Who will be the most famous person this year? How about Persons? I say it will be The Triune Creator God. How so? As They work out the unified mission in this world, for our good and to the glory of God the Father, Son and Spirit. More and more people will take notice and be renewed to a saving knowledge in Jesus. It’s not trendy but will become more increasingly the trend as the future becomes the present. This new year presents endless opportunities for good and bringing hope to a dark work. It will be quite an adventure. It’s always good to start new adventures with some essential...

Here’s a book review Lost & Found: The Younger Unchurched and the Churches that Reach Them by Ed Stetzer, Richie Stanley and Jason Hayes (B&H, LifeWay Research, Nashville, 2009). (Originally wrote most of this as a response for a seminary course.) — This book is fascinating. It is a great mix of solid research (science and numbers) and cultural engagement (arts). I eat up the numbers side (as a left-brainer), yet appreciated greatly the wise commentary throughout. There were a number of characters whose stories were engaging, and although fictitious and fleshed out from homogeneous...

“By becoming a Christian, I belong to God and I belong to my brothers and sisters. It is not that I belong to God and then make a decision to join a local church. My being in Christ means being in Christ with those others who are in Christ. This is my identity. This is our identity. . . . If the church is the body of Christ, then we should not live as disembodied Christians.” —Tim Chester and Steve Timmis, Total Church: A Radical Reshaping around Gospel and community, 41. Reminds me of Romans 12:1-8, especially vv. 3ff: 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present...

I’m still sorting out what I’ll blog next, and seeing how a rhythm of life will allow me to do so. In the meantime, here are some of my favorite articles from the last year or so: Happy Tensions: What, Why, How … + Who // my favorite article on seeing all things through the lens of Jesus. We need a Redeemer, not a system of redemption (how-to’s). I was pastoral intern at a purpose-driven church at the time Gospel-distorting approaches to change // perhaps another way of saying that all sin is idolatry, and since we worshiped our way to sin, we must worship our way out Happy...

Here’s the 200-word pastor’s essay I recently wrote for a local paper, Wilsonville Statesman. Lots to say, but I figured I would make my first one theological, and move to the practical from there. (Doesn’t work so well, it seems to me, to go the other way around.) Not sure if it can be called an “essay” at 200 words. Living Our True Identity “Church” in our culture has come to mean an event or a building. “Worship” is thought of as the singing that takes place inside that building. Yet, Scripture teaches that the church is not merely an event or physical...

(Not that we rethink The Mission, but let’s rethink what we perceive as our mission. The Mission stays the same: Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20, and Acts 1:5-8.) On Friday a new website launched:  rethinkmission.org. Team Rethink Mission, led by church planter and pastor Jonathan McIntosh, is all about “inspiring Gospel-centered missional churches.” I’ve been tracking Jonathan’s preaching and articles for a few years (he recently transitioned from the pastoral and teaching team of The Journey Church in St. Louis). His message is consistently about Jesus, and...

This weekend our church had a “spontaneous” baptism. A few people had signed up to be baptized, and the whole thing was not exactly spontaneous — the teaching at all three services was about baptism, in fact. We wrestled with the truths of baptism; particularly repentance and identification. We repent from trusting in our selves, turning from sin to embrace Jesus as Savior and Master, committing to follow Him for the rest of our lives and beyond into the next life. We repent from false views of God (Acts 20:28), to begin learning who the self-revealing God of the Scriptures is, and...

Download an e-book (PDF) version of Fight Clubs: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by pastor Jonathan Dodson. I’ve mentioned it before, and am eager to dig in myself. (Note: this isn’t a book built for just one person. You won’t be able to “fight” alone. So, send the link to a friend, read it together and fight for one another, together, through the Gospel.) Here’s the table of contents of Fight Clubs: Introduction 1. Why Fight?: The Call to Fight 2. Fighting for the Church: The Failure of Accountability 3. How to Fight: Motivations for Discipleship 4. Fighting with...

I’m very excited to soon see a finalized e-book version of Fight Club: Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson. Jonathan is Lead Pastor of Austin City Life in Austin, Texas. His gospel-centered emphases are water for my soul, always pointing past himself to the One who is our only Hope. A couple years ago I ran across his writings/articles on Boundless and was hooked. Fight Club looks to be a synthesis of both seeing our true enemies, and Gospel-motivated tactics. There are three simple rules for the fight clubs: Know your sin Fight your sin (together) Trust the Savior The church...

Last Fall Ed Stetzer of LifeWay research co-wrote an article entitled "Simply Missional " in the inaugural issue of Neue Quarterly . The article is worth a read. Here’s the intro to whet your appetite: Simply Missional Ed Stetzer and Eric Geiger Dell Computers has shattered the warehouse myth. Most companies love big warehouses. They feel safe with lots of inventory on large shelves in massive warehouses, always ready for that next order. In their minds, the well-stocked warehouse confirms the belief they will always be able to meet customer demands and customer expectations. Dell...