Archive for the ‘discipleship’ Category

My friend, who is in the process of leaving a church he’s attended for 8 1/2 years, made this comment in a conversation Tuesday:
The biggest problem to me with that [church] model is that it keeps it’s members busy doing things to attract other people, and in the end the people doing all the work [...]

Continue reading »

swallowed by life

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For [...]

Continue reading »

becoming real

“This is the true story, of seven twelve strangers diverse, young Bostonians, picked to live spend the MLK weekend in a house, work worship together and have their lives taped laid out bare, to find out what happens, when people stop being polite, and start getting real. The Real World Boston Faith + Justice Network.”
No, [...]

Continue reading »

preaching/living Jesus

Jesus is controversial. His birth was not safe. Mystery and controversy shrouded the earliest days of his life. His entire existence ran counter to the power structures of his day, and it continues to do the same today. His way is so radically different from the way of mainstream humanity. [...]

Continue reading »

what if?

What if…
… Jesus and early Christians never could have imagined (or hoped) that being a Christian would become anything but being radically counter-cultural, persecuted (by the principalities and powers), marginalized, and yet altogether joy-filled and attractive (as a community)?
… There are those who are powerful and significant in God’s eyes â&emdash; and don’t even know [...]

Continue reading »

the challenges of traditional church in my neighborhood

As we spend more and more time in our new Boston neighborhood — in people’s homes or chatting in the park — we become even more convicted that the modes of evangelism that “worked” in the Bible Belt are moot on our block. (I’m growing more and more convinced that modes of evangelism that “work” [...]

Continue reading »

Beyond Brokerage

This is an amazing passage from Shane Claiborne’s The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical. There’s so much to glean from this little section of the book, but please read it all if you can. Allow it to shape you as it shaped (and challenged my socks off!) me when I read [...]

Continue reading »

Christ: The Model for Ministry and Service

Here are some things I’ve been wrestling with lately.
This might be obvious, but the person of Christ is our model in service and ministry.
From John 1:
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace [...]

Continue reading »

close call

After a couple days of wild rumors, the truth finally came out, and not to a few relieved exhales from devoted Christians: Paris Hilton will not be playing Mother Teresa in an upcoming feature film. Filmmaker T. Rajeevnath allegedly told reporters that he was speaking with the racy hotel heiress about playing the part [...]

Continue reading »

“forget about evangelism”

“Forget about evangelism,” Larry told us.
I was shocked. Jim blurted, “I cant!”
“Well, you’re a good Campbellite,” Larry said.
Jim Clark (Director, Christian Service Center), Chrissy and I were meeting with Larry James, CEO of Central Dallas Ministries. We drove over to tour and learn from one of the most effective and cutting-edge justice ministries [...]

Continue reading »