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…
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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.…
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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.…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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 . .…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Lilith Redeemed
My friend Bob Beltz released a book today that I want to bring your attention to. Lilith Redeemed is a modern remake on George MacDonald’s classic fantasy Lilith, a book that greatly inspired C.S. Lewis’s Narnia series. Darker and more sinister than Narnia, Lilith has gothic ambience to spare; a black raven, a graveyard tended by a…
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Relevant Magazine on Beer
Relevant Magazine has good article on Christianity’s Most Enthusiastic Beer Enthusiasts. Nothing you probably dont already know but its good to be reminded, especially when you lift the Guinness to your lips and reflect on church history. It doesn’t feature the excellent micro-brews coming out from the pub churches and modern day monasteries but its worth the…
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Blab Test Drive
Blab is a new video chatting app with social networking possibilities on offer from the people who brought you Bebo. Yes I had a Bebo account back in the day and so did my kids who thought I was too old to have a Bebo account. What do I think about Blab in its beta form? I…
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Thoughts on Ashley Madison Scandal
Here’s some random thoughts on the Ashley Madison Scandal, marriage, shaming, and its impact on Christian pastors and bloggers. Reformation Sunday came early this year. An expected 400 Christian pastors resigned today in the wake of the Ashley Madison marriage cheating website being hacked and the names of subscribers, including the particularities and peculiarities of their sexual fantasies with a…
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4 Things NOT to do in Prague
I just wrote a post on what NOT to do in Prague as well as what to do for Hostels in Prague. What NOT to do: Its not difficult to have a good experience in Prague. Its a city for meandering slowly, appreciating the architecture, reflecting on its history, taking a photo, getting lost, and…
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