It finally happened - we moved out of our home and into the neighborhood of our ministry community! Our reasons for this move are often misunderstood and sometimes criticized, so I would like to clarify what’s really going on for us – why we are excited about being downwardly mobile and what we hope this [...]
A number of years ago I had the privilege of vacationing in Hawaii with my mother. As we walked past the resorts lining the beach front, we came across a large Koi pond. The pond sparkled clear blue water and the huge Koi swam lazily in the warm sunshine. At feeding time they splashed and [...]
On Sunday our church concluded its reading of Rob Bell’s Love Wins, which we have discussed and dissected over burritos and coffee for the past several weeks. One of the many benefits of reading in community is the ability to hash out thoughts and questions that arise from the material with others whose perspectives enrich [...]
In the earliest days of the Christian church, before the term “Christian” was even adopted, the new followers of the message of Jesus Christ ran into a problem of inequity in their community.
It may be surprising that a community so full of generosity, sharing, and visible signs of God’s presence would demonstrate a pattern of [...]
Our church decided to read the oh-so-controversial Love Wins by Rob Bell for our weekly Book and Burrito club this Spring. I will refrain from reviewing the book itself until we have completed it (you’re welcome!), but I am finding our conversations worth blogging about.
When we chose Love Wins, people started coming out of the [...]
This year I am reveling in that ‘new year’ feeling. You know – that feeling of having a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning. Like when every scrap of laundry is clean and put away after a wash/dry marathon. I always enjoy the opportunity represented by Janus – to reflect on the past [...]
Hateful Christians seldom fess up to their hatred. In fact, they are usually blind to it, having equated hatred with a sinful emotion best deeply suppressed. When confronted with prevalent attitudes toward homosexuals, illegal immigrants, Muslims, etc., such Christians arrive armed with a line of ‘biblical’ defenses, commonly claiming the old “love the sinner, hate [...]
We all have to eat. Unfortunately, eating well is a challenging task in our country. Thanks to some great books, documentaries, educational efforts, and even the First Lady, problems with our food culture receive a lot of attention these days. Organics are finding their way into stores like WinCo and Walmart. Fast Food restaurants are [...]
While conducting research for a book on Christian women, Jim Henderson of Off the Map commissioned a respected polling organization to gather some data. The results are a bit… surprising. You can read them yourself:
1. 84% say that their church’s perspective on women in ministry is almost identical, very similar, or somewhat similar to their own.
2. 83% [...]
One of our youth group girls moved across the proverbial tracks to attend high school in a wealthy neighborhood in nearby Eugene. She still comes to our Springfield youth group on occasion, and recently she brought a couple of her new friends, including a girl who seemed to ooze wealth and class. I knew something [...]
Karlene co-pastors a church plant in Springfield, Oregon with her husband Josh, focusing on Christian community development and emerging church practices. Along with her duties as a pastor, Karlene is a proud mother, diligent student, awesome wife, brilliant blogger, avid coffee drinker, and addicted Sudoku player.
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