Church Culture Revolution eBook

A 6-Part Vision That Deeply Changes Lives

Preaching

Personal Assessment

How Emotionally Healthy Are You?
Take a free 15 minute personal assessment now!

*We respect your privacy by not sharing or selling your email address.

Personal Assessment

Close

EHS: An Urgent Call to the Church

The following is a 3 minute summary of the invitation of EHS to the church. It is the text behind a video Zondervan is producing to invite pastors and leaders to the EHS journey.   The church is in deep trouble today. It is like we are sitting on top of an iceberg that is melting, but we reluctant to make the needed changes. Millions of dollars have been spent to analyze the complexity and trends of what is happening in the church today. Here is what we know:• The broader culture of the USA is becoming more opposed to the values of Scripture more quickly than most of us realize. In the next 30 years.. “Christians can expect to be seen as increasingly hateful, small-minded, backward and extremist” (The Great Evangelical Recession, John S. Dickerson) • In most congregations, ages eighteen to twenty-nine are the black hole of church attendance. This age group. Read more.

EHS: An Urgent Call to the Church

The following is a 3 minute summary of the invitation of EHS to the church. It is the text behind a video Zondervan is producing to invite pastors and leaders to the EHS journey. ——————————————————————————————– The church is in deep trouble today. It is like we are sitting on top of an iceberg that is melting, but we reluctant to make the needed changes. Millions of dollars have been spent to analyze the complexity and trends of what is happening in the church today. Here is what we know: • The broader culture of the USA is becoming more opposed to the values of Scripture more quickly than most of us realize. In the next 30 years.. “Christians can expect to be seen as increasingly hateful, small-minded, backward and extremist” (The Great Evangelical Recession, John S. Dickerson) • In most congregations, ages eighteen to twenty-nine are the black hole of church attendance. This age. Read more.

Doing as an Expression of Being (Pilgrimage Reflection #8)

“He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left” Chinese proverb. Geri and I now depart with respect (for our partners The Willow Creek Association New Zealand and Australia, and Eagles Communications in Singapore, along with New Life Fellowship Church out of which EHS flows), with affection (for the many wonderful people we have met), and with gratitude (for the people who worked hard to serve EHS in this part of the world). I think we are finally getting it that EHS offers a powerful message of deep, beneath-the-surface spiritual formation that resonates around the world, and not simply in New York City. At the same time, a consistent thread weaved itself through this trip – our doing must flow from our being. In other words, live the message we preach, giving out of the overflow of a full cup. What does that look like when we are traveling?. Read more.

Take the Log out of Our Own Eye (Pilgrimage Reflection #2)

Tony Campolo frequently points out that Matt.7:1-5 does not teach “Love the sinner, hate the sin.” Instead, it means we are to: “Love the sinner and hate your own sin.” Thomas Merton made a similar point: “If you love peace, then hate injustice, hate tyranny, hate greed – but hate those things in yourself, not in another.” Geri and I just completed our 3-city tour in New Zealand (EHS in partnership with the Willow Creek Association NZ). I was particularly struck by the generous spirit of believers on issues that are particularly contentious and divisive in the USA. Consider the following: Charismatic Baptists.  While I know of one or two pastors who might identify themselves as such, this is quite common in New Zealand. Women pastors and elders. We met many here on this tour. Learning from the multicultural, global church. The church I preached in last Sunday had 38 nations represented. I particularly. Read more.

Our Pilgrimage to New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore

Geri and I left, last night, for a one-month global partnership trip to New Zealand, Australia, and Singapore. We are going both to give and to receive as we embark on a pilgrimage to be encountered by God. For most of Christian history, going on pilgrimage was understood as a spiritual discipline for devout believers. The first Christians learned about pilgrimage from the Jews who made the journey to Jerusalem each year for the three major feasts. It was only natural for the early Christians to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After the excesses and abuses connected with pilgrimage during the Reformation, Protestants dismissed the entire concept as unnecessary. This changed in the 20th century as Protestants, along with Roman Catholics and Orthodox believers, been returning to Israel in significant numbers. It is common to meet believers making pilgrimages today to Jerusalem, Rome, Ephesus in Turkey, monasteries, and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. A. Read more.

The Daily Office – Creating a Rhythm with God

A good friend recently encouraged me to post this 3-4 minute introductory video on the Daily Office. I love the Offices. They shape my days, my weeks, my months, my life. They have revolutionized my being with God the last seven and a half years. Take a look: Introducing the Daily Office The Daily Office differs from what we label today as “quiet time or devotions.” These normally take place once a day, in the mornings, with the emphasis on “getting filled up for a day,” or “interceding for the needs around me.” The Daily Office normally takes place at least twice a day, and is not so much a turning to God to get something; it is about being with God, about communion with Him. My aim is to pause for time with God in the morning, midday, evening and for Compline (right before bed). My morning Office normally is longer (45 min-1+hours),. Read more.