A few days ago I had breakfast with Frank Viola. No he is not the Cy Young winning pitcher who played for the Minnesota Twins, although that would be a great breakfast also. This Frank Viola is the author of "Pagan Christianity", a book that calls the church to consider the ways in which we …
Continue reading Common Ground Between “Pagan Christianity” and “Provocative Christianity”.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods. 1st Chronicles 15:25 That verse from 1st Chronicles is one of more than fifty times in the Bible when fearing God is viewed as a virtue. Yet for all that frequency it may be one of the …
I was supposed to be helping with construction but God had other ideas. I spent the morning visiting homes for some of the children at the school. Michael is an eleven year old Swazi boy who has a right leg seven inches shorter than his left. It is the result of a broken femur and …
Much of the world is talking about freedom. People in Iran are protesting and dying in a bid for freedom. Yet leaders in Iran are fighting for what they perceive as freedom from the evils of the West. In Gaza there are Palestinians fighting for freedom to be their own country while Israelis struggle to …
Continue reading Reflecting on Freedom, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Some of you have been aware of the role I have at Northland Church. In a nutshell it is to help Northland be a catalyst for the starting of more than a million new house churches, what we call Simple Churches, around the world by 2020. Today the Orlando Sentinel did an article on a …
There is a perception that to be a follower of Jesus means that you are never angry, always have a smile on your face, never get mad, and always say things like, "Bless your heart" when you really want to say something far different. It seems to stem from an idea about Jesus that looks …
Continue reading Provocative Bible Verses: When it’s Good to be Mad
Sitting talking to my friend Brian about Simple Church/House Church theory and why a mega-church like Northland is getting involved in helping start Simple Churches. Suddenly Brian says to me, "A good Simple Church is like the unicorn. I have heard that there is such a thing and it sounds cool, but I have never …
Romans 12:1 and Colossians 3:17 force us to answer some very uncomfortable questions about ourselves and our lives. They are questions that we would rather leave not only unanswered but leave unasked as well. It means that every detail of life, every seemingly inconsequential action or thought must be brought under the microscope of some …
Continue reading Following Jesus, Part-Time Hobby or Life’s Passion?
Okay, I tried and tried to not write this particular post. But like the nightmare of the movie Ground Hog Day, it kept coming back to me, over and over. I didn't want to write it because by implication it says that some Christians have been just plane stupid and I didn't want to be …
Continue reading Stupid Christian Trick Of the Month: Atheist Makes Money Off Rapture
One of my favorite quotes is from an evangelist from a century ago. His name was C.T. Studd. First of all you have got to love it when an evangelist is named "Studd". He has to be on the all time great names list for Christians, right after Justin Martyr. But I digress. The quote …
How often does God need to say, "fear not" or "don't be afraid" before we actually get the idea that as His followers we do not need to be afraid of anything? Apparently at least one more time than the hundred times He already has said it in His word. I have been struck recently …
There is new energy in the debate over celibacy in the Roman Catholic Church. The pedophile sex scandals that have rocked the church in recent years have certainly stirred that debate. But more recently it is the revelation that a wildly popular priest in Miami has admitted his love for a woman and an ongoing …
If we are forgiven by Jesus as a free gift of grace and our salvation does not depend on being good enough to get to heaven, then what is our motivation for doing the things God commands? It is an understandable question. The answer that is usually given is that when you have been forgiven …
Last week I wrote a short post about Storyville Coffee giving away all their revenue for May to the International Justice Mission. Here is a link to an article in the Orlando Sentinel that tells even more of the story. I was at the concert mentioned in the article and even with all I know …
Continue reading A Coffee Company Gets Provocative, Jesus Style
I have been reading lots of comments on the changes that President Obama has made regarding this years National Day of Prayer. I have to tell you I am just a bit bewildered that people are getting flat out nasty over something that is intended to be an intimate, worshipful, and uplifting conversation with God. …
The Provocative Christian 