Provocative Christian Living is radical, it is about getting to the root of what it means to be a follower of Jesus
Imagine meeting a perfect stranger who proceeds to tell you some of your darkest secrets. It would certainly be disconcerting to say the least. You might try to deflect the conversation, change the subject, or flat out deny what they say. The woman at the well decides to change the subject and take advantage of …
Continue reading A Year of Listening to Jesus 1/24 John 4:16-24
I made the mistake of asking a friend for some book suggestions related to the chapter on worship for the Provocative Christian Living book. He suggested a book that connects our worship of God to our doing justice for the poor, oppressed and enslaved. It was not what I expected but more than I could …
I find it very interesting to consider "worst-case scenarios". A few years ago I even bought a board game by that name. (By the way, don't bother getting it. It became the fulfillment of it's own name) But thinking about the worst-case scenario recently I thought, what would the typical church going American do if …
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23 & 24 When Jesus had a conversation with the …
Continue reading Provocative Worship pt 3: What the Father is Looking For
For centuries Christianity in the western world has been infected by a disease. It was transmitted to us by some of the most important and influential thinkers in the history of Western Civilization. Chief among them would be the Greek Philosopher Plato. But quick on his heals would be Aristotle. Plato and Aristotle held a …
Continue reading Provocative Worship pt 2: All of Life is Sacred
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus Colossians 2:17 One cold and snowy winter weekend a group of people from North Park church outside Pittsburgh went away for a retreat that focused on spiritual disciplines. The setting was a local convent that rented out space …
Continue reading Provocative Worship: It is NOT About the Music
"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers" John 4:23 When I listen to much that passes for Gospel preaching these days I get the very clear impression that the Gospel is all …
