There are at least two levels of silence, if not many more: the silence after the audible sounds have left, and the silence after the accusers and justifiers have left. The first is just getting to a place or a space, of solitude, of quiet, of silence. This is where physical, or audible silence, or […]
Do you live in a world of accountants or editors? Are you yourself an accountant or an editor? I’m not talking in the sense of actual professions, but rather in your relationships, in how you understand others, and in your community. Joe Myers, in Organic Community, speaks of the difference between accountability and edit-ability: the […]
It used to be in vogue to be post-evangelical. And to some extent I can understand this. People understand evangelicals often according to those who speak the loudest while at the same time defining it the narrowest. For those who became post-evangelical it was a protest of sorts about an all too limited theology and […]
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Christian Radio Redeemed!
I can’t believe it, but it is true. One line from one song has temporarily redeemed Christian radio for me: “Late have I loved you.” Yes, that is right. There is a song played on KLOV which references St. Augustine’s Confessions. Here is the full excerpt for Augustine. Late have I loved you, O Beauty […]
Here is a list of 10 personality types that destroy all the energy of planning and planting churches (and even the energy of an existing church). The opposite to these are based in deep faith and relational maturity, something I’ll be posting on later (and if I was artistic I would made fun little drawings […]
In our organic leadership styles, and non-hierarchical organizations, where starfish grow and spiders flee, it is often heard that we must trust the community. We (leaders of some type) must learn to trust the community (and by that I mean individuals within the community) to work out its individual problems, sins, and issues. If leaders […]
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On not beginning with the book…
“We are inclined to begin with the book, with historical context and social setting, words and idioms, grammar and literary forms, religious and theological vocabulary, and the many other topics that command our attention. But the early Christians began with the risen Christ.” by Robert Louis Wilken “Interpreting the New Testament,” Pro Ecclesia 14 (2005): […]
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Missional Monday: Pseudo-Spirituality
I know that I am guilty of this at some level. But I’m really stuck. I, and many at Life on the Vine, are both concerned for the poor locally and globally. And that is the rub. You see, I’m concerned about not participating in poverty creating or exploitative economic practices, and therefore try as […]