Sometimes Christian T-Shirts Try Too Hard

But, you know.  For a good price I'd probably still buy it. Posted via email from The Prodigal Blog...

The "Doepken Walk" -- What we pass down to our kids

I don't know exactly what it is.  I have a hard time pinpointing it.  But it was brought to my attention again today.I'm down in Indiana for my sisters' wedding.  She's marrying a great guy.  We're all happy for her.  And there's a bunch of our family getting together for this time.  We have Doepkens from Indy and Alaska and Portland and Colorado.  Today, when one...

Four Things

I have four concepts that are swimming around in my head that are clearly coming out in this blog.  I have appropriate links to help you understand.1)  The Missional Church -- The church exists to be missionaries in the culture of which it's a part.2)  The Emerging Church -- This is harder to define but is a "deconstructed," post-modern way of looking at church.  It is closely...

Disciple Making in the Church

Alan Hirsch has the following quote:  The quality of the church's leadership is directly proportional to the quality of discipleship. If we fail in the area of making disciples, we should not be surprised in the area of leadership development.I just read this quote and was, of course, forced to reflect on my pastoral experiences at the three churches I've served--Frankfort Trinity UMC in Indiana,...

"The Marshmallow Test" -- How do you face temptation?

The following video is from WorshipHouse Media.  I've utilized some of their videos in worship.  They do good stuff. There are times in my life I am so much like the kids in this video....

"Where Someone Loves You Best of All"

Last night, late, my two oldest girls and I were in the Anchorage airport, getting ready to board a plane for Minneapolis and then Indianapolis for my sister's wedding.  It was going to be a long flight and a a late flight but it had the misfortune of being at 9:20 PM at night.  This is too late to stay up all night and too early to want to go to sleep right away...particularly if you're...

The Gospel According to Us

When we approach a reading of Scripture, we assume that our interpretation is “Gospel Truth.”  After all, if we don’t believe we understand Scripture then we are a bunch of believers be most pitied.  Well, perhaps we are to be pitied.  Because we are far from the truth if we are to assume our understanding is the truth, that OUR gospel is, indeed, THE gospel.  This is what Michael...

Change The World Weekend

See pictures hereThis is our official report from our SleepOut For Malaria.  If you don’t know the SleepOut was something that hundreds of groups were doing the overnight on April 24th to the morning of the 25th, World Malaria Day.  While originally, we were going to have a “Sleep-In” at the church, because of the amount of snow on the ground and the constant threat of rain.  However,...

Growing up -- This is what I thought Christian music was like

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"Flinging Cookies" -- April 24, 2010

I love cookies.  To be honest, I particularly enjoy eating them.  However, I also enjoy baking them.  And I really enjoy flinging them.  At Girdwood Chapel we fling cookies several times a year.  It started when we were doing a series based on OUTFLOW by Steve Sjogren.  Pastor Sjogren is a big advocate of “servant evangelism” and believes that “small acts done with great...

Leadership in the church -- Vision & Followers

I just finished with an hour and a half meeting with a University of Alaska, Fairbanks student at The Grind here in Girdwood.  She wanted to talk about "Leadership" with someone who was a leader in the community...but not in a way that was based upon financial leadership.  Apparently, I qualified.   This was a good exercise.  It forced me to think about leadership qualities...

"Thy Will, O Lord. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else. Thy Will."

Those who attend our services for any length of time will recognize that as the prayer I saw at the beginning of my sermons.   I can't claim to have come up with it myself.   Indeed, most of what I say I probably need to credit someone else for saying it first.  This prayer is one that was said by Rev. Powell Osteen of the North Carolina Conference.  He was serving Resurrection...

Prayers for Georgina Dapcevich Family

Prayers for the family of Georgina Dapcevich.  Georgie passed away this morning after a long fight with cancer.  I have had the privilege of being in ministry with her over several years in Alaska.Well done, good and faithful servant. Posted via email from The Prodigal Blog...

