The Week’s Must Read Blog Posts 05222007
Harley Davidson Marketing: “I haven’t been riding my motorcycle for very long. Nor have I ever owned or even ridden on a Harley Davidson brand motorcycle. But that really doesn’t matter, I’m not here to talk about what bikes I have or have not sat my butt upon. I’m here to talk about marketing. Even though I’ve never owned a Harley, they, and more interestingly, their riders, have a particular image they convey to me even as a ‘young’ rider. I want to talk a little about Harley marketing and then compare that to church marketing.” Read More »
The Prayer of Faith and Prayers of Faithful Ones
In Utero: The Dawning Vision of Inner Metro Green
I believe church can be done differently in Lancaster City and the vicinity. I believe we can train strong leaders to plant & lead strong house churches and strong community groups wherein seriously edifying transformation and discipleship can take place. If this is all done faithfully we can then trim down the usually bloated production budget of church as we all know it. Think about it! I’m sure 95% of what happens in church could be - and should be - happening in the community instead. Yet, we drop huge, huge amounts of money and we vainly try to squeeze it all into a segregated, four-walled box and try to convince outsiders that it is community and not consumerism. It doesn’t work! Honestly, it just doesn’t work anymore. Is the final product really worth all of that money? Really? Is it really community? Or is it really just a second community existing far apart from the first community? I think it is the former, honestly. Read More »
The Wikiklesia Project: Self-perpetuating Publishing
I am so excited to be a part of a brand new ecclesial publishing experiment tagged The Wikiklesia Project. The Wikiklesia Project is a fresh, collaborative, on-line publishing effort dedicated to self-perpetuating publishing built upon de-centralized leadership. Is perpetual, self-organizing book publishing possible? Can literary quality be maintained in a distributed publishing paradigm? These are the questions the project asks! We shall soon find out! Check out the contributors list for Volume One: Voices of the Virtual World.
Seminary is Much Better in a Barnes & Noble
Now that seminary is spent I have been happily reading all of the books I’ve been wanting to read but could not read. Nope. I could not read any of them. Instead, I was forced to shelve them all while I checked off books from required reading lists @ seminary. Now, lest I mislead you, I will be the first to say most of the books on my required reading lists were top-notch. They served me well. I just miss reading what I want to read, when I want to read it! I can do that now, again. Reading is less work, and much more fun. Yes, reading is fun again! Read More »
God’s Plot: Your Life as Narrative!
What is your story? You are aware that you have a story, aren’t you? You do! Your story is undoubtedly rich, complex, inspiring, challenging, heartbreaking, heartwarming, compelling and authentic. All of these things – and so much more - are an integral part of your personal narrative. More integral than any of these is, however, the part played in your story by God. Yes, God is there! God is there, acknowledged or ignored. Life is narrative; if life is narrative then God is the ultimate narrator. Your life, just beneath its barest surfaces, may read as if no author was present, but your very existence and/or presence points toward story and story points toward an author. God is the ultimate author. Life is God’s story. Your life is the most beautiful narrative ever crafted! Do you live as if it were true? Read More »
A Member of The Ooze Select Book Blogger Network
I was invited to join a group of bloggers collectively known as “The Ooze Select Book Blogger Network.” The Ooze, in case you are curious, was born sometime in 1998 somewhere on the third floor of Spencer Burke’s garage. The Ooze is one of the earliest “postmodern” online Christian communities that I can recall. I vividly remember registering for Ooze membership during my undergraduate studies in theology @ VFCC. Good times …
At any rate, the Book Blogger network is composed of 50 alternative Christian voices. The official e-mail sums it up like this: “What is Ooze Select? A network of 50 blog voices who are the most recognized and respected for being honest, vibrant voices in what I call the ‘alternative Christian blogosphere’ - people who consistently write thoughtfully, readably, and prophetically from the nexus of Christ and culture. In my book, you are definitely one of these top 50.” Read More »
I So Graduated Yesterday. Cheers LTS Class of 2007!
This part of my journey is complete. Tomorrow a new beginning is born. I am so excited for tomorrow! The M.Div is now a crinkled up wad of paper buried deep in my right pocket. If anyone wants to see it, I suppose I can dig it out. Meanwhile, I’ll be planting a church in Lancaster City and vicinity in partnership with the Brethren in Christ. Peace! Read More »
Do Not Drape Flags Over Jesus of Nazareth!
So, the other day I posted an article re: our country’s need for immigration reform, and even more importantly than that, the need for Christians to treat poor and needy people as they themselves would like to be treated if they were poor and needy. I’m not sure where I got that crazy idea from; I think Jesus said something to the effect in the Gospels. Somehow, however, our American nationalism always seems to find a way to be superimposed over authentic Christian living and honest discipleship. I have a serious news flash for folks who enjoy this sort of superimposition: the Gospel trumps your nationalistic sensibilities, and it will not be draped by anyone’s flag. Sorry. Read More »
A Church Planting Partnership with the BIC
It’s official! I’m planting a church in Lancaster City in partnership with the Brethren in Christ. The church is called “Inner Metro Green.” Yes, it is a church built upon the idea/symbolism of color (Green). Yes, it is an emerging, missional, post-Christendom effort (as any good Anabaptist effort should be!). Yes, we will be seriously focusing on individual and social transformation, and equally so. Yes, we will be meeting in homes, at coffee shops, and on park benches all around the city. Yes, we will all be gathering together on Sundays for stripped down and simplistic prayer, celebration, and teaching. Yes, the Gospel is our ethos; the Trinity is our only center. The official launch for IMG will happen in 2008. ‘Till then, we will be busy building the foundation. Read More »
