Doug and I made the pilgrimige up the I-5 corridor to Seattle last night with our kids sleeping peacefully in the back of our rented minivan (okay, I swore I would never desire one of these, but they are really, really nice to have). Doug and I know this particular stretch of I-5 quite well.… Continue reading Sale
Category: Missional
Home interrupted
We are back in Portland now. We had a sudden change of plans Sunday after church so we decided to try and see some really good friends of ours from Fuller who moved up here a year ago. Because this was on short notice we did not have access to their phone numbers but we… Continue reading Home interrupted
Whitewashed
Doug and I have been watching the six-hour BBC production of Pride and Prejudice (courtesy of Doug’s sister) in bits and pieces during this past week. As we drove to the little coastal town of Garibaldi yesterday afternoon, Doug made the comment that watching this film has made him realize how much has been lost… Continue reading Whitewashed
Eyebrows
I just finished our nighttime ritual of songs in our big bed before putting Mercy down to sleep in her room. As we were lying next to each other, Mercy reached out and began to trace her finger over my eyebrows. It was yesterday that she discovered eyebrows, apparently for the first time. It was… Continue reading Eyebrows
What missional looks like
I read a great post by Don Johnson recently about service in the local church. He contrasted the “ivory tower” of ideals and innovations with the simple and seemingly unimpressive quiet faithfulness of local churches everywhere. As a minister who is certainly in a church context that presses the boundaries of normal, a church context… Continue reading What missional looks like
Priorities
At our Servant Partners staff meeting yesterday, we spent some time discussing how community organizing and church-planting can relate to one another. We talked about a holistic view of people and salvation; we talked about redemption that is both physical and spiritual; we shared stories about how our work in community organizing in urban poor… Continue reading Priorities
“Truly worthy?”
Doug and I found ourselves sitting in our living room yesterday afternoon with some good friends from our church. They are a couple that has been on a journey of healing and restoration in both spiritual and very tangible physical ways. Since we have known them, there have been maybe a handful of times where… Continue reading “Truly worthy?”
How do we deal with Cinderellas in church planting?
One thing I have learned about parenthood is this: you have to pick your battles. When you have a baby, you likely have in your mind a set of ideals for how you, and your child, will relate to one another and to the world. Then you discover that your child is human. And you… Continue reading How do we deal with Cinderellas in church planting?
There’s no crying in church planting
A couple of things have provoked me this past week to think about church-planting and being a “missional” church, both in my particular situation here in L.A., as well as in a more general context. There is much discussion, some good books, and a few quality blogs that tackle the question of what it means… Continue reading There’s no crying in church planting
Inconvenienced
My sister came over yesterday for an impromptu play date (actually, she was out of coffee at her house and I was in possession of some very yummy Peet’s Holiday Blend), and we spent some time talking about our plans for our small group. My sister is our leader, so she had some questions for… Continue reading Inconvenienced