire to maintain control, had told everyone that they were surrounded for miles and…… Continue reading The Parable of Fish
The Simple Will of God
Perhaps the question which most perplexes the serious Christians I have known is, “How do I know what God’s will is for my life?” This question is usually borne out of an unsettled sense that surely God did not call them to a life of the mundane. I can identify. I’ve been zealous for the things…… Continue reading The Simple Will of God
Good to God’s
I’ve never read the book, Good to Great. A lot of people I respect have read it and recommend it. It’s probably a good book- heck it might even be great. The premise of the book, as I understand it is that in order for an organization to succeed it must insist on having the most…… Continue reading Good to God’s
To Know How To Sow
I’ve been around a lot of people who are into missions. They talk about people groups, missiology, ethnography, and mobilizing After listening to them talk about reaching the unreached, I sometimes come away wondering if it can be done. All of the social science and methodology which make up modern missions objectify the ones we’re trying to…… Continue reading To Know How To Sow
Owl Pellets and Trampolines
I have kids. God has blessed me with two sets. Our eldest turned 18 last year and our youngest is 5. I’m going to be parenting for a relatively long time. While my wife and I don’t regret having our younger set of kids, we sometimes wonder what life would be like if we were just…… Continue reading Owl Pellets and Trampolines
Spiritual Savant 