» 2006 » June

Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of his worth. This cannot be done by mere acts of duty. It can be done only when spontaneous affections arise in the heart.

Consider the analogy of a wedding anniversary. Mine is on December 21. Suppose on this day I bring home a [...]

Listen in on Francis Xavier’s relationship with Ignatius Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. What was it about him that inspired gifted, a privileged nobleman like Xavier to give up everything and lay down his life in service?

My true Father,

I received a letter of your holy charity at Malacca when I returned from Japan. God [...]

Some wisdom from Bob Logan on how people learn.
People learn best when they see someone effectively model the skill or character trait they wish to learn.

People learn best when they gain hands-on experience through on-the-job training. Jesus’ training model would accurately be summarized in the following order of words: Orient…Involve… Equip.

People learn best in a [...]

The Religion and Ethics program on PBS recently did a cover story on the Azusa Street anniversary: Pentecostal 100th Anniversary.

Here’s their interviews with sociologist Harvey Cox, and Pentecostal historian Gary McGee.

McGee has also written for Christian History: From Azusa Street to the Ends of the Earth

Church Planting MovementsPentecostalism

Carl Rhenius was an ex-soldier when he became a missionary to India. Although trained at a Berlin mission institute, he went out under an English organization, the Church Mission Society.

Ecclesiastical differences would eventually cause Rhenius and the Anglican mission to sever ties, but not before Rhenius had done significant work. He learned Tamil, made a [...]

Sam Metcalf is right: The Catholics got it right. It would be hard to find another movement in history with the durability and impact of monasticism. Protestant missions languished until it came up with its own version of the Catholic religious order—the Protestant mission agency.

Wesley, Asbury and the Booths led dynamic church planting movements by [...]

Flying out today for the CRM World Wide Conference today. Erwin McManus is the keynote speaker. Looking forward to hanging out with our tribe. Before the conference Michelle and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary with a road trip from LA to San Francisco.

I’ve set a few posts to drop automatically while we take [...]

An interesting insight into the early Christian movement in an article by sociologist Rodney Stark on why the early Christians lived longer, healthier and better lives.

Church HistoryEarly Church

One of the great things about being a Collingwood supporter is that the rest of Australia hates us. One of the great things about being a Mac user is that the rest of the world is PC.

The same with movements. No one else likes them. Not even other Christians. Until they settle down and become [...]

The two most common reasons top (Japanese, British, European, American) executives derail?
Rigidity: They are unable to adapt their style to changes in the organizational culture, or they were unable to take in or respond to feedback about traits they needed to change or improve. They couldn’t listen or learn.Poor relationships: The single most frequently mentioned [...]