[the africa diaries] day seven: wrapping up business in kenyaShe walked up to me as I was setting up for my morning session, shook my hand, and simply stated, “I am Alice.” We laughed about that for a moment, but I never realized that this was about to be one of the most powerful moments of this trip for me. In order to understand what I mean, you’ll have to understand part of the lesson that I was responsible for. I had taught the last lesson of the day in yesterday’s... Read Full Story

I was finally an accomplished missionary! Well, at least in my mind I was. After all, I had just finished my first full sessions with one of the churches in Kenya, and now I was off to another. I knew that this next group that we were about to work with would be different, I just didn’t know how. For our next two-day session on basic Christian business skills, we had to drive about an hour outside of town into a much more rural community called Kairi. Most of the drive was down poorly p... Read Full Story

Take one part courage, one part passion, and one part crazy. Mix all of that together with a few talented people who are willing to sacrifice of themselves in order to accomplish a dream, and then top it all off with some dedicated Christ-followers with a story to tell. The end result = a piece of art that will [hopefully] be remembered for a long time! When I first heard about the start-up magazine called GENERATE, I was excited just to find an opportunity to contribute some of my work and e... Read Full Story

I was on a community prayer walk recently, and I noticed something funny. Not “ha ha” funny, but the kind of funny that really makes you think. What I noticed was a bunch of individuals walking down the street. Even though there were lots of people walking around, there were very few people who acknowledged that they were in any sort of community with other people. As I tried to make eye contact with people so that I could give them the nod (which has replaced the need to actually... Read Full Story

There are lots of opinions on how things like social networking and the virtual world are changing the church. It doesn’t take long to to see how people are using online resources to search for meaning and connection. With this shift towards using technology, there are lots of ideas about how it all affects our theology. Recently I had the chance to catch up with Douglas Estes, the author of SimChurch: Being the Church in the Virtual World. And with the opportunity to ask him any questi... Read Full Story

From the very first time that I heard Grace Like Rain, Todd Agnew has been one of my favorite artists. His music is just so real and raw. So when I had the chance recently to interview him as his new album (Need) is about to hit stores, I felt like a little kid on Christmas morning! If you listen to Todd’s music, then you probably already know that he’s got a heart for authentic Christianity. His music reflects a man who wants the Real Deal in his life, regardless of what might be... Read Full Story

by Gary M. Burge I’m really honored that each of you have taken the time to give a thoughtful reading to this short book.  I often feel that there is a huge gap between the world of scholarship (where I live) and the world of the church.  We publish and discuss technical matters regularly but rarely do we take the time to make these rich things accessible to everyone.  That was my goal in this series.  And that you read it thoughtfully and gave such amazing comments — usually thin... Read Full Story

by Gabriel Morton Luke 12:13-21 The Foolish Builder? I beg to differ. I believe a better title for this chapter is Selfish vs. Selfless. If you boil this chapter down to the nitty-gritty, that’s what it’s all about. Let me fill you in:   The central story for this chapter is a man who asked Jesus to mediate a family quarrel (Luke 12:13-14). Reading this with modern eyes doesn’t begin to explain exactly what’s going on. It simply seems like someone wanting their inheritance. Gary Burge picks t... Read Full Story

by Jesse Giglio (check out the artsy version of this contribution) Matthew 18:21-35 This chapter addresses those who are were lost but also separated. People socially pushed to the margins due to race or practice or mistakes.  Jesus embraces these people of separation in such a way that he himself is marginalized.  He himself is separated. Burge notes the opinion of the religious leaders toward Jesus – “Jesus is at fault because he fully accepts people who have failed by every rel... Read Full Story

by Jesse Giglio (check out the straight-up version of this contribution) Matthew 18:21-35 [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] Please Come Home by Dustin Kensrue Well I woke one morning, found you staring down at me, you said “I’ll take my share now, father please”, and you took your money, and you took your leave, you drilled my heart and turned your back on me… And you hit the town, and you hit the bottle ha... Read Full Story