Category Archives: Index

Faith Lessons by Ray Vander Laan: My Rock and My Fortress (Masada)

After Saul began searching for David to kill him, David hid in a mountain fortress in the wilderness. “Masada” and “fortress” have the same root in Hebrew. David often referred to God as his fortress in the Psalms, and Masada … Continue reading

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On Blue Parakeets, Wedding Vows, and Hermeneutics

I’ve been reading Scot McKnight’s The Blue Parakeet, on hermeneutics. I’ve really just started, but I have to comment on a weird coincidence between something McKnight says and something I heard on the Ray Vander Laan “Faith Lessons” DVD in … Continue reading

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The Christian Standard and the Gospel Advocate on the Emerging Church Movement

The Christian Standard is, I’m sure, the most widely read periodical of the independent Christian Churches. It’s been in continuous publication since 1866 and was founded by Isaac Errett, Alexander Campbell’s son-in-law. I strongly recommend buying a subscription. It’s a … Continue reading

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Faith Lessons by Ray Vander Laan: In the Shadow of Herod

We now begin the third of the “Faith Lessons” DVDs. The lessons on this DVD are about the Messiah. Herod built a fortress called “The Herodian” near where Ruth gleaned fields and near Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The fortress … Continue reading

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Simply Missional: Missional Leadership

I grew up in the Churches of Christ. And when I was a teenager, we had these classes for leadership training. Of course, girls had to take something else, but the boys were trained in leadership.  As best I can … Continue reading

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Simply Missional: There Is No Model

As I mentioned in the introduction, there is no model for how to do this — not in the sense that we leaders think of church models. We want a “how to” book with pre-printed literature for classes. Maybe even … Continue reading

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Simply Missional: Being People Focused

Stetzer and Geiger write, 5. Both Missional and Simple are people-focused, not program-focused. Instead of utilizing people and resources to keep church programs functioning, missional leaders view their programs and resources as tools for people to encounter the grace of … Continue reading

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Simply Missional: Christian Colleges and the Mission of God

Well, I wrote a little something on private Christian schools for K -12, and so I figure I should say something about Christian colleges. By way of background, my wife and I graduated from Lipscomb (Church of Christ affiliated college … Continue reading

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Simply Missional: Private Schools and the Third Way

Alan asked a question at an earlier post that helped me think through an issue I’ve been wrestling with: the role of private Christian schools in a missional church. Now, I’m thinking largely of K-12. The Christian colleges have different … Continue reading

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Simply Missional: Leadership Priorities and Knowing the Culture

Stetzer and Geiger write, 4. Missional and Simple leaders know the culture. They offer several examples of Paul working within Grecian culture to the teach the gospel. They then note,  Missional leaders fall deeply in love with the city or … Continue reading

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