Category: Missional Community

  • Transformational, not Transactional

    Transformational, not Transactional

    The last Wednesday of June, I participated in the Warp and Woof podcast with Dr. Mark Eckle and Dr. Clyde Posley. The topic of discussion for this program was Transformational Relationships. We discussed the need to walk with a person long enough to see sustainable change in their life instead of just providing quick goods and…

  • Allowing Others To Count The Cost

    Allowing Others To Count The Cost

    I’m sitting here this morning thinking over the passage we will be reading at the Diakonos Community Simple Church Gathering tomorrow morning. Our theme for the day is “We Die With Christ.” I’m particularly struck by these two illustrations presented by Jesus: “Don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of…

  • Lessons From An AA Meeting

    This morning a friend of mine who works daily with friends without homes in Indianapolis invited me to join him at an AA meeting in order to help me better understand the program as I look to get more involved with connecting with those entering recovery programs.  Sitting in a room full of addicts in…

  • Being The Nuts and Bolts of Christianity: An Experiential Witness

    In the opening scenes of Ragamuffin: The True Story of Rich Mullins the character of Rich Mullins is placed in the role of narrator of the film through a radio interview that interjects narration throughout the movie. This interview opens with a question about how he came to faith. Mullins responds, “I am a Christian,…

  • A Call To Integrated Lives and Churches: Reflections On Reading Slow Church

    One of our families early encounters with missional church was being a part of Bluer (now Renewal Vineyard) in Minneapolis.  I often remember Pastor John Musick’s expression for sin: “disintegrated lives.”  It really caught the essence of all the ways our culture tries to pull us away from the holistic, integrated lives God desires for…

  • Finding the Right Fit

    “Then Saul gave David his own armor—a bronze helmet and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it, and took a step or two to see what it was like, for he had never worn such things before.‘I can’t go in these,’ he protested to Saul. ‘I’m not used to…

  • The Consistent Nature Of A Missional Vision

    I was recently sitting down with a friend discussing different aspects of the ministries we lead.  As we neared the end of the conversation he mentioned that Village Soul (the ministry I officially launched just over four years ago) had changed.  This struck me as a little odd because, from my perspective, my vision and…

  • Trusting The Only One Who Can Help In Times Like These

    Winter has arrived in central Indiana on a level people here haven’t experienced in twenty years.  The family and I enjoyed playing in the snow that kept falling through the day yesterday (nearly 12″ total).  Today we will hunker down in the house while the temperatures plummet to levels we haven’t seen since we left…

  • "What If"s" for 2014

    As I look ahead to what God has in store for 2014, I’m asking myself a lot of “What if?” questions about the future of our Diakonos Community (the missional community we are leading).  The answers give me a glimpse of what God can do through through our little, but growing community. What if we…