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May 1, 2009 in Church with 33 Comments

What Does Authentic Organic Church Life Look Like? Part I

I’m using the phrase “authentic organic church life” simply because the term “organic church” is in vogue right now, and it’s being pasted on all sorts of church forms, some of which are not organic at all.

On the heels of the recent blog post entitled Are You in the Wilderness?, what follows is a real-life testimony of someone describing his experience in an organic expression of the church. More will follow.

Note that an authentic organic church is truly missional. That is, it’s been captured by a groundbreaking vision of the Grand Mission of God, which is His Eternal Purpose. And that purpose goes way beyond the reaches of salvation and redemption. Continue Reading…

April 28, 2009 in Humor with 16 Comments

Another “One Word Monologue”

A very good Monday to you, girls and boys. A very good Monday, indeed.

I hope you had a restful weekend. Today is another edition of our “one word monologue.” If you’re new with us, please read the rules on how to play.

Also, if this is your first time posting a comment here, begin your post with the word FROG.

The word for today is . . .

FACEBOOK

that’s right

FACEBOOK

April 27, 2009 in Church with 11 Comments

Are You in the Wilderness?

So many Christians I meet today, whether in person, on social networks, or through emails, tell me that they are living in a spiritual wilderness. They feel alone, spiritually isolated, and they don’t have too many Christian friends that they are experiencing a rich and full fellowship in Christ with.

Some of them attend a church on Sunday morning, yet still, they are living in the desert and they know it.

Some have given up on the traditional form of church altogether. And they are in serious pursuit of an expression of church that provides authentic community centered on Jesus Christ. But they cannot find such an expression in their city.

All of these people love the Lord and they love the Body of Christ, but they feel quite alone. And spiritually, they are dry and empty. Continue Reading…

April 20, 2009 in Humor with 48 Comments

Our First “One Word Monologue”

Alright, Fun Seekers.

Our beloved Blog Manager is back in business . . . fully rested, refreshed, alert, and ready to begin moderating comments again.

Applause.

Keep in mind that it took a lot of arm-twisting for me to convince her to take on this job again, so if you don’t want this blog to become a Brian McLaren-Greg Boyd-John Eldredge-John Piper-Mark Driscoll-esque “No Comments” blog, it would be wise for you to follow the rules for moderation (the link is at the very top of the blog). Continue Reading…

April 17, 2009 in Humor with 1 Comment

A New Exercise to Try Out

Most of our blog readers are between the ages of 25 and 45.

But for those of you who are getting up in years, what follows is a great exercise to keep you trim and in shape.

Here’s the exercise:

Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-pound potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can.

Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you’ll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.

After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-pound potato sacks. Then try 50-pound potato sacks, and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-pound potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (Our Blog Manager is at this level presently.)

After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

April 16, 2009 in Reviews with 5 Comments

Book Review: “The Divine Commodity” by Skye Jethani

I always enjoy meeting the people who write the books I read. It adds a certain texture to the experience.

Last month, I was in a two-day meeting in Chicago that drew various Christian leaders from around the country. Skye Jethani was present at this meeting, and it was the first time we met in person.

Skye attended with some other folks on the Christianity Today staff, Marshall Shelley and Kevin Miller. I’ve been reading Shelley and Miller for years, as I’ve been a devoted reader of CT since I was in my early 20s (I, of course, am only 29 now, but that’s beside the point).  :-)

Meeting these men in person was a neat experience. Shelley and Miller were delightful, and as can be imagined, they were both incredibly sharp and insightful. Continue Reading…

April 5, 2009 in Spirituality with 15 Comments

Two Christian Tracts Worth Examining

This first one is oxymoronic, no?

tract

This second one is just dead wrong. Can you tell why? Continue Reading…

March 22, 2009 in Spirituality with 2 Comments

What’s Wrong With Our Gospel?

In my book, REVISE US AGAIN, I dedicate an entire chapter to revising our modern-day gospel in light of the gospel that Jesus and Paul preached.

March 18, 2009 in Rethinking with 2 Comments

A Review of Michael Spencer’s “The Coming Evangelical Collapse”

Michael Spencer (a.k.a. iMonk) is one of my favorite bloggers. I remember skimming through his blog sometime last year. His podcast section intrigued me, so I gave a listen to one of them.

The result: I was monumentally impressed.

In the podcast, he tackled some difficult issues. I agreed with everything he said, and I found his insights stimulating.

To my surprise, Michael has taken time to review my books, Pagan Christianity & Reimagining Church, and very recently, From Eternity to Here. And he’s been fair, honest, and kind (smile) in his assessments.

While I’ve never met Michael in person nor talked with him on the phone, three descriptions come to mind based on my reading of his blog and my interactions with him via email: Continue Reading…

March 7, 2009 in Spirituality with 0 Comments

The iMonk Reviews “From Eternity to Here”

Let’s just say that I’m beyond honored to have Michael Spencer review my book the way he did.

Here’s the full review:

A Review of Frank Viola’s From Eternity to Here by Michael Spencer (the iMonk)

Let’s be honest.

Guys like me – ordained in the traditional church, collecting a paycheck from the traditional church, investing a significant portion of our life in the traditional church- are supposed to be put off by Frank Viola’s entire project. And depending on what you’ve read by or about Frank Viola, that may be exactly how you feel: defensive about an “open” house church model that dismisses traditional denominations as a selling out of the church.

Viola’s work makes us defensive and rightfully so. Of all the contemporary critics of the traditional church, Viola has been the most effective. He’s not ranted and railed. Instead, he’s done the hard scholarly work to make his case, and offered a full and complete discussion and informed experience for his own model. Continue Reading…

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