May 2009
73 posts
April 2009
139 posts
10% is a Good Start
A few more insights from the Q Conference...
In his talkback session at Buffalo Billiards, Andy Crouch (Power, Privilege & Risk) said that a 10% tithe is a good initial step for Christians when it comes to giving. Ultimately, God would want us to put more and more at risk, until 100% of our lives/resources are staked to the claim that the Gospel is true.
Dave Goetz (Suburban Addictions)...
“Human beings are so made that the ones who do the crushing feel nothing; it is...”
– SimoneWeil
2 tags
david crowder is the future of worship
Funniest moment from Q 2009 —
David Crowder’s presentation was “The Future of Worship.”
When he first got on stage yesterday morning, he quickly (and jokingly) apologized… because, as he said, there was a confusion about the title of his presentation. He said that he believed Gabe asked him “what he wanted to be called,” not “what he wanted his...
“Christianity is fundamentally a communication event. The religion is predicated...”
– ShaneHipps
“Heaven is not the point, it is the outcome.”
– Tim Keel
“My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together”
– DesmondTutu
Living as needed
Today was exhausting.
At 7:15 this morning, I went to the Austin airport to pick up my friend Jason.
We made our way back downtown to be a part of the Q conference, which promptly kicked off at 10:00 a.m.
We didn’t take a break until now, at 11:00 p.m., when we’re back in the room and getting ready to catch some Zzzzz’s. I guess that bedtime would make us lame in the eyes of...
Two Futures Project →
“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to...”
– ProphetJeremiah
Sunday, O Sunday
I’m trying to be more even keel.
Less emotional, slower to react, quick to think.
Which ultimately means I want to take a marathon perspective on life, not a sprint perspective.
I want to give things time. I don’t want to write things off after one experience or jump ship when everything isn’t perfect.
Which is why I think Sunday holds great power for us as we gather...
“Our bibliology starts where the Bible starts: in the eternal purposes of the...”
– TelfordWork
1 tag
do you want to be challenged?
From the conversations I’ve had and the way most churches position themselves, it seems to me that most people choose a church based on the level of comfort they perceive and experience.
People will ultimately settle on a church they best connect with, find people similar to them, have their needs met, and/or experience a level of general satisfaction with.
These things, in my experience,...
“Every Christian must ask whether his faith in Jesus Christ is true and is in...”
– JürgenMoltmann
2 tags
Biblical engagement
I recently had to do a project where I read a couple of books and then created a “tool” that would assess the Biblical Engagement of a single church congregation.
The two books I read were Tribal Leadership and The Starfish & the Spider.
Because we naturally want to evaluate quantitative change/growth, I thought something like “Biblical engagement” should also...
Confessio →
any chance George Fox Evangelical Seminary could get something like this going?
“If the day and the night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a...”
– HenryDavidThoreau
its a wonderful world
I just had one of those “fun” moments where I click, then click, then click, and then all of a sudden I’m on a website or blog that frustrates me and wishes I could dropkick the person writing it.
But isn’t that the beauty of the world we live in?
Or the downside of it?
Because anyone can write anything about anyone they want.
Meanness justified under the banner of...
“Sometimes we simply have to choose our own crucifixion…it seems utterly...”
– JeffImbach
Dream about Nothing
We are all just romanticists and dreamers. Young, optimistic-yet-cynical people with faith in something. The problem is, we can’t get out of our own way long enough to figure out if the dreams can be fulfilled.
Maybe we’re scared of it.
Maybe we have no real intention of following through. In fact, we usually don’t even have the opportunity to follow though—this allows us...
“Biblical faith is not about living a moral life. That’s religion. Biblical...”
– LeonardSweet
Relevant or Counter-Cultural?
Excuse me, but I may still cringe when I talk about having to be “relevant.”
I’d much rather see myself as “counter-cultural.”
In a very simplistic way, I’ve tended to see being “relevant” as pandering to the culture for the sake of fitting in long enough to have an impact. It’s a lifestyle bait-and-switch. Some believe, with good insight,...
“My friends like to tell each other that I am not really a born-again Christian....”
– AnneLamott
“When you spend public dollars on play things rather than real needs, when your...”
– NormanChad
Defined by _______
What defines you?
We live in a world where it’s easier and more common to let ourselves be defined by our commitments, meetings, appointments, and accomplishments than by our values & beliefs.
Go ahead, ask someone how their life is.
They’re tell you about the trip they just took, or the tough meetings at work, or the ball game they’re looking forward to this weekend.
...
“We are not human beings seeking a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings...”
– TeilhardDeChardin
Joy & Fear
Abundance v. Scarcity
Contentment v. Worry
Joy v. Fear
Call it whatever you want—but how often do we live in such a way that professes our fears and confesses our denial of the promises of God?
And instead we’re called to live out our trust in the goodness & love of the Creator.
Something I heard this morning really caused me to contemplate the contrast between Joy and Fear.
...
“Jesus changed the way his followers actually engaged life. He launched a...”
– ErwinMcManus
