Tag: local

  • A terrestrial calling

    “You’re crazy enough to change the world.”  Those were prophetic words spoken to me by an elder who wasn’t happy with me. Trust me, he didn’t mean that as a compliment. He said that because I was royally screwing up his country club. His nice little church who loved their closed circle of friends and…

  • Do I have a vision problem?

    visionless: it is my claim that this is the most attractive but most insidious yeast undermining religious communities. Vision has a devious way of focusing our attention outside of ourselves to some lofty external goal, rather than keeping ourselves committed to love and service in the community, then as a result beyond the immediate community…

  • Radically Local

    I don’t drive my car very often. We are a one car family and I choose to take the trolley to work most days. I’ve learned to love the slowness of riding my bike and taking public transportation. When I do drive it tends to be with the five of us crammed into our Passat.…

  • How do we minister to the poor with integrity & grace?

    It’s taken me nearly a year to work through the book, “When Helping Hurts.” The content and concepts weigh heavy on my heart. In my neighborhood the poor are easy to find. While not in the open, once you have eyes for it, you see poverty everywhere. We have people who squat in abandoned houses…

  • 10 Simple Ways to Change the World in 2011

    You don’t have to be the President of the United States, Bill Gates, or Bono to change the world. Here are 10 simple things you can do to help make the planet a better place to live in 2011 and beyond. Become a mentor or tutor to an at-risk youth. Every community has students who…

  • 10 Ways Your Church Can Be Good News to the Neighborhood

    I have a fervent belief that if we want to reach a post-Christian society, we have to be Good News before someone will listen to Good News. Here are 10 ways you can begin transforming your church into a place where Good News flows from: If you have a building, offer a public bathroom and…

  • Collaborate Locally

    Among my people, the evangelical tradition, is an inbound weakness of separation. As a result our people naturally fracture. We tend to think that good leadership is creating a culture of people who agree with us– precisely. And seperating over something is seen as a sign of strength. Need to understand this better? Study the…