Unison Prayer of Invocation We are gathered here to join in the song of faith. In a world that offers goods and services to fulfill even the most demanding and discerning appetites, Jesus invites us to be consumed by an ultimate hunger and thirst for righteousness. Even as our instantaneous access to information and constant awareness of global events overwhelm and desensitize us, Jesus invites us to be difference makers by extending love to all. Empowered by the Spirit, may Read More …
Jesus
Jesus Hates Obama Ad Canceled (#0253)
Several news sources, including the UPI, are reporting that Fox has refused to air a proposed Super Bowl commercial for Jesus Hates Obama: a conservative comedy website that sells anti-President Obama merchandise. For those who would like to view the spot and make their own decisions, the video can be seen below. For those who are not sure that they want to watch this type of material, consider this summary from the Huffington Post: The ad shows Read More …
Review of All That Jesus Asks (#0217)
Stan Guthrie. All That Jesus Asks: How His Questions Can Teach and Transform Us. Baker Books: 2010. ISBN: 9780801071546. Meet the Author Stan Guthrie is an author, editor, and literary agent who earned an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Florida and a graduate degree in missions from Columbia International University. He has written two books: Missions in the Third Millennium: 21 Key Trends for the 21st Century (2001) and All That Read More …
The Top 3 Books on Leadership (#0211)
Slant33.com, a website designed to "help challenge, inspire and equip youth workers through thoughtful dialogue and varied expression from youth ministry’s leading thinkers and doers," recently asked three of its contributors to answer an important question about leadership: "What three books do you recommend on leadership development?" Danny Qwon, a youth minister for almost twenty years and a current Ph.D. student in organizational leadership, recommended one book designed with youth Read More …
Review of Transformational Church (#0132)
Stetzer, Ed and Rainer, Thom S. Transformational Church: Creating a New Scorecard for Congregations. B&H Publishing, 2010. ISBN: 9781433669300. Meet the Authors Ed Stetzer is the President and Missiologist in Residence of LifeWay Research. Ed is a contributing editor for Christianity Today, a columnist for Outreach Magazine and Catalyst Monthly, serves on the advisory council of Sermon Central and Christianity Today’s Building Church Leaders, and is Read More …
Review of Jesus Manifesto (#0131)
Sweet, Leonard and Viola, Frank. Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ. Thomas Nelson, 2010. ISBN: 9780849946011. Meet the Authors Leonard Sweet is the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew University and visiting distinguished professor of Evangelism at George Fox University, was voted one of the 50 Most Influential Christians in America, and continues to write and speak prophetically about the church. An ordained United Read More …
My Response to Anne Rice (#0127)
Anne Rice Quits Christianity As the days pass since Anne Rice wrote of her decision to “quit being a Christian” I have returned to her words on several occasions. Her words are those of a follower of Christ who cannot fathom why the church she thought she knew and loved has become an institution more focused on being against issues rather than for Christ. Rice’s pain and frustration have led her to walk away and to distance herself from the body of Christ. Today I quit being a Read More …
Review of Radical (#0122)
Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Multnomah, 2010. ISBN: 9781601422217. Meet the Author At age 28, David Platt became the youngest American megachurch pastor when he accepted the call to be the pastor of The Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama. Now 31, he continues to serve as pastor of this 4000 member congregation affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention and recently published his first book. Read More …