January 2011
30 posts
“It is “unacceptable” to evangelize without addressing the urgent...”
– Catholic News Service | Pope: Evangelization without solidarity for oppressed is unacceptable | I’m really moved to see how more and more people are getting that we can’t separate what we say about Jesus from how we live. How we live is a big proclamation about what we believe about...
WatchThis video is an interview with Chris McKenzie, pastor of shepherding for the Mosaic community in Glasgow. It’s part of a series of interviews of people in Christian Associates (facebook page) talking about their experiences and what they are doing and learning with C.A.
this is for Rachel Graff
Barista: I love your glasses!
Me: Thanks. I decided to get them because everybody has square frames now.
Barista: Yeah grandpa glasses are awesome! Well... unless you have a mustache.
Me: Wait I have a mustache...
Barista: Oh... not you... You have more than a mustache.
Me: Are you hating on me? hahahah!
#somewhere in Sacramento
Rachel Graff: I detect BD using his power to make things awkward!
highlights of visiting ne washington
I’ve spent the last week in Spokane and Colville. I come here every few months to drop by the office for my programming job. The thing I love about traveling up here is how recharging it always is. I thought I’d share a couple highlights of my time in Spokane.
Bryan… read book?
One of the highlights of going to Colville for Hachisoft is that I get to spend time with family. I...
beards of C.A.
Rob Fairbanks, president of Christian Associates, has a special love for taking close up shots of his face and various stages of beard. For instance we have this picture.
Not to be left out, Justin Powell, C.A. missionary in Barcelona also took a picture as a good rib poking at Rob. Here’s his:
And here’s mine. Any more people want to jump on this bandwagon? I’ll update...
how our church plant approach is different than...
As a church planter involved in Christian Associates International, I am often asked why we need another network or why I don’t work with Acts 29. My response has often been that their church plants focus on what the Sunday gathering will look like, and while I think that Sunday gatherings are important, if we want new people to meet Jesus we have to focus on how we get “out...
“In essentials unity, in non-essentials charity, in all things love.”
– I have always thought this Wesleyan line is great for how we address church unity. There’s still the issue of how we define essentials, but that’s another post(hint: I’d lean towards something like The Apostle’s Creed
speaking of hipsters and portland
If you’re interested in some good poking of fun at Portland subcultures, check out Portlandia (the show hasn’t started yet, but you can check out the first episode here).
“The Dark Knight is effectively a new version of those classic westerns Fort...”
– Slavoj Zizek | Good Manners In The Age of Wikileaks | Zizek uses this analogy from The Dark Knight as a starting point to explore political dynamics and what Wikileaks reveals about the way we order our politics. A little heady, but an interesting read.
missional church and unrequited faith
Last week I wrote about unrequited faith and my experience in response to an excellent series of posts blog friend Jason Coker posted(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4(the part my post was riffing on).
Well since then, another blog friend, Jamie Arpin-Ricci (I posted this excerpt from his upcoming book last week) has posted a couple really good responses - Surviving Missional-a good reflection on...
“There is a great difference between successfulness and fruitfulness. Success...”
– Henri Nouwen | HT: JR Woodward
“Mona says, “In a detective story, do you wonder why we root for the...”
– Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk | I don’t really remember what the point of this dialog was in the book now, but I came across the excerpt in my notes and thought it was interesting enough to post. I especially love the line “not just a patient passive god, but a hardworking, aggressive...
on tragedies
One of the disturbing things that tends to happen during tragedies is th need to clarify that a perpetrator of any such thing is not in our camp. Liberals want to make sure to say they’re not one of us, he’s probably religious right. The right wants to paint that person as actually being more left. Atheists that they are religious, religious that they’re not one of us, etc.
And...
Egypt's Muslims attend Coptic Christmas mass,... →
fcb4:
Muslims turned up in droves for the Coptic Christmas mass Thursday night, offering their bodies, and lives, as “shields” to Egypt’s threatened Christian community
on having target audiences
“You know as well as I do that your church will never be the right church for everyone. In fact, trying to be will pretty much guarantee that you’ll end up reaching no one. Actually, you will. But trust me, you don’t want them.”
I read this annoying quote on a prominent Christian blogger’s site today. This type of quote frustrates me to no end. The implication is faith is a commodity -...
“The new “True Grit” is that rare thing — a truly religious movie. In the John...”
– Stanley Fish | Narrative and the Grace of God: The New ‘True Grit’
“For many of us, to be “poor in spirit” includes attempting to divest ourselves...”
– Jamie Arpin-Ricci | From his upcoming book: The Cost of Community: Jesus, St. Francis & Life in the Kingdom (Likewise Books)
edit: it seems I didn’t have the quote quite right. Fixed now.
a prayer exercise
The Christian Associates Facebook page is posting small prayer exercises to use as a focus for the next 30 days.
Here’s todays:
Me: “Can I face the future with courage?” God: “Are you freakin’ kiddin’ me? With my Spirit in you? Yes, you can!”
unrequited faith
I have a post brewing on some common misconceptions of Missional and Attractional ministry. Hopefully I’ll get it penned and edited tonight.
In the meantime, I just read a friend’s quite candid post about what he calls “unrequited faith.” Or stepping out to pursue calling and instead of having everything fall into place, it’s closed door and frustration after closed...
some links and an important event
A couple links to share with you this morning.
On Holy Ground at St. Arbucks: Fellow Portlander Bob Hyatt chimes in with a post on the Out of Ur blog on the importance of third places. I love the emphasis Bob puts out here although I must say, in Portland - why Starbucks? I’m typing this as I sit at Speedboat Coffee, my favorite coffee shop in my part of SE Portland.
Missional Church Class...
“The congregation, the so-called homeland church, the community of heathen...”
– Karl Barth - HT: Brendan Ashley
Favorite Blogs of Friends
As a wrap up to this year, I’m posting some of my favorite blogs that belong to friends. Many of these folks you’ve probably not heard of, but I think they have quite interesting things to share.
My last blog highlight is one of my favorites, and is done by my friend Amanda Banker. Amanda and her husband Zach are two of my favorite people in Portland, and Zach and I attended seminary at Multnomah...
calling
One of the things that I find strangely missing from plenty of discussions on Christian leadership is that of calling. We usually do a good job of talking about natural giftings and even spiritual giftings, but that is usually in the context of finding the sort of ministry role that fits you.
I think this is an important assessment, especially the part about helping people understand their...
Favorite Blogs of Friends
As a wrap up to this year, I’m posting some of my favorite blogs that belong to friends. Many of these folks you’ve probably not heard of, but I think they have quite interesting things to share.
Today, I’m highlighting the blog of my friend Amy Hendricks, Perching on the Inside. Amy and her husband Brent are dear friends and fellow Whitworth alum! They run a non-profit in Spokane called...