(You can read the next part in the How Do We Do It series here.) There are stories out of Dallas, Texas, of an infamous Young Life director who operated like a mafia boss. He was never in the…
(Enjoy the fourth and final part in our series called Celebrating Advent.) We anxiously wait for the powerful moment of hope’s arrival. Our most revered and treasured tradition is our Christmas Eve feast. This family tradition pre-dates our marriage,…
But we fail if we don’t give them Jesus. The apostle Paul, in his letter to the church in Ephesus, states: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for…
(Enjoy part three in a new series called Celebrating Advent. You can read part four here.) We are servants to the Son who was born King. I ran my first 5K on Thanksgiving with my whole family: three kids and…
(Enjoy part two in a new series called Celebrating Advent. You can read part three here.) “Why did God have to come, anyway?” Christmas is a magical time for kids as they see the glow of lights, trees in the…
Your kids need to see how the story of Jesus's redemption is distinct, unique, better, and greater. Taking stories from popular culture—especially movies—and relating them to the story of the gospel is one of the best forms of catechism.…
(Enjoy this first blog in a new series called celebrating Advent. Read post two here.) How will you prepare room in your heart for God this Christmas season? Christmas Tree Hunting In the early days of Advent we drive out…
(Part eight in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch.) By and large the church as we know it tends to embody a culture of social restraint and risk aversion. We do not tend to think of “church” as a place…
Transitioning Teams of Missionaries to Missional Communities
Enjoy this final post in Todd's Engstrom's short series on how to turn a "small group" culture into a "missional community" culture with the same group of people. In the last post, we looked at the move from small groups…
Transitioning Small Groups to Teams of Missionaries
Post three in a short series on how to turn a "small group" culture into a "missional community" culture with the same group of people by Todd Engstrom. Read part four here. In the last post, we looked at…
(Part seven in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch. Read part eight here.) Much real life, relationships, and spiritual meaning can be added by simplifying our lives to engage more fully in life. Throughout many years of being involved in…
Post two in a short series on how to turn a "small group" culture into a "missional community" culture with the same group of people by Todd Engstrom. Read part three here. In the last post, we looked at…
Prayerful Planning for the Extrovert (and Introvert)
In the world of missional communities and church-planting, there’s a real misconception that to be effective you’ve got to be blowing the doors off your house every week. I wasn’t born a planner, but out of necessity I’ve gotten…
(Part six in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch. Read part seven here.) We know from research that within three to five years of a person becoming a Christian, he or she will have no meaningful relationships with anyone outside the…
How could I have known all that was to come? It is no secret to my friends that Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I grumble and complain about having to scrounge up outfits, the evil feel of it…
(Part five in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch. Read part six here.) If we are to be effective agents of God’s kingdom in this world, we need to be freed to see His kingdom express itself everywhere and…
It’s one thing to teach people what to do and how, but it’s an entirely different experience to give them the equipment to do it on their own. When I was 16 my grandfather invited me spend the summer working…
(Part four in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch. Read part five here.) We are all born into a culture that gets to shape us—in fact, disciple us—from the time of birth to death. The overwhelming economic and social environment in…
Cultural celebrations are not man-made institutions. Like much of God’s creation, holidays can be—and have been—distorted for all sorts of less-than-holy purposes. But what if “Santa” really isn’t an anagram for “Satan”? What if we can we redeem this…
(Part three in the Recovering Missional Moxie series from Alan Hirsch. Read part four here.) That people all across America (and the Western world, for that matter) think that Christians are fundamentally unlike Christ is a serious problem! An absolutely central issue…
(This post is part of 2-part series about all-of-life discipleship. Part 1 here.) All-of-life discipleship—learning to follow, trust, and obey Jesus in the everyday stuff of life and training others to do the same—requires submitting to and obeying God’s…
(Part one a new series from Alan Hirsch. Read part two here.) The way we think of ourselves and conceive our most basic purposes in this world make a massive difference in the way we behave. I really do believe…
Have questions about student ministry, serving the marginalized and protecting our kids, and logistics ... get your answers here. Last week's blog post about how to care for, disciple, and include kids during small group or missional community meetings…
Regenerate. Unregenerate. He uses us all. It is so easy to forget that God often uses non-Christians to move His kingdom project forward. It is a sad misunderstanding to assume God won’t, or can’t, use people who haven’t surrendered their life to…
We need people who have access to our lives, ask us hard questions, probe our motivations, and remind us of the freedom we’ve been given in Jesus. In a post I wrote a few years ago, I discussed how the…
If left to my own devices, the organization I lead would be fast-paced, effective, busy, and discontent. Because that’s how I am. Whatever shapes our yokes of leadership take, that truth adds weight as they sit on our shoulders.…
I live unbound to the ideas of who I think I should be; instead I choose to be who God created me to be. “Let your light shine before others so that they see your good deeds and glorify…
Getting believers to obey God together in the midst of non-Christians is one of the most powerful witnesses to the gospel we have. I recently sat down with Brian Daniel from LifeWay's Groups Ministry blog to talk about helping churches and…
EveryDay Seattle – Last Week for Early Bird Pricing!
Have you been tossing around the idea of coming to an EveryDay? Well, register now and take advantage of early bird pricing! But hurry; the discount ends soon! Or maybe you're still on the fence about whether or not this…
Walking through life with people – sharing in the day to day. Several years ago we went to San Diego for three weeks to visit my family. While there, I kept thinking about my new friend, I missed her and…
Christians = ministers of the gospel. In light of the escalating racial tragedies in Baton Rouge, Minnesota, and Dallas, we as Gospel Ministers, have a responsibility to bring greater gospel clarity and comfort. The gospel makes it clear God…
Church is not a building. Church is not an event. Church is the people of God filled with the presence of God set apart for the purposes of God in the world. For this reason, we must commit to…
Think back to some of your most powerful times of growth. Maybe a friend or mentor challenged something you said by asking, “how can that be true?” Maybe a spouse confronted you by saying, “tell me more about what…
How would you respond to that question? Let me give you the context, and ask you again: you’re a night security guard, and presumably the only Christian in your workplace. Another guard suddenly sticks his head into your office.…
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