Feb 27, 2015
One of the surest signs an individual or community is following the Jesus way (of life) is that they possesses a thorough-going spirit of generosity. For them, it truly is better to give than to receive as they have every confidence that they will receive again. Gifts are not to be clutched and hidden, but freely...
Feb 6, 2015
What sort of community should grow out of the biblical story? A grateful one. In this episode we explore the concept of hesed – the Hebrew word usually translated as “steadfast love.” It is used throughout the Bible to describe the fundamental nature of God and is meant to explain why God is so committed to the...
Jan 30, 2015
For centuries, “Kingdom work” was synonymous with the stuff pastors do – preaching, sacraments, general church-running… This was the “eternal” work done for God, and the province of a small minority of God’s people who were “ordained” to the role. “Secular” work was what one did for money, not an...
Jan 28, 2015
Conflict is the last thing anyone wants from their “church experience.” After all, we go to church to feel better, to get a little uplift to face the week, right? It’s the one place where we don’t have to deal with the typical human foibles of self-interest, pettiness, passive-aggression…right? I...
Jan 20, 2015
Churches obsess about a lot of things. Some things important (e.g., budgets and buildings and staff). Most…not so much (from the minutiae of worship to revamping the website one more time). And none of these the stuff that stands at the center of the biblical story. So what should a church obsess about??? What...