Categotry Archives: Rantings

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Can I Just Say This?

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Categories: music, Rantings

I am bored to tears with “Christian” music–especially worship music.

(And the rebels shouted AMEN!)

Actually, to many people nowadays, that might not seem like a very provocative statement. But if you know me at all, you’ll know it’s kind of a strong thing to say. Why?

I am a worship leader.

This is a preview of Can I Just Say This?. Read the full post (736 words, 1 image, estimated 2:57 mins reading time)

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The Point–and How We Have Become Experts at Missing It

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Categories: changing mindsets, food for thought, Rantings

I hope this post makes sense when I get through with it. Seasons of de-construction and re-thinking (like the one I am in) can sometimes be exciting and illuminating, sometimes scary. Sometimes I feel like I’m dwelling in utter chaos inside, with no point of reference, wondering which direction “up” is. Add a little sleep deprivation to the mix, and…let’s just say I hope this doesn’t end up sounding like I’ve been spending too much time in the poppy fields.

But as I take a different look at what I grew up in, and compare it to a fresh look at Scripture, one thing that seems to be showing up in my mind over and over is how much we (by “we” I mean the church) are missing the point. A lot of that point-missing, I’m convinced, is largely due to the institutions we (again, the church) have been encased in. And because I’ve been part of that system for so long, I have to include myself in “we” and admit that I’ve spent a great many years “missing the point.”

This is a preview of The Point–and How We Have Become Experts at Missing It. Read the full post (802 words, 2 images, estimated 3:12 mins reading time)

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Note to Tulsa Drivers

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Categories: food for thought, Rantings, What the heck was THAT?

Dear honorable drivers of Tulsa….

Remember “SNOW?” It’s that powdery white stuff that sometimes falls from the sky in winter. We don’t get as much of it as they get in, say, Nome, Alaska or upper Minnesota. But we do get it, usually a couple of times each winter. Enough that by now we should all know how to drive in it. So as nicely as I can, let me remind you of a few basic principles of driving in snow:

This is a preview of Note to Tulsa Drivers. Read the full post (406 words, 2 images, estimated 1:37 mins reading time)

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Re-thinking Evangelism (and lots of other stuff)

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Categories: changing mindsets, food for thought, Rantings

I’m looking at the top of the page, and I notice that “re-thinking church” is in my blog title. But the truth is…I’m in a season right now where I’m re-thinking everything. Doctrines, beliefs, and practices I’ve taken for granted for most of my churchy life are getting taken off the shelf, dusted off, and looked at to make sure this is really how Jesus wants it, or really what He meant when He said _________ (fill in the blank). Some stuff is getting reaffirmed, and some stuff is getting reworked. It actually feels very healthy.

This is a preview of Re-thinking Evangelism (and lots of other stuff). Read the full post (1103 words, 1 image, estimated 4:25 mins reading time)

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Off the Subject: The Stupid Weather

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Categories: Rantings, What the heck was THAT?

It seems like Tulsa has these themed winters or something. The winters aren’t the same year after year; it’s like each winter the weather finds its own pattern, and does the same stuff over and over again. Each winter is its own barrel of fun. Yeah, right.

We went through a couple of winters a few years ago where the theme must have been “Warm, Windy, and Drought-like”. The main dangers were grassfires and being over-dressed. Almost no snow. Lots of people lost trees due to not enough rain.

This is a preview of Off the Subject: The Stupid Weather. Read the full post (312 words, 2 images, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

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Christian: Noun or Adjective?

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Categories: changing mindsets, food for thought, Meanderings (look it up), Rantings


Hmmm…something going through my head lately. Something I read in Velvet Elvis (which I finished by the way–no further heresies to report). But in the book, Rob Bell remarked on something that I found interesting, and am still chewing on and grappling with….

The word “Christian” was not intended to be used as an adjective.

In Scripture, it is always a noun, referring to a person who follows Christ.

This is a preview of Christian: Noun or Adjective?. Read the full post (573 words, 2 images, estimated 2:18 mins reading time)

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Something more, something real

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Categories: food for thought, Meanderings (look it up), Rantings, You need to read this

In a number of my entries, I am highlighting certain flaws and indescrepancies that I’ve observed in institutional Christianity (i.e., what most people refer to as “church”). If you catch me on a day when I’m ranting, you’re liable to think that I (like many others) am just jaded and bitter and looking for a place to spew venom.

But the truth is, this is a journey, a process–not a destination. I know that in my ramblings, however random they might appear, I am going somewhere. In fact, I believe Jesus is taking me somewhere. This isn’t merely a journey away from something; it is a journey toward something.

This is a preview of Something more, something real. Read the full post (558 words, 1 image, estimated 2:14 mins reading time)

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The Wild One part 2

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Categories: Broken machine, Rantings, Wild One

Yesterday I wrote about my wife, Shelby, who loves Jesus very much but has never done well in the context of institutional church. She tried very hard to fit in because it was the only expression of the Christian faith she knew; but when God led us away from institutionality, it was one of the best things that ever happened to her spiritually. I’d like to pick up the thread from here. (Read the previous entry first if you missed it yesterday.)

This is a preview of The Wild One part 2. Read the full post (548 words, 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

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Superhero Christianity

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Categories: Rantings, What the heck was THAT?

(I found this awesome picture here.)
Today I’d like to introduce you to one of my former favorite superheros. If you’ve spent much time in church circles, you know this person, although you’ve probably never really met him/her. I say “him/her” because this superhero takes many forms and versions, but the gist is about the same no matter how you view him/her. (Being a male, I see him as a man, so I’ll use “he” from now on.)

This superhero is a man of mythic spiritual proportions, even surpassing Jesus Himself. (I’ll unpack that seemingly blasphemous statement in a minute.) I call this person….SUPER-CHRISTIAN.

This is a preview of Superhero Christianity. Read the full post (690 words, 2 images, estimated 2:46 mins reading time)
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