Nov

15

Missing: Human Affection

November 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment

I just received a fascinating article, which almost appeared to be real. Turns out that it was from The Onion, which is a parody newspaper. They write in a style that is so close to real that it makes you look deeper, think twice. I did that with this article, and was struck by how […]

Sep

6

Community

September 6, 2007 | 3 Comments

Mary DeMuth in her book Authentic Parenting in a Postmodern Culture writes:
Community shapes our souls. The people around us sharpen our hearts, sand off our rough edges, and love us when we’re unlovely. I venture to say we cannot grow in our walks with Jesus outside of it. If we isolate ourselves, our souls will […]

Sep

4

#1 Best Thing You Can Do for Your Health

September 4, 2007 | 3 Comments

I received this article from Fran Goodrich, Editor of the Neighborhood bible Studies e-helps. Makes a lot of sense to me!
I was waiting in line at the grocery store, vacantly perusing the magazines to my right when the above title jerked me to attention. My first thought was, “Is it diet or exercise?” […]

Aug

28

Dealing with Members with Personality Disorders

August 28, 2007 | 2 Comments

I just read an interesting article on Brain Based Business. While the article discusses dealing with people with personality disorders in the workplace, the same principles apply to such members in small groups.
You may run into people in your group who exhibit personality disorders. Of course, you aren’t qualified to deal with them on a […]

Jun

27

Restoring Community

June 27, 2007 | 1 Comment

Tina at SpaghettiPie reflects on the meaning and purpose of community in three posts. In the first she talks about what authentic community means and ponders how to achieve it. She says (as I have often said),
We were created to be relational, and we were created to be in community. I long for true community […]

Jun

23

The Present Future-Part 7

June 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Six: the Rise of Apostolic Leadership
Wrong Question: How Do We Develop Leaders for Church Work?
“If church work is not getting the job done, why do we continue to train leaders to do it better?”
Apostolic leaders in the first and twenty-first centuries evidence distinctive […]

Jun

21

The Present Future-Part 6

June 21, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Five: The Shift from Planning to Preparation
Most of what has ultimate effect on the church happens outside of it and outside of its control.
Wrong Question: How Do We Plan for the Future?
“Incrementalism as an anticipatory strategy is dead…. The better (and biblical) approach to […]

Jun

19

The Present Future-Part 5

June 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Four: The Return to Spiritual Formation
“We have turned our churches into groups of people who are studying God as though they were taking a course at school or attending a business seminar. We aim at the head. We don’t deal in relationships. And we […]

Jun

17

The Present Future-Part 4

June 17, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Three: A New Reformation: Releasing God’s People
“The first Reformation was about freeing the church. The new Reformation is about freeing God’s people from the church (the institution). Both Reformations have been fueled by an information revolution.”
“… church members no longer have to rely […]

Jun

15

The Present Future-Part 3

June 15, 2007 | Leave a Comment

For an introduction to this series, go to here
New Reality Number Two: The Shift from Church Growth to Kingdom Growth
With rare exception the “growth” [in the church growth movement] was the cannibalization of the smaller membership churches by these emerging superchurches. “Consequently, a large part of the leadhip of the North American church […]

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