Archive for July, 2009
Next Entries »Life for a Divided Community
Tuesday, July 14th, 2009Part 2 of series: What is the Christian Life?
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Yesterday I began a new blog series I’m calling What is the Christian Life? If you missed yesterday’s post, you might check it out to see where I’m headed in this series. Or, you can read on, and be […]
What is the Christian Life? An Introduction
Monday, July 13th, 2009Part 1 of series: What is the Christian Life?
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Today I’m beginning a multi-part series on the Christian life. I want to try and answer a simple question:
What is the Christian life?
A similar question might be: How should a Christian live? Or perhaps one might ask: What […]
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
Sunday, July 12th, 2009God’s Perspective on Human Goodness
READ Psalm 53:1-6
God looks down from heaven
on the entire human race;
he looks to see if anyone is truly wise,
if anyone seeks God.
But no, all have turned away;
all have become corrupt.
No one does good,
not a single one!
Psalm 53:2-3
If you have a sense of déjà vu when reading Psalm 53, it’s because […]
What Would You Expect from “The Worst BAR-B-Q in Texas”?
Saturday, July 11th, 2009So if you go to a restaurant that prides itself as having “the worst BAR-B-Q in Texas,” you really shouldn’t be too surprised to see unusual signs in the eating area, like the one below. Hmmm. Gives you a lot of confidence in the food, doesn’t it?
P.S. Isn’t This Missional and Formational Stuff Just a Bunch of Lingo?
Friday, July 10th, 2009Part 12 of series: Missional and Formational?
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In this series on missional and formational I have been using some Christian lingo. It’s insider talk. If you went out “Jaywalking,” as Jay Leno used to do on the Tonight Show, and interviewed a thousand people on the street, asking, […]
Missional and Formational: Interim Summary
Thursday, July 9th, 2009Part 11 of series: Missional and Formational?
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So far, I’ve looked at the biblical connections between the missional and formational dimensions of the Christian life. After some initial definitions, I’ve examined these connections in the Old Testament, the life of Jesus, and the ministry of Jesus. I had […]
Missional and Formational in John 17 and 20
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009Part 10 of series: Missional and Formational?
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In my last two posts, I showed how missional and formational aspects of discipleship are intertwined in John 15. When we remain in the vine, we bear fruit for the kingdom. The remaining-formational reality is inseparable from the fruitful-missional reality.
We see […]
Missional and Formational in John 15, Part 2
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Part 9 of series: Missional and Formational?
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Yesterday I began to offer some thoughts on the intersection of missional and formational in John 15. Here, Jesus says that he is the vine and we are the branches. We will bear much fruit (i.e. fulfill our mission) if we […]
Missional and Formational in John 15, Part 1
Monday, July 6th, 2009Part 8 of series: Missional and Formational?
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Today, I want to examine a text in the Gospel of John that is profoundly missional and formational. It shows that you can’t have one without the other. Moreover, this passage reveals crucial elements of what it means to be missional […]
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
Sunday, July 5th, 2009The Sacrifice God Desires
READ Psalm 51:1-19
You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.
You do not want a burnt offering.
The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit.
You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
Psalm 51:16-17
In yesterday’s reflection on Psalm 50, I noted that God, who set up the sacrificial […]
The Brits Have Another Declaration of Independence!
Saturday, July 4th, 2009A recent news story revealed a surprising discovery. The British have another original copy of the Declaration of Independence. This copy, one of only 200 that were initially printed, brings to 26 the number of copies in the world today.
It was found, sensibly enough, by an American doing research in the British National Archives in […]
Discipleship as Formational and Missional
Friday, July 3rd, 2009Part 7 of series: Missional and Formational?
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In my last post I showed that formational and missional realities were both present in Jesus’ own ministry, as he took time away from the crowds to pray, and these sessions of prayer guided Jesus in his mission.
One such pray time […]
Prayer and Mission in the Ministry of Jesus
Thursday, July 2nd, 2009Part 6 of series: Missional and Formational?
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If you read through the Gospels looking for connections between formational and missional, you’ll discover plenty of them. In today’s post I’ll cite and comment on one pregnant example. Consider this passage from the Gospel of Mark:
35 In the morning, while […]
The Formation of Jesus for Mission
Wednesday, July 1st, 2009Part 5 of series: Missional and Formational?
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Today I’m returning to the series I began last week: Missional and Formational? So far I’ve looked briefly at some connections between missional and formational in the Old Testament and in the early life of Jesus. Today I want to focus […]
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