MEMORY RESIDUE

Definitive Prayer: Meditations on Community Part Two

Discipleship is crucial to the life of the Church/Christianity. But crucial to discipleship is a culture of prayer. I do believe that being a "house of prayer [for all nations]" is an underlying identity of the Church. My experience with the (primarily) program driven church in the U.S. is that true discipleship is rare. I mean we have Bible studies, small groups, and meetings, but intentionally coming together for learning how to do Jesus-stuff is often not done. I've even experienced outreach efforts without intercession for those who are intended to be reached. Now, my goal isn't to complain. My goal is to point out, encourage, maybe even confess :-) We must abandon to Christ if [...]

By Joel|2014-08-18T22:34:43+00:00February 2nd, 2012|Abandonment, Jesus Shaped Community, prayer, The Dangerous Kind|

Oscar Romero: a step back

It helps, now and then, to step back and take a long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision.We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God's work.Nothing we do is complete, which is a way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us.No statement says all that could be said.No prayer fully expresses our faith.No confession brings perfection.No pastoral visit brings wholeness.No program accomplishes the church's mission.No set of goals and objectives includes everything. It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way, an opportunity for the Lord's grace to enter and do the rest.We may [...]

By Joel|2014-08-18T22:34:43+00:00January 31st, 2012|prayer, The Dangerous Kind|

A Living Together Reality: Meditations on Community Part One

A few weeks ago I grabbed lunch with a friend at Red Robin. Munching on Buffalo Chicken Strips we were talking about the churches that we were serving at, and about where the Lord is leading in those place. Community is the word that came up. God has me (and some leadership of our church) parked on that, and what it looks like in discipleship. My friend then mentioned another conversation that he had where the person shared his dislike of the word community: arguing that it is a buzzword, and not found in the New Testament. While "community" is mentioned once in Acts, depending on your translation, the word 'family [of believers]' appears a lot. [...]

By Joel|2014-08-26T03:23:50+00:00January 24th, 2012|Abandonment, discipleship, Jesus Shaped Community, The Dangerous Kind|

Any Opportunity for the Incarnation

Today is Christmas Eve, and below I am posting a video containing one of the Christmas songs that I've written over the years. However, I use the word "Christmas" gently, lightheartedly and passionately all at once.Gently, because yes, I know the arguments behind the calendar days on which Christmas and Easter holidays occur as having pagan roots, I know the realistic theological and historical argument that Jesus was not born on December 25th. I use it gently because I don't want to come across as one who thinks that December 25th by its very nature is a magically holy day. It is a normal day that has been made holy, by the intentional and cultural meditation on [...]

By Joel|2014-08-18T22:34:43+00:00December 25th, 2011|Advent, Christian Music, Christianity, Incarnation, Jesus Christ, memories|

Memoirs of a Visitor

Definitive Prayer: Meditations on Community Part Two

Oscar Romero: a step back

A Living Together Reality: Meditations on Community Part One

Any Opportunity for the Incarnation