Category Archives: Contemplative Spirituality

Technology, Enroe and the Rain Forest

While in Malaysia, Geri and I spent two wonderful days at Mt. Kinabalu National Park in the midst of the Borneo rainforest, the oldest rainforest in the world. Enroe was our “ranger guide,” leading us in our hikes during those two days. We learned a lot from Enroe. He grew up in the rainforest and never saw a city until he was sixteen (He is now thirty). He told us about his mother using particular leaves and plants to stop bleeding or ease fevers. He talked with us about his village, their rhythms, their foods and their culture. He talked about his first visit to a big city at the age 16 and how overwhelming it was. (His city visits even now can only last an hour). We learned a lot from Enroe as he slowly and thoughtfully answered our questions and tried to digest the complexity of our lives in New York City.. Read more.

Lessons from the Church in Singapore/Malaysia

Geri and I recently returned from a 15 day trip to Malaysia and Singapore. We went to offer emotionally healthy spirituality, but we received, perhaps, more than we gave. The following are a few gifts we received: 1. The equipping of marketplace leaders is a critical kingdom strategy for the 21st century. The real fruit of our work in the church, I believe, is how our people serve Christ at work, school, and in their communities. My vision was stretched in profound ways on this trip. Edward Ong, builder of the Sutera Hotel and Resort in Sabah, has 2000 employees. He initiates business in response to the voice of God, hires intercessors to pray for his guests and staff, and models integrity. Take a look at this trailer: 2. The growth of the church in Asia is a powerful, rising tide. I have read, for years, how the growth of the church globally is. Read more.

Becoming Your True Self as a Leader

I shared this devotional with our NLF staff team yesterday at our spring retreat. Jesus models for us what it means to be true to ourselves rather than follow the voices and demands of those around us (see Mark 1:35-38). May Sarton’s poem provides a unique medium to wrestle with that process. Be sure to take some time with the questions that follow. Now I Become Myself (by May Sarton) Now I become myself. It’s taken Time, many years and places;I have been dissolved and shaken,Worn other people’s faces,Run madly, as if Time were there,Terribly old, crying a warning,‘Hurry, you will be dead before-‘(What? Before you reach the morning?Or the end of the poem is clear?Or love safe in the walled city?)Now to stand still, to be here,Feel my own weight and density!The black shadow on the paperIs my hand; the shadow of a wordAs thought shapes the shaperFalls heavy on the page, is. Read more.

Sabbath-Keeping: A Long, Slow Road

Lauren Winner, herself an author of a book on Sabbath, says that in spite of a bumper crop of books on Sabbath observances in the last ten years or so, “it’s unclear . . . that many people are implementing them.” A Jewish young-adult organization called Reboot launched a “Sabbath manifesto” offers us the following ten recommendations that I appreciate: 1. Avoid technology. 2. Connect with loved ones. 3. Nurture your health. 4. Get outside. 5. Avoid commerce. 6. Light candles. 7. Drink wine. 8. Eat bread. 9. Find silence. 10. Give back. I think Abraham Heschel had it right: He who wants to enter the holiness of the day must first lay down the profanity of clattering commerce, of being yoked to toil. He must go away from the screech of dissonant days, from the nervousness and fury of acquisitiveness and the betrayal in embezzling his own life. He must say farewell to. Read more.

Emotionally Healthy Preaching: Part 2

This is Part 2 of the integration of emotional health and preaching. Again, these points emerged out of multiple conversations between Rich Villodas and I around preaching in our context at New Life Fellowship Church. The following is the second of three parts on our learnings. Leave ample time in prayer and meditation around the text (e.g. lectio divina, memorizing the text). Utilize the power of community exegesis. Talk with others about your message beforehand. Connect your message to equipping/connecting opportunities, leading people to action (e.g. workshops on Skills, genogram workshop, retreats, Daily Offices, Day Alone with God, small group connections). Be vulnerable and broken around the intersection of this truth and your humanity/journey with Christ. Be sure to create an introduction that answers the question: “Why listen to this?” Clear transitions are important throughout the sermon. Be intentional to emphasize that all of life is holy (work, recreation, sexuality, vacation, buying a car,. Read more.

Leaders and Transformation: The Place of a Rule of Life

Two weeks ago, I reviewed with our New Life Fellowship pastoral staff team our “Rule of Life.” First drawn up in 2007, it has been the abiding document to order our life together for over five years. I read through the document paragraph by paragraph, giving history, context, and theology around important sections. Our new staff asked many very good questions. I walked away convinced, more than ever, of how important, and powerful, this tool is for each church leadership team. How can we lead others to transformation in Christ if we are not experiencing transformation ourselves? I share this document with you with the hope and prayer you will consider thinking through some of these issues for yourself and your leadership team. I invite you to read the entire Pastoral Staff Rule of Life on our website. I am including here a few paragraphs that are particularly significant. NLF Pastoral Staff Rule of. Read more.

Equipos emocionalmente sanos: 5 prácticas no negociables para equipos exitosos

Seminario web gratuito en vivo con traducción simultánea al español

Seminario web gratuito

Sabbat

Un libro electrónico gratuito para explorar 4 prácticas de un Sabbat bíblico

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