Don’t Ask Me No Questions, and I Won’t Tell You No Lies
Recently I got to see some market research for Alton, the city I live in and have grown to love. The report was created for churches to use in reaching this community. Now, maybe you don’t think I should call…
Press On
The message I shared at tonight’s winter meeting of the Riverbend Ministerial Alliance–at least according to my notes. So this is probably close. But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. What is…
The Good News of Peace
An Open Letter to Pastors in My City: Dear Co-Laborers, I had planned to write this message months ago, but talked myself out of it because I didn’t think I was the one who should write it. Then I…
Being a Neighbor
If you’ve been following this sporadically updated blog, you know that I am a part of an effort to plant a community of missionaries in Alton, IL. I have written about the conviction that developed in me last summer that…
What Are We Planting?
One of the new catchphrases in the missional church world is that we shouldn’t plant churches, we should plant the gospel. By being gospel-centered, rather than church-centered (normally pronounced, “Self-centered”), the mission can be preserved. It’s also a way of…
Faith and Healing
In Acts 3, Peter and John heal a crippled beggar and later attribute the healing to faith in Jesus’ name. This raises all sorts of questions, especially in our culture this one: How can I get the same thing? How…
Pattern of Life
Most of the time that I have heard talk of “being Christlike,” it has usually been in reference to polite behavior. As if the gospel message were basically, “God is redeeming all of creation and has filled us with the…
Ironic Church Planting
When I was in seminary, the head of the youth and family ministry department spoke to the new class of students and said that we shouldn’t go into youth ministry unless we were in it for the long haul and…
A Prayer for My City
“Litany” by Langston Hughes Gather up In the arms of your pity The sick, the depraved, The desperate, the tired, All the scum Of our weary city. Gather up In the arms of your pity. Gather up In the arms…
Alton Loses 3,000, Gains 3
Our local newspaper, the Alton Telegraph, has a guest columnist competition. I decided to write something, and finally sat down last night to put something together (you know, since it was due today). The census data just came out, and…
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