Purses for men. Smelly candles. Awful-tasting chewing gum. A bastard child of peanut butter and chocolate. Subtitled movies. Uncomfortable fiberboard furniture. Risque advertisements. Expensive dress-up loafers. No matter how odd, ugly, effeminate, debased or impractical a product may be, in the United States, the sales trump card is to claim that said object is “European.” [...]
Archive | August, 2008
Alan Hirsch
We recently had the opportunity to speak with Alan Hirsch (The Forgotten Ways, Forge Network, Shapevine). His mission (according to me) is to pull the American church (perhaps kicking and screaming) out of the modernism that limits us to traditional, religious, attractional expressions of our faith. If you don’t know Alan, be sure to pick [...]
About Europe: Atlanta
Our meeting in Atlanta was hosted by David Putman, author of the new book, Breaking the Discipleship Code and one of the pastors of Mountain Lake Church outside Atlanta. If you want some wisdom from an honest and and forthright missional thinker who is well into the philosophical journey away from modernism, just spend a [...]
About Europe: Philadelphia
Aaron Harvie is the kind of guy that people want to be around. That’s what drew an amazing ministry team together (Ezra, Gibson), and that’s why Riverside Community Church, the church he planted just north of Philadelphia nine years ago, is a model of cooperation, unity, and contagious faith. He invited fellow pastors and church [...]
About Europe: San Antonio
Today’s meeting was with a large and diverse group of Texas pastors and leaders in the back room of a Chinese restaurant in north San Antonio. Back room. Chinese. It seemed appropriate enough. We had Hispanic leaders, young missional suburbanites, even a Messianic rabbi. They were interested to hear about the opportunities for ministry in [...]
About Europe: Austin
We just finished a meeting at the Williamson Baptist Association. This was one of those groups that is already doing what we’re talking about. A couple years ago, they stopped all of their programs (those things they were doing on the churches’ behalf) and positioned themselves in a striclty support/service role. Want the Association to [...]
Ideas: Connecting Online
How are you involved in international missions? In the past, mission agencies gave you three options: pray, give, or go. Hopefully, you’re doing at least one of these things. I’d like to invite you to a fourth way to participate in what God is doing around the world. You may not be aware of this, [...]
Idea: Virtual Missions
Not so long ago, internet chat rooms were mostly populated by perverts and turbonerds. The current generation of young adults, however, has moved into the neighborhood and changed the rules. They’ve never known life without computers. For them, meeting people online is a normal part of life. They have real and meaningful relationships with people [...]
About Europe 2008: Nashville
It’s extremely encouraging to share what God has been telling you with someone you meet for the first time, only to have them say,”that’s what we’ve been hearing from Him as well!” Nashville was our best meeting yet. No, I’m not just saying that. It really was the best. Not because there were a lot [...]
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