Much of our action is not “pushed” by ideas or conclusions; rather, it grows out of our character and is in a sense “pulled” out of us by our attraction to a telos. If we…are going to be “prime citizens” of the kingdom of God who act in the world as agents of renewal and redemptive culture-making, then it is not enough to equip our intellects to merely think rightly about the world. We also need to recruit our imaginations.
– James K. A. Smith, Imagining the Kingdom
Author: Jonathan Dodson
Facing My Identity Issues
I sat in my office sulking. My day had been so demanding. My week tiresome. My month an all out marathon, minus the fans.
Pastoring eternal souls, preaching week after week, leading leaders, and living an outwardly focused life is demanding enough, but occasionally the demands pile higher. As a pastor, I am a sinner that counsels sinners. This means that, despite our common hope in the gospel, there are times that I fail to apply my own counsel to my own soul. It means that I’m not enough for any disciple much less a whole church.
The past couple of weeks had been one of those “pile up” weeks. More counseling, more speaking, more demands. Add to the stack a particular situation that was, shall we say, extreme? The inbox had hate mail and church slander waiting for me. In tandem, I had to watch self-destructive behavior dismantle a person, whom I had poured a lot of life into.
Exhausted, I thought: “No one understands what it’s like to be a pastor.” “I deserve better treatment than this, after all I’ve done. Why can’t I have better circumstances.” I was emotionally drained.
In hope, I turned to Chuck Palahniuk for help, author of Choke, Snuff, and Fight Club.
Read the rest of the full-length article over at GCD.com
Audio “Reliability of the Christian Canon”
The audio from our evening with Dr. Michael Goheen on ‘The Reliability of the Christian Canon” is now available.
Is the Bible reliable? Does its reliability stand or fall upon the decisions of church councils? Does the Bible provide an accurate portrayal of the person of Jesus Christ? What was Jesus’ view of the Scriptures? These are important questions, especially in an educated, forward thinking city like Austin.
Slides from the presentation can be downloaded here:Â Canon Powerpoint
Biblical Missiology Conference – 9/17
Missional best practices can only get us so far and then we burnout. In order to carry the mission of God forward, leaders and churches need deep theological conviction formed by biblical missiology. But that’s not enough. Even with strong biblical convictions in place, competing cultural stories like consumerism and individualism can challenge, distort or undermine the mission of the church. How can we plant, lead, and multiply churches that make discerning disciples amidst these challenges? Finally, using Scripture and culture, how do we form missional practices that are true to the gospel?
Michael Goheen, top notch scholar and faithful practitioner, will deliver three robust talks based on three important books he has written:
Don’t miss this Micro-conference on September 17, 2013.