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Coming Soon: Traveling to Encourage the Brethren

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Categories: church, travel

I haven’t done much ministry-related travel in the past few years. I used to devote at least one weekend a month to visiting churches and ministering–sometimes alone, sometimes with the family. However, during the intense season of de-construction, it just didn’t seem like the right time for travel. There was so much changing so quickly in my heart and mind, and so many stories still being written, that if I had shared something one week with a church, by the next week I might have felt completely different about it.

However, in talking to different ones among our mentors, and in trying to discern the heart of God for this season…there is a consensus that it is a good time for us to do some traveling.

This is a preview of Coming Soon: Traveling to Encourage the Brethren. Read the full post (475 words, 2 images, estimated 1:54 mins reading time)

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What I REALLY Think About the Institutional Church

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Categories: food for thought, You need to read this

When I’m talking to someone and they start ranting and raving about something, one of my favorite things to say to them (tongue-in-cheek) is: “Oh, don’t beat around the bush; tell me what you REALLY think.”

A lot of time is spent on this blog de-constructing various aspects of institutional Christianity. Taken together, it might seem like so much ranting and raving. So today, I thought I’d tell you what I REALLY think about the institutional church.

I love it.

(Well, not the “institutional” part, so much as the “church” part.)

This is a preview of What I REALLY Think About the Institutional Church. Read the full post (579 words, 2 images, estimated 2:19 mins reading time)

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Retooling our Gifts for a New Season

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Categories: changing mindsets, church, food for thought, music

My mind has been drifting back to some previous posts (see here and here) where we were discussing individuals who function in various ministry positions (like pastors and worship leaders), who find themselves displaced when they no longer feel they belong within institutional Christianity. Their gifts don’t go away, but they no longer know what to do with them. My blogger friend Glenn has talked about it; I can certainly relate; and I know there are others.

This is a preview of Retooling our Gifts for a New Season. Read the full post (1186 words, 1 image, estimated 4:45 mins reading time)

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Following Up on "Pagan Christianity"

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Categories: books, changing mindsets, church

As of the time of this writing, there haven’t been an abundance of comments to my recent review on Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna. (I recognize I’m a bit behind many other bloggers in my review, and many have already moved on from this conversation.) However, of the four comments I’ve had so far, three have sided in favor of the book. Their thoughtful remarks, and reading some of the follow-up content on Frank Viola’s website, have prompted me to follow up a bit as to why I reviewed the book the way I did, and where I was coming from.

This is a preview of Following Up on "Pagan Christianity". Read the full post (1202 words, 1 image, estimated 4:48 mins reading time)

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Thoughts on Independence Day

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Categories: Meanderings (look it up)

Two hundred thirty some-odd years ago, we colonial Americans had an argument with the “motherland” about taxes and representation and probably a few other things. (Not having been there, you know…it gets a little fuzzy after so much time.)

Anyway…232 years ago today, a bunch of us Yankees signed a document declaring our independence from Great Britain. And after fighting with them for several years, we eventually won the independence we had declared.

This is a preview of Thoughts on Independence Day. Read the full post (312 words, 1 image, estimated 1:15 mins reading time)

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Random Blogdom

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Categories: fun, random stuff, What the heck was THAT?

Well, it appears a growing number of my blogger friends are on blogger vacation or something. Fewer postings on their blogs, fewer comments that they’re leaving on my blog. Some have other stuff going on. (Glenn, for example, has taken a long-awaited job, and doesn’t have much time, or hasn’t learned yet how to sneak in some blogging at work.) Some are probably out enjoying the summer weather. (Well, that can’t be Heather’s excuse; it’s WINTER where she is.) And this lack-of-blogging epidemic isn’t relegated to us small fry, either; some of the better-known bloggers are taking breaks, too. Brant even had the audacity to announce that he’s taking July off. (The nerve of that guy–not entertaining us during the boringest month of the year next to January.)

This is a preview of Random Blogdom. Read the full post (551 words, 1 image, estimated 2:12 mins reading time)

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A Long-Awaited Review of "Pagan Christianity"

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Categories: books, church, Rantings

Okay, so it’s so long awaited that probably most of my current readers do not even know that I was planning to review this book at all. 🙂

A few months ago I posted this entry, alluding to a book that was ticking me off. I withheld the name but promised I’d give it a full review when I was done with it. But I guess I was not so subtle about it, because my commentors immediately guessed it was Pagan Christianity? by Frank Viola and George Barna. Yesterday, when I read this post on bob.blog, it reminded me that I hadn’t actually given the book its fair due. This book has generated so much talk that now there are folks even poking fun at it. I submit the following video as evidence of this.

This is a preview of A Long-Awaited Review of "Pagan Christianity". Read the full post (823 words, 2 images, estimated 3:18 mins reading time)

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Fluid Church

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Categories: changing mindsets, church, food for thought

When I think about how God has been re-shaping my perspectives on the church in general, one analogy I like to use is based on science–particularly, the properties of water, and/or the properties of solids and liquids.

We most often think of water as a liquid, because that’s where we identify with it, mostly. A liquid, a fluid, easily takes the shape of anything that contains it, and can be poured from container to container. It gives way when you dip your finger in it. It is movable, flexible, easily changed. And yet, liquid water molecules tend to stick together. Droplets of water on glass tend to find each other and merge together. It is a loose structure, but there is a natural cohesion of the molecules.

This is a preview of Fluid Church. Read the full post (878 words, 2 images, estimated 3:31 mins reading time)

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Now That’s What I’m Talking About

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Categories: changing mindsets

Alan over at The Assembling of the Church has written a brilliant piece that I think follows up extremely well with the discussion we’ve had here and here on “Stuff We Do That’s Not In the Bible.” He gives a great synopsis of how we should handle extra-Biblical elements of church. Couldn’t have said it better myself.

You should go read it. No, seriously. Go now.

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Favorite Lines from "The Princess Bride"

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Categories: fun, movies, random stuff, Things that Are Amazingly Awesome, What the heck was THAT?

So, okay, I’m strange.

I have this thing about injecting movie lines into conversations without warning. People who recognize the movie line usually laugh; others look at me like I have Turret’s or something.

The Princess Bride, in my opinion, has probably more fun and memorable lines than any other movie I’ve seen. So for your amazement amusement…below are five of my favorite lines from this classic:

5. “No more rhymes, now, I mean it.” “Anybody want a peanut?”

This is a preview of Favorite Lines from "The Princess Bride". Read the full post (181 words, 2 images, estimated 43 secs reading time)
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