Disciplism – Part 2. While I do believe that a comprehensive understanding of what authentic discipleship is has been all but extinguished, we can still observe some residual aspects of discipleship in our churches. And even though these “vestiges” are reductions of the kind of discipleship we see in the pages of the New Testament … Read more
Finding a person of peace has one of the topics that has kept coming up in missional circles over the 10 years. But what does it really mean? A person of peace is from Luke 10 where Jesus sends out his followers. He tells them to look for peaceful people who accept their message in … Read more
Disciplism – Part 1. Over the years, I have found myself having to talk about a distinctly missional understanding of discipleship. I actually find this a bit odd. The very fact that we now have to put qualifications on the word “discipleship” again signals how far we have veered from a biblical understanding of discipleship. … Read more
I knew God’s name as a kid. It was Howard. It was right there in The Lord’s Prayer – ‘Howard be your name.’ I never questioned why we called him God instead of Howard, after all, I knew my Dad’s name was Colin but we just called him Dad. Only Jesus called God Howard. I … Read more
The town of Gloucester in my state ran out of drinking water about at the start of the year. Since then trucks have been delivering water to the people living there. My friend, Ty Soupidis, is a pastor at Church on the Hill at Gloucester. I spoke to Ty the previous October about the drought … Read more
What Bible verses come to mind when you think about funerals? I think of John 14:1-4. It’s the one about Jesus preparing many rooms for his followers in his Father’s house. It’s an appropriate use of the passage. It brings us comfort. It encourages us to see those we love in God’s presence. But when this … Read more
I would start with people who are doing it already. Go find the open doors; a chaplain in the local prison, the lady that helps our at the local food pantry, the guy who is always hanging out with the homeless… these champions are out there all the time. Join them in the journey. Take … Read more
The new unreached people group in America is a land called The Margins. These are a people group that have grown up in a land that is vastly unfamiliar from the America I grew up in. The cultural norms for them is a world of violence, sexual exploitation, abandonment, rejection, addiction, poverty, racism, and the … Read more
It was April 2015. I remember the clouds had been gathering for days, just waiting for the chance to break. The Autumn rains are like this, and when it rains, it pours. It was no surprise when the water rose and floods cut us off from the main road. It didn’t surprise me when the … Read more
‘What’s your name? And what do you do for work?’ These are two questions you inevitably get asked when you meet someone. It’s tempting to get all indignant, ’I’m more than just my job,’ but the heart of the question is identity. And it’s worth remembering that identity determines actions, not the other way round. … Read more