Bringing Heaven to Earth. One Cross at a Time.
[Update: see my background thinking in Draft 2]
Christianity Beyond is a movement of ordinary people who are learning how to make the same kind of extraordinary impact as the Jesus they love. We honor all the ways people have sought to follow Jesus in the past and present, but dare to go beyond that in order to demonstrate to a watching world just how good and worthy Jesus is.
Hat tip to St. Benedict
It may be too late to have a happy childhood, but it is never too late to have a turbulent adolescence!
We as a society have lost sight of what it means to grow up. And that’s a good thing!
The gift (and curse) of the Enlightenment is that each of us must answer the question: who do I want to be when I grow up? It is tempting to envy our ancestors and traditional cultures who had well-defined “markers of maturity”, e.g., marriage, mortgage, and making money. There is enormous security, stability, and support in having society validate who you are supposed to be.
But there is also enormous danger, especially for Christians.
To the tune of Titanium (by David Guetta)
Inspired by the example of Jesus.
[Verse 1]
I may have flaws, but not the ones you’re calling out
You’re talking lots, not saying much
I’m criticized, so you can cover up your pain
You tear me down, I don’t fight back
[Pre-Chorus]
Protect yourself, shifting the blame
Lie away, Lie away
I’m sacrificed, to take your shame
Lie away, Lie away
Until my twenties, I was almost never consciously aware of my anger. Over the last few decades, learning to identify and process my anger — especially towards God and people I love — has been a critical skill in enabling to break through spiritual strongholds and grow in maturity.
I still (and always will) have further to go, but at least I’ve started developing healthier habits for dealing with my anger. I am writing this down to remind myself, and hopefully help others who may have similar struggles.
“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface…” — Genesis 1:2
At first, it seemed there was no sound or light of any kind. But as my senses adjusted, I heard a faint tinkling of bells. Straining my eyes, I saw tiny patches of light scattered around the walls of the cavern, flickering in and out.
I walked closer. I saw a rainbow of light erupt accompanied by a marvelous chorus of music. I watched breathlessly as the singing lights — perhaps fireflies or pixies — became caught up in some sort of eternal dance. I was speechless, wondering if the dance would become strong enough to finally push back the darkness…
Live Event hosted by Analog.
Update: Podcast audio now available.
The modern church was born in the era of broadcasting: mass-market publishing, sound systems, radio, and television. These technologies enabled it solve certain tasks (e.g., teaching, worship music, announcing and producing events) incredibly well. However, by making some problems much easier to solve than others, those same technologies can subtly influence what we focus on and what we ignore.
We are now entering a new era of digital communication, with greater interactivity, richness, and immediacy than could have been imagined thirty years ago. What are the implications for learning, evangelism, discipleship, and outreach? What new problems does that enable us to solve? Which traditional problems and solutions can be profitably revisited? Can all these changes lead us to a deeper understanding of what God truly wants the church to be?
Dear God,
Thank you we can start the new year together.
Bless our family, school & church.
Help us become more responsible.
Teach us to always be kind.
In Jesus name, Amen.
“I am D-Church,
You are D-Church,
We are D-Church together….”
God seems to be doing something new in the body of Christ.
Dear God,
Thank you for a new year at Valley Christian Elementary School.
Help our dog Qhuinn and us to adjust to our new life.
Lead us to honor you and care for other people.
Teach us to be kind, forgive, and grow closer as a family.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
A hardcore version of The Sinner’s Prayer. From a dream I had on December 26, 2015.
God, I am a f***ing sinner, and I deserve to die. Save me from myself. Do whatever you have to do to burn away all the sin in me, so that I can become like you. I ask this by the blood of Jesus, Amen.
The Dream Continue reading
Dear God,
Thank you for the new year, and new beginnings.
Please make us more like Jesus
So everyone will know how much you love them.
Lead Daddy to the right job.
Draw our family and church closer together.
And help us have fun!
We ask this in Jesus name, Amen.
How can you scale to change the world?
In a word: Institutions. A word that is largely despised today, but at the root of almost all long-term successes.
Our culture caricatures institutions as slow, bureaucratic, and dehumanizing. But institutions are what makes us what we are.
Some institutions were created by God, like Family and Church. Others were created by people, like runner’s associations and corporations. But all of them have great power to transform us, for both good and ill.
An institution is nothing more than a community built around processes and leaders:
It is that simple. And that difficult!
Dear God,
Thank you for making me your special princess!
Teach me to trust and obey
my parents and teachers
who love me as you do
So I can help my friends
feel special too!
In Jesus name, Amen.
Dear God,
I want to have a great day.
Watch over me as I learn and play.
Help me to listen and obey
my teachers, my parents, and you.
Remind me to always be a knight
Show me how to do what’s right
And walk away from every fight.
In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Matthew 6:9-13 (CEV)
Our Father in heaven,
help us to honor
your name.
Come and set up
your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth
will obey you,
as you are obeyed
in heaven.
Give us our food for today.
Forgive us for doing wrong,
as we forgive others.
Keep us from being tempted
and protect us from evil.
A kind friend pointed out that the seminary focuses I dissed in my last post:
may not be sufficient for spiritual maturity, but are necessary.
In fact, what I should have said is that the latter require the former:
[Based on a letter to my cousin-in-law, who runs a seminary in Chicago.]
Most seminaries focus on:
Those are all good things. But are they the right things?
I do not know everything.
Leadership is a perilous venture, for the very attributes that make leaders great also carry the seeds of our downfall.
But surprisingly, there is a very simple cure — albeit a very unpleasant one…
