Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
Last week we talked about worship as a lifestyle (basically, our individual worship). Today, we want to talk about our worship as a community. Let’s start with Jesus’ final instructions to his disciples in Acts 1.4 …"Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you what he promised. Remember, I have told you about this … Read more
Today’s message was pretty short. We spent a little time discussing the implications of last Tuesday’s vote. We wanted to make sure everyone is clear about where we’re at and where we’re headed. +++++ "I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about you, it’s all about you, Jesus. I’m sorry, Lord, … Read more
Today, we wrap up this series (“Let’s Conquer the Land!”) which leads up to our vote this Tuesday. As we wrap up the story, we want to learn from the critical mistakes made by the Israelites. "You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself." … Read more
Tonight was our “information sharing” meeting where our Exploratory Team (“scouts”) presented their report after months of prayer, discussion, and data gathering. Essentially, they are recommending that our three churches unite as one congregation. The presentation came together at the last minute (though we’ve been working on it for a while). Our scouts did an … Read more
Numbers 14.1-25 I believe this passage speaks very clearly to where we’re at right now. The scouts presented their report, which led to plotting and inciting rebellion by those who wanted to force their way on others. The leaders speak, but then the people want to stone them. God becomes angry with the people and … Read more
Fridays are half-days in the dmin program at Asbury. And today was very laidback. We began the day, as we did each day, with a time of devotion and worship in Fletcher Chapel. The worship time was a real highlight of the week’s experience! After worship time, we talked about our final paper (due within … Read more
Every class I’ve taken so far has been an excellent, growing and transforming experience. I’m grateful for that! Every class has been different, and complementary of one another. And all are somewhat tiring. This class, though, with its heavy introspection and focus on sin (and holiness) has made this an even more tiring class. Not … Read more
Another good day, focusing on "the spirituality of leading" here in Wilmore, KY. We continue to enjoy our time here. This class is very diverse – people from all over the nation and some from around the world, representing various cultures. It’s good to return to a multi-cultural environment! This is also a larger class … Read more
Morning devotions have been excellent. Yesterday’s devotion centered on Psalm 16 (the goodness of God and the importance of seeing God as good), and today’s grew out of Mark 4 and the story of the seeds that fell on four different kinds of soil. Though all of us have preached from this text, we were … Read more
As I wrote yesterday, Joleen and I are at Asbury this week for a class on "The Spirituality of Leading." Dr. Stephen ("Steve") Martyn is teaching this class, and our first day was a great day. We began our time (as we will every day) in Fletcher Chapel, a small worship space designed for small … Read more