I, too, am tired of the tame God and boxed-in-Christ, distorted by control-seeking humans who use religion to maintain the status quo. I'm yearning for a wild God that compels me to full participation in this miraculous dance of life, deepening the meaning in a core...
Before conversion, we tend to think that God is out there. After transformation, God is not out there and we don’t look at reality. We look from reality. We’re in the middle of it now; we’re a part of it. This whole thing is...
It's about participation in Christ and not substitution by Christ. And we...are invited to travel with Jesus through execution to resurrection. The Last Supper is about bread for the world, God's justice against human injustice, a New Passover from bondage to...
When we believe our church's purpose is to please us and make us happy, then we will withhold our money and withdraw our participation when we are displeased with our church. When we believe our church's purpose is to make us more like Jesus, we expect discomfort in...
But for this writer, the most important role of the music ministry is NOT in the preparation and presentation of special programs. Instead, it is in the week after week leadership given in our worship services. Whether the singing of a hymn, a choral anthem, the organ...
Singing is a spiritual activity best experienced in community. The documented benefits are as significant as those in yoga, a healthy diet, and prayer. Our culture, however, has commodified singing and turned it into a perfected idol that is performed by the few and...
Anticipatory hope is not enough anymore. Participatory hope is the only kind that works now. I want cleats, not ruby slippers.
Congregations that discern the mission of God in the world and discover their participation in it will shape the future of the Church in North America. Missional churches are ones that see their purpose for existence as incarnating the life and ministry of Jesus...