Committed to the Blog

I confess that I am one who spends a great deal of time worrying about how my blog looks when I really should be worrying more about what I post.  It should look grown-up but not too formal.  It should focus on my thoughts and reflections about other peoples' work  I want it to look like it reflects my personality.  Oh...and I actually need to make posts on it so that the content...

A Wednesday Fast -- Think About It

Steve Wright, of Ladera Ranch Presbyterian Church in California has a blog called "Porch Ponderings."  He had a very nice post about incorporating a Wednesday fast into your weekly routine.  The post originally appeared in February, just in time for Lent.  We're past that at this point...but it's still a good practice.  After all, what is it that you'd be willing to give up to...

Disturb Us, Lord -- A Prayer By Francis Drake

This is a prayer whose sentiments we need to heed more frequently.   It's author, Sir Francis Drake, an adventurer, wrote it as he departed to the west coast of South America.   Disturb us, Lord, when We are too pleased with ourselves,When our dreams have come trueBecause we dreamed too little,When we arrived safelyBecause we sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, whenWith...

Thank You To Our Work Teams and Supporting Churches

Just today I was contacted by the good folks of Ellisville, MS.  Ellisville, some of you may remember, is a small town outside of Hattiesburg, MS.  It's not a big church.  But that small church has probably sent up over 100 people to Girdwood, Alaska to help us build our building over the last six years.  The rafters above the kitchen and bathroom wing of the church...that was...

Sermon From 18 April 2010 "Change The World" -- Luke 24:1-49

(NOTE:  I'm a little nervous about posting sermons.  I'll right more about that later.  However, since this gets at my understanding of church and what's been swimming around in my head for a few years, I thought I'd post it here.)I'm going to start off this sermon offering a little insight into my perspective of theology and church and faith.  Those who have checked out my blog...

The Missional Church...Simple

It's Sunday morning and I found this video on YouTube that really goes along with a lot of what I'm preaching about today. Posted via email from The Prodigal Blog...

Blogging into the future (at least into next week)

This is new.  I don't know how these posts are going to turn out.  I don't know if they will be helpful.   But I do know that the stuff I've written about this week is the stuff that's informing what I do on a daily basis...when I really pay attention.  I may be thinking out loud, just to myself.  But this is not unimportant to me...today.If a tree falls in the forest...

"Unchurched Harry and Unchurched Mary" for 2010

http://www.flickr.com/photos/decadence/ / CC BY-SA 2.0It's been 17 years since Lee Stroebel wrote his book, "Inside the Mind of Unchurched Harry & Mary:  How to Reach Friends and Family Who Avoid God and the Church."  It was shortly after that that I found myself at a conference at Willow Creek Community Church up near Chicago.  At the time there were a few mega-churches that were...

The "Missional Church"

Things are kind of coming together in my head.  I'm reading Michael Slaughter's book, Change the World, for a three-part sermon series and preparation for our "Change the World Sunday" in 8 days.  I've been reading some other blogs.  I've been studying. And I've been reflecting about where I've been over the last year or so.   In my preaching and teaching I've been putting...

The Road To Emmaus Text

I'll be using the Road to Emmaus text from Luke 24 this week.  It's a great passage and I wanted to share it here as the sermon comes together.  This is from the New Living Translation.The Resurrection 1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 3 So they went...

Looking to God for Help

Today, before lunch, and after far too long a process for finally getting out the door, our two youngest went outside with me to "shovel" snow.  The sun had finally hit high enough in the sky that our driveway -- or at least what serves as one for us -- had some sunshine on it.  It was only about 32 degrees outside but the sun was warm.  Anyway, I had them "shovel" snow for a while,...

Needing Something Bigger

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wessexarchaeology/ / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0Last night I attended class #11 (out of 13) for Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University.  It's been a good course although the drive into Anchorage on Tuesday nights has gotten old...particularly those weeks where I drive into town on Wednesday.  Well, last night was all about finding the right job for who you are, with...