I’ve grown tired and frustrated, lately, at the seemingly regular moral failings of Christian leaders who were thought to be trustworthy and above reproach. Far too often we find out that what we saw is not what we got. I pity these men and I feel a great degree of compassion for their families. As […]
What you see is what you get… Read More »
This afternoon the pastors at Antioch got together with the elders (even though we don’t officially have elders yet :) for prayer. It was rich — We began with 10 – 15 minutes of silent prayer on our knees. It was my favorite part. I could have gone another hour just talking and listening to
Experiencing God Through Prayer Read More »
I’ve been trying to find the best phrase to capture our need for silence and solitude. The picture I have in my mind is that of an hourglass being turned upside down — of time inverted. I can’t seem to find the right phrase to capture how important it is to refuel in life through
The staff at Antioch is currently reading through A Hunger for God by John Piper. Even though I’ve read it before, I have been surprised at just how good it is. For anyone who has ever wondered about fasting and prayer this book is a must read. Here are some of the tidbits I’ve enjoyed
Book Recommendation: A Hunger for God Read More »
We had our once-a-month staff lunch today. It’s the only time I ever think about going to Applebee’s and for some strange reason, I always look forward to it. Anyway, our staff meetings are a riot. We have fun, make plans, have a devotional, and give ministry reports among other things. Today for the devotional
Jesus and the American Church Read More »
Lately, I’ve been intrigued by books written about certain periods in history. 1066 is about the Norman invasion. 1215 is a book I enjoyed about the factors leading up to the signing of Magna Carta. The Reformation by Patrick Collinson doesn’t have a year in the title, but it certainly could have been called 1517
Jesus answered Peter by saying that He would build His church. Paul pointed to the pettiness of popular games by saying that he planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow. There are other verses that essentially say the same thing – it is a Triune God that breathes life into non-living things. It is
I Will Build My Church Read More »
After the whirlwind of launching Antioch, I’ve had several people ask me how things are going. So here’s a little list of my thoughts! We had 145 people at the public launch on the 15th and 110 people at church on the 22nd. Statistics show that after 5 weeks most new churches have about half
So how are things ? Read More »
This week I’ve been reminded of the value of encouragement. I spent all the energy I had over the last year to make it to the finish line (Antioch’s Public Launch) only to find that instead of a finish it was just the beginning. What has kept me going this week is the encouragement that
A week ago we sent out 5,000 postcards to some neighborhoods in Bend. The postcard was understated and simply pointed people to the Antioch website. We estimate that 3 – 5 % of those who received the postcard actually made it to our website (roughly 150 people). Of those, several came to the public launch
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