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When I logged in to Facebook today there was one topic on everyone’s mind: the impending shut down of the government. The responses ranged from cynicism, to concern, to fear. Then I read this: Post by Todd Waller. I think Todd’s on to something. The overwhelming negative responses to the government shut down come from our natural desire for security and safety. We rely on our federal government to provide these things for us. In our postmodern context the government is perceived to be solid ground. Not that we think they are always doing a good job or that we agree with the politics. But,Read More →

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Growing up I was pretty chubby. Actually, I’m still pretty chubby. Middle School and the beginning of high school was pretty brutal for a chubby kid. I got teased. Today we would call it “bullying” but, it really was kids being kids. I was overweight, didn’t have many friends, and so I was teased. It’s life. You get over it. You learn how to handle the words and when you find someone who speaks words of life, you embrace them. One of the phrases that people would offer as a means to help was, “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will neverRead More →

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For forty days Jesus was tempted in the desert. We typically don’t think about the reality that he was tempted for forty days. We usually just read the narrative and consider the three specific temptations that are listed there: And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” And Jesus answered him,“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up andRead More →

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Have you ever thought about what a missionary is? When Amy and I were on staff with Cru, we used to joke about how if we were “real” missionaries it would have been easier to raise support. We felt this way because there was a sense among many Christians that a “real” missionary is someone who goes overseas to suffer and to take the gospel to the “heathen”. We were serving on the college campus and definitely not suffering. I used to think of a missionary as anyone who was in full time ministry and not a pastor. Missionaries, in my mind, were a specialRead More →

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Yep, we all have our own little pictures of Jesus in our minds. Ricky Bobby sure loves sweet baby Jesus. Don’t we all? There is something beautiful about candlelight services and humming softly “Silent Night”. We love the images of the manger and Mary. “Sweet baby Jesus” if we are honest is probably our favorite version of Jesus too. But, all this is missing the point. Why do we have a birth narrative anyway? What is the point of the story? The point, I think, is that Jesus brings with him relationship and authority. Covenant and Kingdom. Luke 2 begins by telling us that JesusRead More →

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Regardless of what you do for a living there are weeks that are better than others. Most weeks are mundane. Most weeks you wonder if you have any value or if you’re making any impact. Then you have a week where you realize that you are doing what you were born to do. This past week was one of those weeks. It was absolutely amazing. This past week, I felt like we were finally living out the purpose for which we were called to launch the Antioch Movement. I was reminded through practical living that we were not called to start a church. A churchRead More →

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When you’re looking to launch a movement that is focused on something more than its own growth but looking to send laborers who will multiply their lives for the kingdom you become enthralled by Paul of Tarsus and Jesus. These two guys were all about multiplication. One of the things I am more and more thankful of are Paul’s letters. I like them because they give us glimpses into Paul’s thoughts and heart. For a very long time I have loved the letter to the Philippians. I think I’m drawn to it because of its tone of love and kindness. Paul isn’t dealing with anyRead More →

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My son is a pitcher for his baseball team. He has a decent fastball, but it’s the curve that makes him most effective. The reason is simple, it keeps hitters off balance. A hitter that doesn’t know what’s coming will have a hard time hitting the pitch. And when that happens, it’s pretty funny to watch. When it happens in real life, it’s not always very fun. The question becomes, how do we respond? What do we do when we find ourselves facing a curve? As we launch this movement I am finding that the curves come fast and furious. We expect one thing andRead More →

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One of the hardest things to do is rest. We live in a world where many work seven days a week and wish there were eight. Our down times are filled with events and things to do. We go place and run all over town. It is very rare that we just stop and rest. I am not a very good “rester”. I struggle to stop. I have a hard time just turning everything off and entering a state of restfulness. This past Monday I chose to rest. I made a conscious decision to not work. I would not write emails, blog, call people, raiseRead More →

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For most of my life the last thing that I would want to do on a Sunday morning when I was exhausted from a long and hard week was to go to church. I am an extrovert and people generally energize me. But there was something about going to church that always seemed a little overwhelming. I think a part of it was because I have been a leader in the church for a really long time. You see often when you’re a leader there is a level of expectation that comes with showing your face at church. You are supposed to have it allRead More →