Last week at the Catalyst Conference, Brian Houston, who heads Hillsong Church, referenced a couple popular songs written by his church. Each of these songs is either not sung or rarely sung by their church today. Here’s the quote: You may be shocked to hear we don’t sing Shout to the Lord anymore at Hillsong…
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Shifting to Weekly Communion
Starting this Sunday our church is going to take part in The Lord’s Supper every week. For the entire life of our church we have only partaken of the bread and cup on a monthly basis, so this is a fairly dramatic shift in practice for us. Scripture speaks to the importance of Communion but there’s…
The Echo Chamber
Our society as a whole is extremely accepting, yet not accommodating. You can be anyone you want and it will be accepted, but if you aren’t accommodating enough then the judgment of others will befall you. With this understanding driving individuals forward, society as a collective group of individuals has adapted to only surround themselves…
Be Like the Donkey
This past Sunday was known as Palm Sunday to those in the Christian faith. The day not only begins what is known as Holy Week, but also reflects back to the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as people waved palm branches and placed garments on the roadway as Jesus arrived. An overlooked character in…
Even Unto Death
In his compelling work titled Disappearing Church, pastor and writer Mark Sayers lays out a thoughtful argument for why the church is disappearing. The issues raised are far greater than I could raise in one post (seriously, buy the book, Mark is excellent), but one point I connected with is the difference between what he…
When Obedience Over Politics Puts You in the Minority
“You are the God who sees me. I have now seen the One who sees me.” The God of the Bible is the God of the outcast, the helpless, the homeless, and the refugee. In Genesis 16 Hagar flees from her angry boss Sarai. Not long before this moment when Hagar is forced to flee…