Benedict rose to the challenge (calling others who would awake to it also) of another way than that offered by the Church of his day – creating alternate counterculture learning communities to live simply, biblically and faithfully. He didn’t set out to change the world and had no idea how important these little groups of faithful, obedient disciples would prove to be for generations to come. What might such ‘apostolic hubs’ look like in our day?
“You don’t have to have BEST practices. Just be okay with ‘good enough’ to do something. Then practice! Innovation means it doesn’t have to be perfect yet.”
For years, decades, I said to myself ‘I’m too young, nobody will want to learn from me.’ Now it won’t be long before the lie becomes ‘I’m too old, nobody wants to listen to me!’
Now here in the West the question arises more than any time in my life whether the light of the gospel that we have been handed on, that we are to shine before all people, may be in danger of going out? The historic value of the church in society, the idea that this is a Christian nation, that the word of God has a hearing, that flame is burning down in society, in churches and, yes, believers.
I think you’ll love listening to this wide ranging and prescient interviews as we discussed subjects including but not limited to Quiet Quitting in Church, Yoga, CS Lewis and what makes great literature!
However your church is doing, the Big C Church in the UK is smaller, shrinking, and strapped for cash which means…
Why would Paul name two men getting it wrong then apparently write ‘so the answer is don’t let women teach?’ Writing something which for 2000 years since has been used – by men – to clobber women into submission at worst, or relegate them to help in Sunday school at best?Could it be because we’ve read the rest of scripture through the lens of these two verses, rather than the other way round?
people think that getting better means ‘I just need to get a coach’ – but having someone who’s that bit further on, some others you’re working with, and passing on practical lessons to others is the best way to learn and grow.
One of our team was healed by Jesus as she walked through the door on the first day.
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. I’ve just been looking today at this year’s LAUNCH church multiplication catalyst event as we GO VIRAL – planning and preparing for what I’m asking the Lord to make the best one yet. First the bad news Where I live, the word crisis has featured on the front page of just about every newspaper somewhere for the last few weeks. Few would argue with the contention that the world right now is suffering from a crisis of leadership and we see the evidence all around us. Fear rises. Everyone is effected. I don’t know whether or not the oft quoted suggestion is true that a Chinese word for crisis is also the word for opportunity, but I certainly believe it in practice. And I do know that the kingdom of God is never in crisis! That’s why now is no time for the church to retreat – thinking ‘one day we’ll fly away’. This is our opportunity to stand out by getting stuck in – with a renewed conviction that the gospel […]