Missio Dei

From Jessica. (ht)

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This is one of my all time favorite songs and the only version of a U2 song that is better than the original. And Vanderleun got me thinking.
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus
To the lepers in your head?
There is a temptation in [...]

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Over the last couple of years I have come to the realization that my birth father was a broken man. God has been inviting me into this awareness as I step into what it means to be his age when he was raising me. And as I step into the awareness I am [...]

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One of the clear realities in my life is that God has blessed me. I have been given some exceptional opportunities in my life, one of which has been to pursue ministry on a full time basis. I asked my wife why she felt God had blessed us and she said something interesting [...]

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I was thinking about Jesus and leadership today. I was thinking about what we typically think of when we think of growth in the typical church paradigm. For some, but not all, numerical growth is the obvious standard. And I get this because butts in the seats is measurable.
We celebrate the 101 [...]

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What is the real cost of war?  It’s called lives.

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This is from Primative Radio Gods song, “Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand.”
We sit outside and argue all night long.
About a god we’ve never seen.
But never fails to side with me.

Why is that?

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This reminds me so much of the modern vs. postmodern conversation from a few days ago.
Abstract vs. concrete thought
Greek thought views the world through the mind (abstract thought). Ancient Hebrew thought views the world through the senses (concrete thought).
Concrete thought is the expression of concepts and ideas in ways that can be seen, touched, [...]

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I found this while doing some research and it intrigued me.
“Greek thought describes objects in relation to its appearance. Hebrew thought describes objects in relation to its function.” (source)
Any thoughts?

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Scot McKnight recently discussed the concepts of intelligent design and the arguments for the existence of God. And his post got me thinking what it must feel like, from God’s perspective, to have people argue over His existence.
I can imagine God sitting back and saying, “I’m right here…in the butterfly and the oak tree. [...]

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This is one of my new favorite songs. (ht)
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How He Loves Us by John Mark McMillan
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realize just how beautiful You are,
And how [...]

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This year Easter is different for me. It resonates on a deeper level this year in ways that I have never experienced. I’m beginning to see that God wants to resurrect me. The more that I embrace His love the more I can see it. And it is this deep love [...]

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I want to make sure that I say this. I think we are in one of the most incredible periods in history. I think in 50 years the world will look back on us and say, “I wish I could have lived in the first decade of this century. That was a [...]

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I was reading the winner of the Good Atonement contest and some thoughts came up that I wanted your help on.
One of the things Steve Sherwood brings up is the nature of the Jewish community. The parables of the Prodigal Son shares the story of a culture that will not allow shame on the [...]

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Why it is so much easier to sit in the pew on Sunday morning and just do nothing?
If we say we believe, we will listen to His voice. But if we listen to His voice He may say something we don’t like. And if He says something we don’t like, we may not [...]

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Newton’s third law of motion is, “For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” And over the last thirty years we’ve seen a distinct change in culture from a modern to a postmodern society. And after watching Jill Bolte Taylor I began to really wonder if this is a shift in [...]

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The following video is a must watch. It provides an intriguing understanding into how our brain processes information. (I’m a recovering left brain addict.) But it also deals deeply with the connection of the brain to the soul.
“Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, [...]

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If anyone in their 20’s is exploring what it means to live into the Kingdom of God, Mustard Seed Associates is looking for your stories. See below.
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For an upcoming issue of the Seed Sampler, the monthly e-zine of Mustard Seed Associates, we are focusing on “20-Somethings Living Alternatively.” We are looking for stories and [...]

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JR Woodward posted a great post on the subject of brokenness and healing and it got me all stirred up…in a good way. Much of the “work” we do in Thrive groups is restorative. We’re not just filling up on truth but we’re also removing the obstacles to truth. And Good Will [...]

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This is the third part of the book review. You can find part 1 here and part 2 here.
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Chapter 5 - The paradoxes of our faith.
The section continued a dialog of what it means to engage a humble hermeneutic. He cites the issues of women’s suffrage and slavery as example, ones in which we [...]

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