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January 5, 2011 in Spirituality with 11 Comments

God is Always Working Backwards

“It is a thing that we should continually remember, that God, from His side, is never working towards anything; from His side, He is always working backwards. He is working back to what was, both in His mind in times eternal, and which He had actually in His creative activity. There it was. He has never given it up. All the departure is away; God is always coming back. God is never saying to man: You must come onto Me; He is saying: You must come back to Me. It is only in us, where we are concerned, that we are moving towards a consummation; but God is always working backwards.”

~ T. Austin-Sparks

God’s “backwards” is eternity past where He conceived His eternal purpose. Our “forwards” are His backwards. Because He is outside of time, space, and matter, because He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end are both happening in Him. Thus the end will look similar to the beginning. There is no other purpose for which to live than God’s eternal purpose. It is God’s grand goal and mission, the provocation of creation itself. Thus it should be ours as well.

January 4, 2011 in Spirituality with 15 Comments

Personal Words Regarding 2011

Dear Friends,

I want to thank you for all your prayers for me and my family during this difficult time. My cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer and there have been some other heavy things weighing on us. So it’s been a difficult holiday, but the Lord has been faithful. And He has been very near.

Your support, love, and encouragement has meant so much to me. I appreciate it more than you know.

A Word About My Friends Continue Reading…

December 30, 2010 in Reviews with 15 Comments

Lifting Up My Friends: Part IV

Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

This post concludes my 4-part series, “Lifting Up My Friends.” Today, I want to lift up my good friend Leonard Sweet.

As most of you know, Len is the co-author of our joint-essay “A Jesus Manifesto” (published in June 2009) and JESUS MANIFESTO (the book we released this past summer).

I spent this last Thanksgiving with Len and his family in his home (which I happen to believe is part of the Witness Protection Program).

In numerous ways, Len is a kindred spirit. My brother from a different mother. But more, a friend and a colleague in the Lord’s work. Continue Reading…

December 29, 2010 in Reviews with 12 Comments

Lifting Up My Friends: Part III

Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

In the spirit of the above text, I’ve been posting a series that honors some of my friends and introduces them and their work to you, my friends, who read this blog.

Today, I want to lift up my good friend and co-worker Jon Zens.

I’ve known of Jon’s work since the mid-1980s. Jon is a former pastor. He’s also a theologian and a scholar. He is one of the few seminary trained PhDs who stands outside the organized church (Robert Banks shares that accolade).

Jon’s high-voltage theological writing is accessible to every reader. I personally wish every Christian — including pastors and teachers — would read his little magazine called Searching Together. It’s superb. Years ago I purchased all the back issues and I use them for reference. The subscription price is dirt cheap.

Continue Reading…

December 28, 2010 in Reviews with 13 Comments

Lifting Up My Friends: Part II

Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

As I pointed out last week, recently I awoke with a heart of thankfulness to the Lord for the many close friends and spiritual co-workers I have in my life. This led to the thought of honoring them on this blog, highlighting some of their contributions. And making you aware of them and their work.

Today, I want to lift up my good friend Milt Rodriguez.

I’ve known Milt for over a decade. We are very close. In fact, he’s one of the men to whom I am mutually submitted in the Lord.

Milt is not only a trusted friend, he’s also a co-laborer in the Lord’s work. We’ve been on numerous trips together, planted and worked with churches together, shared the ministry in numerous settings (in the trenches as well as in conferences), and we have traveled overseas together (with some interesting stories). :-)

Continue Reading…

December 23, 2010 in Reviews with 12 Comments

Lifting Up My Friends: Part I

Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)

This morning I awoke with a heart of thankfulness to the Lord for the many close friends and spiritual co-workers I have in my life. This led to the thought of honoring some of them on this blog beginning today and throughout next week, highlighting some of their contributions.

I’m deeply thankful for the role each of them has played in my life, for their undying and faithful friendship which continues till this good day, and for joining arms with me as co-laborers and colleagues in the highest work on earth, the work of Jesus Christ.

Today, I want to lift up Tony and Felicity Dale. Continue Reading…

December 22, 2010 in Humor with 10 Comments

The Nativity Story & My Favorite Christmas Spoof Song

Last night, I watched The Nativity Story (DVD). I love that movie. It’s very well done, the acting is great, and it stays fairly close to the text. 

I also appreciate how they depict Joseph. You can’t help but love the guy. (I paid tribute to Joseph yesterday.)

As with movies of this sort, I lost half my body weight weeping through it. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should.

Now on to Christmas songs. Continue Reading…

December 21, 2010 in Rethinking with 37 Comments

Remember Joseph: Rethinking Righteousness

“The deceitfulness of the heart of man appears in no one thing so much as this of spiritual pride and self-righteousness.” 

~ Jonathan Edwards

When the nativity story is told, we mostly hear about Mary, the mother of Jesus. For centuries, Mary has been extolled and honored, as she should be. Joseph, however, has often been regarded as a mere footnote to the story.

Today, I’d like to give Joseph his due.

By my lights, Joseph was one of the most righteous men who ever lived. Now when most modern Christians think of a “righteous man,” they think of things like being a good husband, a patient father, a trusted and successful employee who lives a good clean life (doesn’t “smoke, drink, chew or run with those who do,” as the old saying goes), and so on.

I have no doubts that Joseph was upright in the area of personal piety. But the Bible gives us a much deeper peek at what a righteous person is and how he or she reacts to certain situations. Consider Matthew 1:19-20:

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to put her away quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Matthew says that because Joseph was a righteous man, he chose not to publicly disgrace and shame Mary, even though (according to his knowledge at the time) she deserved it. Continue Reading…

December 20, 2010 in Writing with 17 Comments

Why You Should Create Your Own Archives Page

If you’re a blogger, I’d encourage you to create your own easy-to-locate, visible Archives page and organize it by categories of your own choice. Let me ‘splain what I mean and why.

When I first starting reading blogs, I sometimes wanted to go back and read the previous posts of a particular blogger. The problem: It was almost impossible to find and sort through their earlier posts.

Some blogs have a side-bar (sometimes labeled “archives”) where you can read posts by the month-and-year they were written. I’ve always found those clumsy and unhelpful. The blog posts aren’t labeled or categorized. Continue Reading…

December 16, 2010 in Rethinking with 15 Comments

Interview with Modern Reformation Magazine

I’ve been reading the nativity story again and am captured by the sheer wonder of it all. It truly is the greatest story ever told. Next week I plan to write a blog post about Joseph, as I feel there are lessons to learn from his life that are little talked about today. So stay tuned for that post Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

Last year a writer for Modern Reformation Magazine interviewed me. His questions covered a wide-range of subjects, some of which I’m asked about frequently.

Here’s the complete interview.

MR:  In your opinion, what is the future of the emerging/emergent church movement?  In what ways are you optimistic about the movement?

Frank: I’m not part of the emerging church movement nor am I part of emergent, so I’m not sure. I have talked with folks in the movement (or “conversation”) and they’ve seen it begin to splinter into a three different streams. One is toward a more liberal theology and outlook. The other is toward the missional church movement. And the third is toward a more postchurch theology and outlook. Continue Reading…

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