word | spirit | world | church
Or, more specifically, should they have vision statements? It’s common these days to expect a church to have a specific vision, often expressed in a pithy statement about what they will or won’t be seeking to do in their location. Sometimes it’s accompanied by a mission statement—which sometimes is the same thing, but at least… Continue reading Should churches have a vision?
Advent is a season of questions. Which is good, because I’ve got plenty. Have you? Sometimes people act like you can’t ask questions in church life, as though you just have to ‘have faith’, which is true but not in the way that people who usually say it mean. I think they act like this… Continue reading Questioning God
The gathered church sings. That’s what we do. It’s not the only thing we do, but it is what we do. For millennia, since song joined sacrifices in Israel’s worship at the dedication of Jerusalem’s Temple in David and Solomon's liturgical reforms, the people of God have sung. In innumerable styles, with words sublimely profound… Continue reading Sing when you’re losing
The music swells, the symphony approaches its glorious end. You’re swept up in the majestic writing and the promise of what is to come. You’re noticing the intricate detail and the way the rest of the story is being recapitulated here at the eventual end. There is a new heaven. Wonder of wonders. There is… Continue reading The edge of the sea
nuakh 