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A great small group!
Life has been totally crazy recently, but I had a blast last night with our small group helping out with Glenkirk’s homeless ministry. Each winter during the coldest months of the year, a group of churches in the area shares responsibility for housing, feeding and providing clothing for people who don’t have those resources. Last…
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The Blogging Church – sharing the ‘blogging gene’
I received a copy of The Blogging Church in the mail yesterday because of this. My first thought when I heard about the book was “I’m 25. I work in church. I have a blog. I have a blog for the church. I even read the blogs of pastors and others. Will this give me…
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iPhone innovation
So everyone’s talking about the iPhone that Apple CEO Steve Jobs previewed this week. It’s an amazing product. But what really strikes me is how much creativity and innovation went into it. In one product, Apple has not only redefined the cell phone, but also the digital music/media player and portable internet. They didn’t skimp…
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Living out the Good News with consistency and conviction
Read the following quote, and take a quick guess as to when it was spoken: “Evangelicals have lost sight of the fact that the great issues being debated today are no longer those pertaining to organic evolution. Now they are pertaining to social revolution. We can no longer afford the supposed luxury of social withdrawal,…
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Seminary recall
Before my next quarter at Fuller starts, I wanted to take a few moments to reflect on the first one… I’ve heard people say things like “Don’t let ministry take your eyes off of God.” The more I’m in the “ministry” world, the more I see how important that statement is. In whatever you do,…
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Merry Christmas …
Merry Christmas! For many, that means a day filled with presents, food, and football. For others it means a lot of travel and more meals than you could ever eat. Still others will be experiencing a quieter, more reflective holiday. Jesus’ birth was an amazing turning point in history – the Word became flesh and…
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Life starts now
File this under the “that’ll preach” file. I love Five For Fighting’s song World, mainly because of one line: “History starts now.” In my life, a lot have time has felt like it’s just preparing me for that next thing. It’s easy to think that things will start clicking or big things will happen…
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Your shop – just around the corner!
I was looking for a place to get a quick, cheap haircut a few weeks ago and headed over to Pro-Cuts’ site. I typed in my Pasadena zip code and found that there was a Pro-Cuts within a “short driving distance” of me. Great! But then I realized that short distance meant a 500-mile road…
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Thursday reflections for week ten
We spent the final day of class looking at more of the differences between modern and postmodern culture. It’s a discussion point that is very interesting, and Ryan had some new perspectives on it I hadn’t heard before. I actually wish we had more time to discuss these topics and had spent less time getting…
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The shape of leadership
I’m working to develop new small group structures at church right now, so it’s time again for the big picture thoughts. What does a small group leader look like? I think you have a necessary high bar and low bar to leadership – both a high standard to live up to and a real sense…
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The message of change
“Ivan Illich was once asked what is the most revolutionary way to change society. Is it violent revolution or is it gradual reform? He gave a careful answer. Neither. If you want to change society, then you must tell an alternative story.” – Tim Costello I found the quote in a review for this book.…
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The BEST hour!
I normally don’t comment on other churches. I don’t think it’s useful for one person out of a context to critique another church. God could be using them. I should never think I know the one way! But I do have to make one comment about this one. Louie Giglio said once that terminology becomes…
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Today’s thoughts
– I’m really blessed to be doing things I love – from school, to work, to everything. Even when it’s stressful, it’s important to keep that perspective. – Marriage has changed my cleaning standards. What I call a surface house cleaning now would have been called a deep cleaning before marriage. What I call a…
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Tuesday reflections for week ten
Do a lot of the new tendencies and trends of today just stem from having time or money? Think about it. A lot of the things our “postmodern” culture values – from organic foods to nice design – are only accessible to the people who have the money to afford them and the time to…
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It’s simple!
Sometimes studying feels like this. Sometimes concepts are simple. Sometimes comprehension takes a little more work. With finals next week – I need quick comprehension!
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Jon Sampson 