I want to make you aware of the Missional X conference coming up September 20-22 in Tucson. The conference will feature Jim Henderson, author of Evangelism Without Additives and Jim and Casper Go to Church and Darrin Patrick, pastor of The Journey in St. Louis and Vice-President of Acts 29. For more information, including workshop topics be sure to check out the site.
I recently began reading Dick Staub’s The Culturally Savvy Christian, subtitled “A Manifesto For Deepening Faith and Enriching Popular Culture in an Age of Christianity-Lite.” In chapter one Staub emphasises how popular culture is crippling the souls of people. He then contends that the only real answer is a transformed American Christianity. Here is a short excerpt from the conclusion of chapter one. Read more →
May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,
wherever He may send you.
May He guide you through the wilderness,
protect you through the storm.
May He bring you home rejoicing
at the wonders He has shown you.
May He bring you home rejoicing
once again into our doors.
- A blessing from the Celtic Book of Prayer
Lord God, almighty and everlasting Father, you have brought me in safety to this new day: Preserve me with your mighty power, that I may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all I do direct me to the fulfilling of your purpose; through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
- The Concluding Prayer of the Church, The Divine Hours
While in LA a few weeks ago I became aware of a great ministry called NightLight. NightLight is based in urban Bangkok (and now they have a “branch” in LA) that combats the sexual exploitation of women and children. I have to admit that I was not fully aware of the extent of human trafficking around the world, including the United Sates, until hearing a woman from NightLight speak on the topic.
One of the unique ways this ministry raises support and offers employment for those rescued from the world of trafficking is through the selling of hand-made jewelry that you can check out here. I hope you will consider buying some jewelry to help support this ministry and then allow the jewelry to be a conversation starter to share with others how they can help. Read more →
The goal of spiritual transformation is conformity to Jesus Christ.
In light of the last post it is important to recognize that God’s telos is not nebulous. It is specific. It is love but it is love of a specific kind. It is particular. It is as particular as the life of the trinity: a life of perfect love.
Romans 8:29 refers to this particularity as conformity to the likeness of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ shows more than anyone else what the perfect life of love is like in the way he goes about loving as described in the Gospels. He loved God fully, and loved others fully. Nothing spared, not possessions, not even life itself. Paul tells Timothy to participate in his own spiritual transformation to attain a particular goal: godliness, i.e. to be and to behave like God (1Timothy 4:7-8). Read more →
Here are the dates and times for the Missional Network gatherings later this month. This month we will take a break from discussing a book and instead we would like everyone to come to the network gatherings prepared to respond to two questions in regards to your ministry and/or how you are currently experiencing the Christian life. Our hope is to create an opportunity for us to learn from the journeys of each other. The two questions to consider are:
1. What do you find yourself “unlearning?”
2. What are you discovering?
Newton Network
Friday, July 27th
12:00 – 3:00pm
The Journey
7th and Plum
Newton, KS
KC Network
Thursday, August 2nd
4:00pm-7:00pm
Kansas City Association
8745 Ballentine
Overland Park
There is a post on Roger Gehring’s “House Church and Mission” over at Jesus Creed. If you have time read some of the comments as well. McKnight writes:
The most significant book ever written on house churches in the 1st Century is by Roger Gehring and is called House Church and Mission. I don’t very often write posts on this blog about published dissertations, but that is because most of them are not like House Church and Mission. To be sure, it is an academic book and written for scholars and serious students who want to know the ins and outs about what it was like and what it was not like. Read more →
In Francis DuBose’s book “God Who Sends: A Fresh Quest for Biblical Mission” the author highlights the theological sending passages within 7 Scriptural categories. In past weeks I have shared a short except from each of these categories, including: the Pentateuch, the Historical & Poetical books, the Prophets, the Gospels and finally today the book of Acts and the Epistles. Read more →
Today we continue with Georges Boujakly’s keys to spiritual transformation.
Spiritual transformation has a specific goal.
You notice in the third and fourth key to spiritual transformation is the very important word goal. However, better than the word goal might be the word end. The Greek noun for end is telos. The adjective is the word telic. Read more →
