Parable: Hiding in the Light

Here is a very old joke. A man, apparently named “Mac”, is walking down the street when he sees a second man, “Bud”, looking around the sidewalk for something. Mac, being a very astute individual, says, “Hey Bud, you lose somethin’?” Bud responds “What’s it to you, Mac?” “Nothin’.” replies Mac, “Just seein’ if I …

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Brian McLaren Quote on “Knowing” God

Cover of Finding Faith "In our society, the way we think we really come to know something is to doubt it, to question and test it, to dissect it (requiring us first to kill it), to analyze it by breaking it into smaller and smaller pieces-- pieces that are smaller than we are, pieces we …

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Translation and Diffusion in Christian Missions

Lamin Sanneh uses Translation and Diffusion as terms to describe two types of mission work. Diffusion is the traditional (although not universal) form of Islamic mission. The assumption is that the culture of land of its origin (Arabia) is the ideal form for its missional expression. Translation is the traditional (but by no means universal) …

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Missional Church Quote, Alan Roxburgh

"The two primary wrong questions that misdirect churches away from mission: How do we get people into our churches, and How do we help people?" Both questions leave us in control, in a position where we don't need to change, and besides, church questions are the wrong questions. The right questions are about What is …

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Church as a Communal Organism

“It’s the sense of touch. In any real city, you walk, you know? You brush past people, people bump into you. In L.A., nobody touches you. We’re always behind this metal and glass. I think we miss that touch so much, that we crash into each other, just so we can feel something.” <Quote by …

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“Proactive Availability” in Christian Ministry

The lifeguard stood at his post, attentively searching the water for some poor swimmer who is in need of rescue. He is ever vigilant. He is an expert swimmer and has been properly certified in CPR and all manners of Water Safety. The lives of hundreds are in his capable hands. Suddenly, he sees him—a …

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