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Off the Map Conference Update

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Categories: off the map

The conference takes place largely in two venues, so no one can catch everything. But these are the highlights of my day at the conference:

MORNING SESSION

  • Bill Kinnamon shared some of the research from his book UnChristian, sharing eye-opening facts about how Christianity and Christians are viewed by unbelievers, and we discussed how this needs to inform our dialogue with the culture we live in. An important point made is that we are not polling the unsaved to try and form a religion that will attract them; but we need to be aware both of the misconceptions people have, and the true indictments that have been made against the church.
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This. Is. So. Cool.

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Categories: off the map, What the heck was THAT?

Hello from Denver.
I am blogging today from the Off the Map Conference.
That’s right.
From the main venue.
During the opening event.
I’m not blogging from my cell phone. I’ve got my laptop on. In “church.”
This is very new to me. I’m not used to people letting me have my laptop on in a church-type meeting.

But Off the Map encourages it.
They are providing the free wi-fi.
They also tell you to leave your cell phones on.

I feel so postmodern.

I’ll keep checking in…

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Best of LMR: "Constipated Anointing"

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Categories: fun, Meanderings (look it up), What the heck was THAT?

Reposted from January 2008.

I’m about to get a bit irreverent and share a funny, sad, true story. ::Inserts tongue firmly into cheek…::

A number of years ago I was invited to lead worship for a week-long campmeeting at a church in Bakersfield, California. Right away I noticed that the pastor of this charismatic Word-Faith church had a distasteful beat-the-sheep leadership style, and that he had something to prove. Anyway, he announced that the last night would be an anointing service, where he would lay hands on and pray for anyone who wanted it. He pumped this up as the climax of the campmeeting, and that last day he went into seclusion to pray and fast, denying his flesh and all distractions so the Holy Spirit would honor his faith and move upon the people.

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Reminder

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Categories: random stuff

Just reminding everyone that I’ll be a little bit out of pocket for a few days. The fam and I are headed up to Denver tomorrow to participate in Off the Map’s “Born Again Church Tour.” We’ll be hosted by fellow blogger Kathy Escobar. We’re very excited about this opportunity to learn and to meet new people (and to see a part of America we have yet to see).

Anyhow…while I’m gone, you’ll still have something to read here. I’m going to schedule a few “best of” re-postings, and as I can, I’ll check in live from Denver. God bless, and I’ll give you a report when I get back.

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Teach a Man to Fish (and Other Things We Say to Make Ourselves Feel Better)

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Categories: current issues, food for thought

This post is my contribution to Blog Action Day 2008. This year’s topic: poverty.

I feel like the global issue of poverty is one of those things I’m least qualified to talk about. I am not an activist, I’ve not been part of many relief ministries, except for one I’ll talk about momentarily. I’ve spent most of my life sheltered in the church, allowing someone else to deal with those issues. The most connection I’ve had with poverty is a measure of personal experience–which means I have spent significant amounts of time not having enough to make ends meet, knowing what it is to be in need. Some days I’ve awakened not knowing how my family would eat that day. However, even that sense of lack I’ve felt (which was painful enough) does not even begin to compare with what others in my own country have felt, let alone in third world countries. So even with the limited personal experience I have, my own lack of action makes me feel unqualified to tell others what to do.

This is a preview of Teach a Man to Fish (and Other Things We Say to Make Ourselves Feel Better). Read the full post (1462 words, 1 image, estimated 5:51 mins reading time)

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A (Not) Exhaustive Word Study on the Word "Calling", and What I Think It Means

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Categories: changing mindsets, food for thought

In my continued ponderings on the idea of being “called”, and looking with a fresh set of eyes at my own sense of “calling” as a believer, it made sense to do a little word study on the words “calling” and “called” in the Bible. At first look, I was honestly surprised.

Here’s what I found:

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The Phantom Strikes Again (or The Ghost In the Machine)

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Categories: random stuff

An update to my post about the Phantom of the Laptop…

This morning the phantom struck again, at the same keyboard keys I have had trouble with. And rebooting the laptop twice did not solve the problem.

So in an act of desperation, I lifted my laptop off the table, and firmly tapped the bottom of it underneath the acting-up letters (YES, it was a “tap”; I did not “hit” my computer, although I wanted to).

Presto. It now works perfectly. So maybe the phantom is just wanting a massage or something. So I’ll try the tapping thing for awhile.

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Even More Ramblings About Calling…

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

I have been rambling on a bit about how my perception of one’s “calling” is changing. Time to ramble a little more…

I’ve gotten a lot of “prophetic words” in my lifetime. And a lot of it has been what I’d call “fluff” (some might have stronger words for it, but that’s what I call it, anyway)–just ear-tickling, good-feeling-evoking, ego-puffing-up words about destiny. (When you find yourself in a platform ministry position, it’s amazing how many people want to prophesy over you.)

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