From the monthly archives:

May 2008

the rob bell effect

by john on 5/27/2008 · 2 comments

in books

Today, a package came in the mail. It has been a long time coming, and it is a result of the Rob Bell effect. Be patient. I will explain. As Rob Bell has become a national figure over the last five years or so, the Rob Bell effect has grown. He has recommended many books [...]

A few months ago, I blogged about mustard plants. (Never mind that that post was supposed to be the intro to a series. The ideas have continued to flow, they just never made it to the blog!) Some of that thinking has really helped form some ideas about the initial stages of what our church [...]

the dirty god

by john on 5/27/2008 · 0 comments

in midrash

God did not create a divine subculture and then wait for humanity to wise up and join in. God joined a story. God got dirty. God entered. God engaged. And this is the calling of the church as well–to join in and participate in God’s story at work in the world. In that sense to [...]

mile high reading club

by john on 5/21/2008 · 2 comments

in books

Lots of airplane time in the last week meant lots of time to read. And a nap or two mixed in here and there. Here are a few books I was able to finish off that are worth mentioning: Feel, by Matthew Elliott A few months ago, I was leading a training session for some [...]

my beautiful idol

by john on 5/17/2008 · 6 comments

in books

A few weeks ago, I was sent a copy of My Beautiful Idol, by Pete Gall, for review. A long plane trip earlier this week gave me the chance to really dig in to the book. Once I did, it was easy to stick with it. Much like Blue Like Jazz, My Beautiful Idol is [...]

shared hearts

by john on 5/12/2008 · 1 comment

in midrash

I have tagged a number of blog posts in the last few weeks that my heart was in tune with. Each of these somehow captures pieces of what I am hoping for in a new church community: The Consuming Christian and the Consuming Church (Todd Hiestand) – Todd is a good friend, and my initial [...]

Done…but not finished. These are words my friend Blaine offered yesterday about graduation. They couldn’t feel more true. Yesterday, I walked. It’s official. I have a long black robe and the fancy cap made famous by the gentleman on the Yahtzee box. I have a diploma (or at least a piece of paper promising me [...]