Jesus called his followers to spread the word about him. That what we call The Great Commission (Matt. 28:16-20). But for so many Christians sharing their faith is such a difficult thing to do. I used to feel like I didn’t know what to say to people. I felt uncertain about my role in evangelism. … Read more
It was during the speeches of the wedding reception I heard the phrase. I cringed on the inside. The groom’s father was speaking. He said, ‘Here’s my words of advice, happy wife, happy life.’ Someone said the phrase in a conversation after church recently. Before I knew it, the words had escaped my mouth, ‘I … Read more
There is a friend of mine who was working as a night security guard. And a second security guard came to him at about 3:00 in the morning and just said, “You’re a Christian, aren’t you?” It was accusatory, right. So, my friend did not assume what would happen next was going to be, like, … Read more
There’s a book on my shelves about the mystery of God’s will. As Christians aren’t we obsessed about finding God’s will? We follow him, so if we find out what he wants we can do it, right? Our society is driven by the wheels of efficiency. Tasks are the new rulers. Smart phones serve as … Read more
This is such a common question! For the first three years of our church’s life after we planted, we laid a missional theology, but people began asking this very question: “but how?!” At the risk of sounding self-serving, I was honored to co-write a resource trying to address that very question, called A Field Guide … Read more
Special things are worth remembering. Birthdays. Christmas. Easter. We remember when someone special dies. The way we remember often involves certain rituals. We have birthday cakes and family celebrations. We remember our loved ones with crosses in cemeteries or sprinkling ashes in significant places. These things serve us well. They draw us back to remember … Read more
Have you ever felt an emptiness in life? It’s OK, Nancy Guthrie can relate. In her book, Even Better Than Eden she writes: ‘Sometimes your sense of emptiness haunts you as a nagging ache. At other times it overwhelms you as a restless agony. Perhaps you have come to see your emptiness as your biggest … Read more
“So, what will you be doing exactly?” This question was raised on many occasions in the weeks ahead. It was all still theory for us even though we knew we were to head in this direction. For us to understand Simple Church and to be able to explain it to others, we knew we needed to go back to basics and re-define church. In its very essence, church is simply a group of people who follow Jesus. It is where two or three (or more) people gather in recognition that Jesus is in their midst… “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20).
Christianity doesn’t enjoy the place in my society now as it did in the past. Christianity has moved from shaping our society to becoming that weird uncle you try to avoid at family gatherings. Many Christians are left fearful and with the longing for peace. But how does Jesus respond to the fearful? Christians believe … Read more
So often Jesus’ words seem to be contradictions. He brings a gospel of opposites. Everything is upside-down, backwards, and the opposite of what it should be. He says, ‘The last shall be first’ (Mark 10:31). Give if you want to receive (Luke 6:38). Living means giving up your life (Matt. 10:39). To be a leader, … Read more