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ecclecia ecclesiology Liturgical Calendar missional

The Practice of Living: All Saints Day

Why do we run from death if death has been defeated? Why do we forget those who have gone before us and pretend that we have to go it alone? All Saints Day is good for us here in America, in the West, where we are prone to ignore death and live alone. All Saints […]

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Christology discipleship ecclecia ecclesiology prayer Recent Posts theology

The Human Side of Prayer (along with Tim Keller)

I came across this on twitter and it caught my eye and made me think. Failure to pray is not merely breaking some religious rule. It is really a failure to treat God as God. — Timothy Keller (@timkellernyc) October 26, 2014 What do you think? As a Reformed pastor and theologian I know Keller […]

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discipleship ecclecia ecclesiology Leadership Recent Posts Top Posts

A Modest Plea for Coaches to Stay Pastors

When God called me to be a pastor I resolved I would never view the pastorate as a career ladder to be climbed. Growing up I had seen and heard people talk about how some youth pastor had now become an associate pastor, with the implication being that someday he would be a senior pastor.  […]

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ecclecia ecclesiology economics evangelical evangelicalism Racism Recent Posts theology

Deeper than We Thought (1): Our Society’s Sin

The Journey of Redemption  I’ve found in my journey of redemption that I don’t necessary sin egregiously in every category. Rather I’ve found I often keep struggling with the same two or three sins that seem to go all the way down to my core. Every time I think I’m done with that sin God will gently […]

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Christology discipleship ecclecia ecclesiology economics evangelical God Jesus Jesus Christ missional Recent Posts

The poor you will always have with you.

For the poor you will always have with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish: but you will not always have me. (Mark 14:7)  From crude realism to hopeless resignation, this quote from Jesus is confusing at best and disheartening at worst. What? So poverty and inequality are just a fact […]

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discipleship ecclecia ecclesiology evangelical evangelicalism God Top Posts

The Forgotten Lesson of Bonhoeffer, and the American Church

I am worried about the rising popularity of Bonhoeffer in the United States. Very worried. I’m worried not because of his theology, or his political views, or his activism. I’m worried because so many people are interested in him…so many different people. Some people laud him for his non-violent pacifism, and other for his violent […]

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Bible discipleship ecclecia ecclesiology evangelical evangelicalism God Recent Posts Scripture

Mastering Objectivity? Or Subject to the Bible

Tim Challies ended a recent post criticizing the practice of Lectio Divina by saying, “This, then, is a danger in Lectio Divina, that it may teach us to approach the text subjectively rather than objectively.” But what is the big deal about reading the text subjectively as opposed to objectively? 3 Subjects of Scripture It is […]

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ecclecia ecclesiology evangelical evangelicalism

Culture vs. Society, (Or Not): An Older Evangelical Mindset

In the older evangelical (and fundamentalist influenced) mindset there was often a split between “culture” and “society” (albeit, not a conscious one).  Culture was usually viewed with suspicion leading to separation or withdrawal.  But society was viewed neutrally leading to capitulation.  Let me explain. Culture Culture is often viewed by older Evangelicals as the field […]

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ecclecia ecclesiology evangelical Liturgical Calendar prayer Top Posts

Telling the Story: The Eucharistic Prayer

Last month, at the Ecclesia National Gathering, I had the privilege and honor to preside over communion for the whole group. I led through the time as we usually do here at Life on the Vine, but many people not from a more liturgical background asked about the prayer leading into the Table.  Many commented […]

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ecclecia ecclesiology evangelical evangelicalism Recent Posts

Honoring Your Church

Headline news is usually bad news.  Viral blog posts are usually polemical.  And those “way-too-long” conversations on Facebook and Twitter are often based in controversy.  Pain, division, and anger drive on-line traffic and often directs the content. And church news is little different: pastor so-and-so is embroiled in a moral failing;  church such-and-such fired its […]