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Confessions
Do you ever turn on the car radio and then jump when the music comes on and startles you? Sometimes I do.
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Tuesday reflections for week nine
No one viewpoint The more we study different frames of reference and different ways of viewing the world, the more I’m struck by the way there really is no one “best” way to see it all. Relationships are “messy” – they cannot be controlled or figured out fully. In the same way, looking at culture…
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Hospitals, country clubs and training camps
I posted this on my class blog a few weeks ago but also thought it was worth sharing here. More thoughts on church!—- Up. In. Out. Connecting to God, each other, the world Interactive relationship with God, Transparent connections, Glocal impact Gathering, Growing and Going. The models have different names, but they mean the same…
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Learn as you go
Here’s something I’m learning. I don’t have to have all the answers. Profound, eh? Here’s the deal. When you’re in an academic environment – especially one where everyone’s learning about God – your relationship with God can sometimes suffer. For me, it becomes easy to second guess what I know. “Given this and this and…
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Passion matters
It’s confession time. When I was in college, I wouldn’t put much effort into studying. It took too much time. I’d rather be hanging out with people, working at the school paper, or just doing something else. But I think there was another reason at play as well. Not studying is safer. When you put…
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From start to finish…
For those of you who were waiting on the edge of your desk chair, the paper is finished, and I completed it quicker than expected! Now there’s a little time for relaxation before the rush of finals. (Fuller’s finals are the first full week of December). In other news, Grete was watching the AMAs last…
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On starting
There’s only one thing standing between me and Thanksgiving. It’s mean. It’s intimidating. And although it’s small, it looks like it could pack a big punch. Ok, so it’s a five-page paper, which sounds short, but will actually take a lot of work. I’ve done the reading. I’ve discussed the topic. I’m ready to write.…
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Thursday reflections for week eight
Go! Up. In. Out. Connecting to God, each other, the world Interactive relationship with God, Transparent connections, Glocal impact Gathering, Growing and Going. The models have different names, but they mean the same thing. It seems there are three main movements in the Christian’s life, and all three must be happening for healthy growth. In…
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Tuesday reflections for week eight
Professional Clergy I don’t even like that name, but it works to identify what we’re talking about. Yes – all people are ministers, but the way things look right now, there are some who are called/driven to equip and serve the body of Christ as their paid jobs. “But will there be professional clergy in…
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Thursday reflections for week seven
Caring for the children In place of class Thursday, we had the opportunity to attend the 2006 Missiology Lectures. This year’s theme was Children and the Mission of God. I was able to attend two of the lectures, and after each one, I was glad I had been there. I probably wouldn’t have attended the…
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Healthy Tensions in the Christian Life: Blessings and Sacrifice
Christianity can be confusing. Humans tend to want to categorize and label things. “This thing is good.” “This one is bad.” “This matters.” “This doesn’t.” But following the message of Christ and God’s message through the Bible isn’t that simple. Sometimes it’s yes and yes. Growing up, I heard time and again in church that…
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Tuesday reflection for week seven
Through all of the topics and conversations, everything seems to come back to a basic point*. Will the church be attractional or missional? Looking at the rise and fall of the Nine O’clock Service in England shows a model that, while very missional in the sense that they wanted to understand the culture and remove…
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Culturally relevant. Theologically sound.
Another post that isn’t related to class, but really is related in a number of ways… Read this from Dave‘s blog: Part of me is concerned that I might spend three years of my life communicating in a language that is foreign to any ministry setting that I would want to be a part of. …
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Thursday reflection for week six
During class we discussed the similarities and differences between Shane Claiborne’s and Naomi Klein’s books. During discussion, a few points stood out to me. They may or may not have been discussed directly, but here are some of the things the discussion made me consider: Jesus’ model of ministry seemed to be one of focusing…
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Book Review: The Social Movements Reader, edited by Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper (Blackwell Publishing, 2003)
The Authors Jeff Goodwin and James M. Jasper edited The Social Movements Reader. Goodwin is an associate professor of sociology at New York University. Jasper is an author who has written many books covering social movements including The Art of Moral Protest: Culture, Biography, and Creativity in Social Movements. The Book The Social Movements Reader…
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Jon Sampson 