I was a shepherd in the traditional/conventional church. I also served as a deacon, a preacher, and a missionary. Today I believe more in the church of Bob Evans every Sunday afternoon, the church at Starbucks on Friday evenings and then there is my new institutional church at a University Hospital. (FYI—degrees in Nuclear Medicine and Bible; chose to make my living from the medical side)

For employees who have excessive absenteeism or a history of tardiness there is a policy that places them in a process with the end result being dismissal (verbal warning, written warning, etc) I choose not to do that. Instead I invite them into my office and use the wisdom that comes with sixty years of life and the spiritual wisdom God has blessed me with nudging them closer to success and Jesus (this is my policy and the process I choose). I really believe if I died tomorrow the employees of this institution would carry signs to my funeral expressing their love for me.

And then there are the folks at New Wineskins who encourage me in my wacky writings and the conversations I have with the many I talk with in Christian circles.

I am blessed!

Files under Church, Culture, How to Live, Jesus, conventional church, conversation, future church, influence, love, missional, orbiting the church, revolution, unchurched | |

Tony Jones started the wheels turning with his post “Pursuing Jesus’ Dream for the World.”

Tony makes a great point when he says “it is unfortunate that the church has changed its motto from ‘What is Jesus’ Dream for the World’ to the much more self-referential, ‘A Place to Grow in Christ and Serve the World.’”

Files under Church, Jesus | |

1. Didn’t bring a lost person to decision
2. He offered forgiveness without confession of sin
3. Failed to ask about the prospect’s (yuck, hate that word) spiritual background
4. Didn’t use healing as a bait for decision
5. Failed to get the prospect (yuck, again) into a Bible (Torah) study
6. Failed to communicate the urgency of the encounter
7. Forgot to assign a spiritual person to do follow-up

adapted from a Doable Evangelism Seminar

Files under Evangelism, Jesus, Learning | |