From the monthly archives:

July 2008

No. 3 in the list of top 100 US cities being targeted by Newfrontiers is Chicago. I got a facebook message this week asking me if I knew of a Church there for a student visiting. Incidentally, do feel free to be my friend, join my blog network or even share and comment on my posts over at facebook

I was thrilled to be able to find that there is a newfrontiers church in Chicago. Not just any church either, judging by the website but one that has a clear vision of what they are trying to do judging by the following extract from their website which turned my head.

Yes, we’re unashamedly Christian but don’t freak out and click for something else. Let us tell you our story.

We’re a community of everyday people who want to explore what it means to be a Christ follower in our everyday lives. We’re real. Our faith is real. Our lives are gritty. We don’t have all the answers but we’re not afraid to work it out together – rooted in God’s word. that’s what it’s all about!

We’re a community, a part of the global village. we’re talking deep dish pizza, hummus and pita breads, home baked lasagna, beans and burritos, hot dawgs and sauce. We eat Sunday dinner together as often as we can. We email and call each other during the week to stay in touch and when things aren’t crazy busy we even hook up for a cup of coffee. We celebrate birthdays, go bowling, prepare meals for people in need, play Scrabble, watch movies, housesit, baby-sit, pack boxes when someone’s moving house, and share our lives together. It’s tough building community in the city but we believe Christianity is all about it.

We don’t believe in fairy tales. We believe Jesus Christ really lived and walked this earth and chose to die for our sins. That’s right, we see ourselves as sinners in need of his grace. We’re talking repentance, hope, freedom, healing, grace, joy, truth, and most importantly love. So real. So refreshing.

We launched Fusion in East Rogers Park, Chicago, Il, in February 2006 but people travel from all over Chicagoland to be a part of our urban family – and friends and family visit us from different nations too. Sure, we’re small. We’re new. We’re learning. We make mistakes. We say we’re sorry. We reach out. We don’t have a target market, anyone is welcome. We don’t have all the answers. We’re everyday people. And we’re plugged into Newfrontiers, a family of more than 500 churches in over 50 nations across the globe.

We come just as we are – that’s what Jesus is all about. We are unafraid to challenge stuff and, we live out our lives based on God’s word. Yes, we believe its the inspired word of God. We don’t pretend! We don’t tell you what you want to hear. We are Christ followers and Christ seekers – together, on a mission. Everyday people exploring the true essence of Christianity and what it means in our everyday lives to be a Christ follower. READ MORE from this Chicago church.

ALERT, web tool with serious addiction potential ahead! Well, I managed to manhandle my blog tool to export 500 posts on one page, copied the text and generated the following wordle. Its a bit of fun. See also the following interesting wordlesTeam Pyro, All the books of the New Testament (be sure to click to part two)

A Church That Leaves You Hoarse

July 29, 2008

I wasn’t the only one who found they had a hoarse voice when our service ended over at Jubilee, London last Sunday. As part of our worship we had a run of African-style songs, and as we sang, we began to relax a little and get a bit excited about our Lord Jesus. At the [...]

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Your Invitation To Attend A Worship School

July 29, 2008

This autumn a Worship School will be taking place on the south coast of England. Home of some well-known Christian worship leaders such as Stuart Townend, Phatfish, Paul Oakley, and Simon Brading, among others, Church of Christ the King is something of a worship center. This autumn, if you want to learn more [...]

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DWELL – Q and A with Dave Fairchild, Steve Timmis and Scott Thomas

July 28, 2008

Hear Dave Fairchild, Scott Thomas and Steve Timmis answer questions in this session from the Dwell Conference in London. Once again this is a longer video and so is hosted by Google Video rather than Youtube. You can watch it below or download the audio here. The Q and A spoke [...]

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PHOTOS of Mark Driscoll in London

July 27, 2008

I found a way of embedding a flikr slide show here on the blog. I hope you like these photos from Driscoll’s London trip.
Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

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Blaming Others For Our Sins

July 27, 2008

A few weeks back a guest writer over at Desiring God listed twelve sins for which we usually blame others. This is priceless—here are the first six. Please go and read the rest.

AngerI wouldn’t lose my temper if my co-workers were easier to get along with, or if my kids behaved better, or [...]

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VIDEO INTERVIEW – Scott Thomas, Part 2

July 26, 2008

This is the second and final part of my interview with Scott Thomas of the Acts 29 Network. You can download the audio of whole interview or watch the second part below. Part 1 can be seen here.
Scott speaks about how Acts 29 aims to help potential church planters.

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VIDEO INTERVIEW – Scott Thomas, Director of Acts 29 Network

July 25, 2008

Today I share the first part of a two-part interview I did with Scott Thomas when he visited Jubilee Church with Mark Driscoll earlier this month. In this segment Scott shares his perspective on traveling and working with Mark Driscoll. Scott also spoke at the Dwell conference on “Should You be a Church Planter?“

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Pick Your Christian Conferences Now

July 24, 2008

UPDATEYou can watch the Newday promo video right here:The summer is officially here, or at least it is in England, although with our odd weather, we can’t guarantee what we will experience over the next few weeks! But it is a good time to think ahead to next year and think about what events you [...]

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DWELL – Should YOU be a Church Plant Leader? (20 Questions)

July 24, 2008

UPDATEScott has made available an article which expands on this talk and includes other lists of characteristics that leaders have cited as being important in a church planter.
Thanks to the kind permission of Acts 29, I am able to share with you a number of videos of their recent DWELL Conference in London. I begin [...]

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TOAM08 – Summary Post and MP3 Availability

July 23, 2008

The majority of the MP3s from Together On A Mission are now available direct from the Newfrontiers Resources page, or from the following summary posts I wrote during the week.Session Summaries

TOAM08 – Stephen Van Rhyn – Prevailing Under Pressure (Daniel)
TOAM08 – Mark Driscoll: Doctrine of the Holy Spirit in Luke and Acts
TOAM08 – Terry [...]

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WANTED – 1000 Reformed Charismatic Churches

July 23, 2008

In case the title of this post completely mystifys you and you have not heard of this group of Christians, I have written previously about them in “What is a Reformed Charismatic?”
The phrase “1,000 reformed charismatic churches” has been going around in my head on and off for awhile now. Because several different applications of [...]

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Terry Virgo Appraises Mark Driscoll’s Trip

July 22, 2008

Terry Virgo has blogged about the recent Mark Driscoll visit. You really should go read the whole thing, but here is an excerpt:
Pettiness and small-mindedness don’t stand a chance when he cuts loose with his burning desire to see Christ glorified in our generation. His radical priorities and decision-making are deeply rooted in a passion [...]

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