In our current crisis of social/physical isolation due to the Covid-19 lockdown, and attempts to connect to each other digitally, Zoom has emerged as the preferred platform for online group conversations. In the past month or so, Zoom users have gone from tens of millions to hundred of millions and shares in the company have…
Read More
Transcoding Church: Intro
And just like that, the global church was thrust into the biggest house church experiment ever seen in human history. Not quite the same as previous house church movements, most of our new aggregations of media-connected believers came about suddenly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity of isolation. But we find ourselves at…
Read More
Venezuela and the Conversation at Menlo Church
I am being asked about Venezuela. Last year we hosted an event at Menlo Church which outlined the historical issues and economic problems with Venezuela. We thought the problems would be somewhat short-lived with the possible and immanent replacement of President Nicolas Maduro with opposition leader Juan Guaido. Then things went south. Guaido has been…
Read More
The Prodigal Project: Journey into the Emerging Church
In 2000AD an amazing book was published. All three authors just came on to my Facebook post to offer some thoughts. I thought I might bring that conversation over here before it gets lost inside FB. The book ‘Prodigal Project: Journey into the Emerging Church’ was published in 2000. It was written by Kiwi alt.…
Read More
Eggs McKnight
Today my friend Scot McKnight moved his blog over to Christianity Today and just launched it. Jesus Creed. I thought I would use this as an encouragement to start blogging again after 18 months away. I also created a breakfast for my kids today and named it Eggs McKnight. Eggs McKnight is a toasted muffin…
Read More
Willow Creek and Bill Hybels on Twitter
UPDATE (April 11, 2018) The Bill Hybels controversy was trending today on Twitter and Google searches. Rev. Hybels, the pastor of Willow Creek Church, one of the largest and most emulated churches in the country, retired last night, months before his planned retirement later this year, as a result of the controversy regarding sexual accusations. The…
Read More
Special Gift for Monthly Supporters
Ohhhh that was so much fun!!!!!!!!! My special gift for monthly supporters of our mission during 2017. This is what I said: “I am inviting you for a 5-day holiday with me and my family. I will take care of accommodation and food and will pick you up from the airport and drop you off.…
Read More
Thanksgiving from the Upside Down . . . and Stuffing
Today I am preparing a message for New Day Community Church in Stockton that has a special Thanksgiving Day Service tomorrow, followed by a Thanksgiving meal, and I have been invited to speak. I am not sure if I am more excited about talking during the service or presenting my Thanksgiving stuffing at the meal.…
Read More
Thor: Ragnarok and understanding Kiwi Humor
Tonight I am going to see Thor: Ragnarok with my daughter who has already seen it twice. The selling point for me was the humor – Kiwi humor, or “humour” as we would say, of director Taika Waititi. I lived in New Zealand until I was 17 and I not only fully understand and appreciate…
Read More
Cross Vision, Violence, and the Warrior God
The best book I read all year was Greg Boyd’s The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. Two huge volumes dealing with the smiting verses in the Old Testament and offering a fresh way of viewing them through the non-violent work of Christ on the cross, our fullest revelation of God. Loved reading this book but…
Read More
Philanthrocapitalism
At a New York Social Enterprise event called the Feast I had the privilege of hearing Matthew Bishop, author of Philanthrocapitalism which is about the “head and the heart coming together” in a new model of capitalism. We should use the present financial crisis to build something worthwhile, said Matthew, and shared with us that more will…
Read More
Resourcing Missional Entrepreneurs
Reblogging this post today because I get requests how to find my presentation. ————————————— Prague. Yesterday I spoke to a group of Christian business professionals and Foundation leaders from USA about how to resource missional entrepreneurs in Europe in a sustainable way, ie, without creating eternal charity cases. These people, all of them very friendly, are…
Read More
Losing Debbie
Sorry this post is so late. I have not been well. I posted on FB but this is for my friends outside. Debra Diane Jones, my caring partner and wife for 29 years, best friend, my conversation partner, my critic, my fashion consultant, my travel companion, my co-conspirator, my right hand, my lover . .…
Read More
2015 in Review
It’s been a wonderful and challenging year and I give thanks to God for making it possible. And a SPECIAL THANKS to those of you who supported us financially through our New Zealand supporters and SYRIOUS LOVE (Syrian Refugee Ministry). Some highlights from 2015 We worked in these countries: Jordan, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Serbia, Croatia, Slovakia, Czech Republic,…
Read More
Christmas Greetings to my “Muslim” Hackers
As you might know, I was hacked about two weeks ago, right after the blog post where I suggested ISIS-Daesh are not real Muslims. The hackers have continued daily to bring down all my websites and they are still rattling around inside my servers and files even as I write this. This was one of their…
Read More
Being Human. Being Present
I just submitted an article for a mission publication but its a bit long and boring and probably too academic so I thought I would just post it here. It’s called “Being Human, Being Present” and it’s part of my reflections from The Nicholas Sessions last month in Prague. BEING HUMAN. BEING PRESENT. A priest…
Read More
Thoughts on Turkey
I write this from a poor fishing village on the Black Sea, about 120kms from Istanbul. There are 8 street dogs outside on the road but they don’t move for cars. One of those dogs guarded our truck last night. They are not territorial like the city dogs and they don’t bark all night. The…
Read More
Feeding Syrian Refugees at the Border
From the main blog A little update from me. We arrived at the border a few days ago and started cooking immediately, both for the team and for the stream of Syrian refugees. Most of them were in too much of a hurry to stop and chat – they were at the finish line of…
Read More
Helping Syrian Refugees
We leave for Turkey in a few days and are quite excited about helping out with the Syrian refugee situation but also not quite sure exactly how we can be of greatest assistance. Perhaps the best answers will come when we arrive in Turkey and then Jordon. Right now we are putting a team of…
Read More
The High Calling of a Blogger
Having a blog does not make one a blogger. I was reminded of this some months ago when Rachel Held Evans, after admitting her “diligent investigation” into a particular controversy she was writing about was not very diligent, claimed that she was not a blogger but a writer. I appreciated her admission. A blogger writes…
Read More