Tag Archives: church

259-Called Out 1-Paid Clergy

“How would you define the Church?

Most people think the Church is a building or a place to which we go on Sunday. Those who attend become strongly identified with their denomination, distinctives, worship style, teaching, or services. Modern Churches harvest hundreds of Billions of tax free dollars from society and only a small percentage of it is spent on serving those outside its’ walls. Was this the design of its Founder? 

Join me now as we begin a new series where we see beyond the cultural model of the church and invite all comers to find the faith and courage to return to its Source. 

238- These are NOT uncertain times…

“Do you think there is a bigger story beyond the pandemic? 

I’ll bet your answer reveals your political bias. As our world splinters deeper into factions, I’ll show that our battle with uncertainty is not one of finding the truth, it’s that of authority. Are the expertsall telling the truth? Is there a conspiracy behind it all? 

In today’s podcast and post, we will look beyond the headlines into the most provable conspiraciesof human history. From there I will show you the prescription for humanity where both diversity and unity coexist and we discover that these are NOT uncertain times.

168-Clear as Mud

 

“Does my teaching style create more questions than answers?”

I’ve been getting a lot of great feedback from our recent series in Galatians and I’m really excited about that. I have noticed that a lot of the questions seem to come from the same place within your minds.  After thinking about my responses to you, it occurred to me that the issue is not about the content, but the frameworks of understanding that differ between us. It’s a sort of epistemological language barrier.

In this post and podcast, we are going to take a brief pause, to clarify what I’m trying to do in this study since so many new people are tuning in. My goal is to help you understand why we have so many triggers that create dissonance in our thinking, why I always seem to be picking on them, and how we can learn to See Beyond Everything!

155-Institutional Power is Not What it seems.

 

“Do you derive power from any institutions?”

Throughout life we migrate from family, to social networks, to organizations, to institutions.  We develop political and survival skills and often become very attached and even derive our identities from our teams, companies, religions, political parties, and tribes.

In today’s broadcast, I am going to lift the veil of what is behind institutional power, and reveal the power that drives it, and offer an amazing alternative.

Join me now for this very challenging podcast that asks us to reframe everything and usher in a New World.

119- Is the Church a Crutch?

 

Is the Church a Crutch? This is a fair question and worthy of fair and self-critical answer. In this podcast and post I offer both the positive aspects of church as well as some sobering questions that pastors, church planters, and parishioners really should consider. The statistics of church decline within our culture are staggering and I believe something beyond social decline is taking place. I offer a test that you can try to see if the church is in fact a crutch. I’ll also offer a perspective that can illuminate a path forward as well as a new definition of what The Church is and can be.

117- Five Years Online- WOW!

 

Five years ago I transitioned from the typical church delivery system to serving as an online pastor and “un-coach.” So what happened? Was I disgruntled or angry? No. Was there a moral or theological deficiency? Nope. Behind it was a single question that emerged from our elder board which asked: “Has the church so highjacked peoples lives that liberation from it seems sinful?”  Honest self criticism forces us to accept that 95% of all expense and energy and effort goes to the Sunday morning show. In this post I celebrate how online ministry provides a framework that puts people back into their lives and serves people by shedding all the bulk, expense, and pretense in favor of just being who we are, where we are. Freedom is learning to detox from our structures and thrive in the flow of ambiguity.

78-Updating Gods Profile Picture

 

Mainline denominations are in decline. The church’s response is to blame the culture and claim that it no longer has any desire for God. In this podcast and post I will show that modern people are very curious and interested in God, but their consciousness has outgrown a regressive, tribal, and threatening portrait of God. While institutionalized religion needs this image of God to sustain itself, individuals don’t. Faith is ultimately between oneself and God (Rom 14:22), thus the image of God is not some man “up there” somewhere, but the power within us showing up as our very life.

 

52-Estrangement

 

 

We all live into social tribes, groups, bands, and families. These social groups give us an identity and a sense of belonging and acceptance. But what happens when, for one reason or another, we find ourself on the outside of the group? What is next? 
In this podcast and post I share that while this experience feels so bad, it is actually a really good sign that we have outgrown our formative containers. We just might be graduating to another community that has also been called out from the herd. I will show that this is the spiritual path as we leave behind our small, external identity and find our true self in God.