Pastor-Centric "Church"

The Priesthood of All Believers

Then how is it, brothers? When you come together, ONLY ONE of you can have a psalm, a teaching, a tongue, a revelation, an interpretation….

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The Thinker

A Multilingual Jesus

God speaks to some subjectively, and to others objectively, and each often forgets that Jesus is multilingual.

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Indigenous Church in the Local Jail

Planting Churches

I’m not sure why we make planting churches so complicated. It really isn’t. Here’s a recent story from the local jail.

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Embrace

Room at the Inn

This Christmas, the question yet remains: Is there still no room at the inn? Take a chance. Embrace the Joseph’s and Mary’s of our age.

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wfe390.jpg

Redemption

If Jesus doesn’t work for the worst of us, then He works for none of us.

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Creating Jesus in Our Own Image

Ekklesia as Escapism

Too often, we say it’s all about Jesus, when in reality we create Jesus in our own image – shaped by our hurts from the wrongs we have suffered – and use Him to justify our safely-ensconced retreat into self-constructed cocoons.

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Marianne

I Am Content

A poem of sorts to express my gratitude to the Lord and my love to my wife, Marianne.

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Compassion for the Afflicted

About Justice

Jesus comforted the afflicted, and afflicted the comfortable.

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Christ Chapel Assembly of God

Christ Chapel: Pastoral Sex Abuse

Eventually, the truth comes out as people see with their own eyes the lies, victim-blaming and arrogance that surface when a church and its senior leadership desperately try to deny responsibility for repeated instances of pastoral sexual abuse.

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Money or Life?

The Mythology of Tithing

In the 13th century, an increasingly complex and self-serving ecclesiastical hierarchy started to adopt the Old Testament tithe to fund their huge cathedrals and support other unbiblical prerogatives they were increasingly assuming for themselves.

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Old Covenant Church

Old Covenant Church

Why are most churches Old Covenant, rather than New Covenant?

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Embrace

Grace, Mercy and Love

Too often, we forget that there is a context to grace, mercy and love.

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u-turn

The Road to Grace

For the religious, the road to grace is the toughest journey they’ll ever face. But slowly, I’m finally starting to find it.

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Life on a Tight Rope

Ordained to Fail

Those who take on the mantle of “Pastor” are operating within a framework, and on assumptions and traditions, that God never ordained.

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A Hollow Gospel

A Hollow Gospel

Broken lives and real people are inconvenient and demand more than your hollow gospel and podium-oriented focus can give. But praise God, you have great meetings!

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Herman Cain

Herman Cain

As Christians, we must speak truth to power, but with integrity and without applying double standards!

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Choices

The Question of Leadership

We do it all backwards. We expect fellowship to emerge from leaders. In God’s providence, leaders emerge from fellowship.

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McChurch?

Going Organic

Going to enjoy a sermon and the worship team in an institutional church is like going to McDonald’s, while forming community and participating in organic church is like cultivating and enjoying a healthy, wonderful garden.

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Halloween

Halloween

A quick commentary on Halloween . . .

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My Community

Crossing Jordan

For many who leave the institutional church, there is a season where we react to things not out of freedom, but rather out of not wanting to to be like the institutional church. When we remain in a reactive mode, however, we remain in bondage to our institutional church experiences.

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lies

Silence = Death

To those who have been violated, and to those who know, may God give you the grace to find the voice they took from you.

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Lost

I Saw Satan Fall

Confession, forgiveness and repentance have become forgotten ordinances that we have twisted into ineffective spiritual abstractions. As a result, most churches have lost the ability to meaningfully administer those graces today.

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mega-church

Starve the Beast

People are cutting back as they see how their tithes and offerings are typically misused by churches. It seems that folks are fed up with all the money grubbing for ego-buildings, staff who are increasingly detached from real ministry, and life-sucking programs that don’t really advance the Kingdom of God.

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Man of God

Narcissists with Power

I’ve finally come to realize that the most dangerous people, and the most charming, are narcissists with power.

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Anarchy

Wall Street Protests

On the one hand, I reject the anti-capitalist goals of the Occupy Wall Street protestors, and their implicit “entitlement” message. But on the other hand, I agree that the government – Democrats and Republicans alike – bailed out the rich and the privileged at the expense of every one else.

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Seat of Luxury

Limousine Liberals

One afternoon a liberal congressman – well known for supporting expensive budget busting government programs to “help” the poor – was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass. Disturbed, he ordered his driver to stop so he could investigate….

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Jesus, the Living Word

If we deny that God speaks and acts today in vibrant, direct and personal ways, and if we try to box Him in by claiming that He only speaks through Scripture, then how are we different from Muslims?

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Interview with God

Interview with God

A friend posted this on Facebook, and it’s so very true…

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church

Tidy Whitey

Why is it that white, middle-class suburban Christians persist in acting as though God is white, middle-class suburban?

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Crossing Over Chasm

Church?

Have we drifted so far from Biblical norms that we can’t even call a group of Christians who are fulfilling the Biblical mandates for “church” a “church” because the word “church” has become so corrupted?

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Christ Chapel Assembly of God

Hypocrisy and Courage

If we don’t value the sexuality of our young enough to expose and stop leaders who have become sexual thieves, then why should we expect our young to also value sexual integrity?

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Hurt and Confusion

Beauty from Ashes

I take on pastoral sex abuse cases not only because I believe in justice, but because I also believe in redemption. Often, I have the privilege of seeing God’s grace shine through as healing comes and the survivors begin to find the strength to reclaim their lives – and their stolen voices.

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Mentoring Entrepreneurs

Here’s a TV program that’s been airing in our area about one of the ministries in which I’m involved. I, and others, have been mentoring and working with folks who are gifted with entrepreneurial aptitude. Our focus is helping them start and grow new businesses, based on solid, real-world experience and sound Biblical principles.

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