He appeared outside one of the main entrances to the Woodland Hills Mall on the Friday after Thanksgiving. He had frizzy, red hair and a beard to match. He wore bright green overalls and a white undershirt. When asked, he would say that his name was John. “Like, as in ‘The Baptist?’” asked a teenager […]
Archives for November 2005
Kierkegaard on the NT
This quote from SK brought me up short. The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be able to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any […]
November 28, 2005 by 6 Comments
Missing the Point of Salvation Part 3
Part 1 Part 2 I recently conducted an informal poll in which I asked a number of people, “What does the word “salvation” mean to you?” or “What comes to mind when you hear the word “salvation?” Just about everyone I asked said that “salvation means going to heaven when I die.” One person said, […]
November 21, 2005 by 6 Comments
Missing the Point of Salvation Part 2
Part One Let’s take a look at several more stories from Luke. First, Luke 7:36-50. Jesus tells Simon that the explanation for the woman’s radical/over the top/scandalous behavior is that she understands what it means to be forgiven and he doesn’t. She has a radical response to the radical love of God. What really interests […]
November 17, 2005 by 4 Comments
Missing the Point of Salvation
Luke 7:11-17 tells a story about a young man Jesus raises from the dead in the village of Nain. If I were a journalist covering this story, my headline would read, “Jesus Raises the Dead!” Yet I think my headline would miss the point Luke is making by including this story in his gospel. Raising […]
November 15, 2005 by 7 Comments
Monkfish Abbey
Monkfish Abbey is a church with a difference Tips for building generous “soul-care” communities, from Rachelle Mee-Chapman, “urban abbess” of Monkfish Abbey: * Make the table your altar. Eat simple meals together regularly and enjoy the conversation. Anchor your celebration with a simple ritual of breaking bread or saying grace. Try having a “question of […]
November 11, 2005 by 1 Comment
2006 Tulsa Workshop
This will be the first of many posts in the next few months about the 2006 Tulsa Workshop. The speaker list and schedule are starting to come together. Each evening we’re going to have tag-team keynote speakers, one from Churches of Christ and one from independent Christian Churches. This is one way we’re participating in […]
November 8, 2005 by 13 Comments
Favorite Posts
According to Jakob Nielson, one of the biggest mistakes bloggers make is not providing “Favorite Posts” links on their sidebar. So I’m going back through the archives and linking to some of my favorite posts as well as some of the posts that have created the most conversation. I’ve also added a few new titles […]
November 7, 2005 by 2 Comments
On Time
Ever had one of those days when it seems like everybody is moving a step slower than you? You’re in the groove and everyone else is stumbling along. Today has been one of those days for me, and it’s been frustrating. I’ve spent all day waiting on people who don’t have their lives as together […]
November 2, 2005 by 9 Comments
Telling Stories, Asking Questions, Learning Lessons