sacred journeys in L.A.

new blog

gregorylarson — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 21:20:04 +0000

hey everyone, I have been blogging over at a different place for a little while:

http://gregorylarson.posterous.com/

come join me there.

mission & the kingdom

gregorylarson — Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:20:25 +0000

some great thoughts by the venerable Newbigin

“The concern for mission is nothing less than this: the kingdom of God, the sovereign rule of the Father of Jesus over all humankind and over all creation. Mission.. is the proclamation of the kingdom, the presence of the kingdom and the prevenience of the kingdom. By proclaiming the reign of God over all things the church acts out its faith that the Father of Jesus is indeed ruler of all. The church, by inviting all humankind to share in the mystery of the presence of the kingdom hidden in its life through its union with the crucified and risen life of Jesus, acts out the love of Jesus that took him to the cross. By obediently following where the Spirit leads, often in ways neither planned, known, nor understood, the church acts out the hope that it is given by the presence of the Spirit who is the living foretaste of the kingdom.” (Newbigin, The Open Secret, 64)

“I have described mission in terms of the proclamation, the presence, and the prevenience of the reign of God. The reign concerns the whole history of the human family and of the cosmos. At the heart of the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples is the petition: “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” God’s will is to be done on earth. The call of Jesus to believe the good news of the impending kingdom leads at once to the call to “Follow me.” There can be no separation between believing and following, between faith and obedience. The prayer “Thy will be done” is in vain if it is not made visible in action for the doing of that will. Consequently, missions have never been able to separate the preaching of the gospel from action for God’s justice.” (Newbigin, The Open Secret, 91″

HT: NextReformation

leadership words to live by

gregorylarson — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:37:22 +0000

very counter-intuitive & very hard to implement I am finding. but true nonetheless.

Most churches make the mistake of selecting as leaders the confident, the competent, and the successful. But what you most need in a leader is someone who has been broken by the knowledge of his or her sin, and even greater knowledge of Jesus’ costly grace. The…leaders in every church ought to be the people who repent the most fully without excuses, because you don’t need any now; the most easily without bitterness; the most publicly and the most joyfully. They know their standing isn’t based on their performance. -Tim Keller

random links

gregorylarson — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 12:24:03 +0000

great ideas for a missional community

The Big Idea (a must read if you are involved in speaking/preaching/teaching in any way !!)

mixing mission and ministry

Old Spice Guy — still got it!

How Netflix destroyed Blockbuster…

How much would you spend on a first date?

Of Gods & Men — It tells the story of Christian monks in Algeria from 1993-96 and their decision in the face of danger from radical Islamists.

Tim Keller on the Nature of a Missional Church
A missional church gears absolutely every single part of its life–its worship, community, public discourse and preaching education–for the presence of non-believers from the culture surrounding it. A missional church’s congregation reflects the demographic make-up of the surrounding community–and therefore it gives non-Christian neighbors attractive and challenging glimpses of what they would look like as Christians. A missional church’s worship is ‘evangelistic’ in the sense that it makes sense to non-believers in that culture, even while it challenges and shapes people with the gospel. A missional church’s people are outwardly focused, so involved in the local community, and so alert for every opportunity to point people toward Christ, that evangelism happens naturally through relationships. Because of the attractiveness of its community, the contextual nature of its message, and humility of its people, a missional church will discover significant numbers of people always in the midst, ‘incubating’ and exploring Christianity. It must welcome them in hundreds of ways. It will do little to make them ‘comfortable’ but will do everything to make its gospel message understandable.

The price of Mission – JR Woodward

praying the Psalms

gregorylarson — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:51:50 +0000

…watched last night a program on PBS’ Frontline. (a great program by the way, if you can watch it)
Last night was on the global sex trafficking travesty. It was terribly sad, and hard to watch. Some of the things that were done to the women were nothing less than vile.
Did not know what to do after the program ended, except to pray.
I then read this Psalm this morning…

Psalm 15 A psalm of David.
1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy mountain? 2 Those whose walk is blameless, who do what is righteous, who speak the truth from their hearts; 3 who have no slander on their tongues, who do their neighbors no wrong, who cast no slur on others; 4 who despise those whose ways are vile but honor whoever fears the LORD;who keep their oaths even when it hurts; 5 who lend money to the poor without interest and do not accept bribes against the innocent. Whoever does these things will never be shaken.

Eugene Peterson says this about Psalm 15
Moral habits are like building stones. One by one they are added together to form a solid structure, a character that is “steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the world of the Lord” (1 Corin 15:58)

Prayer: Even as you have shown me the way, O Christ, help me to walk in it. Help me to acquire the habits that will make me dependable in your service as I follow in the steps of my Savior. Amen

evaluating a ‘church’…

gregorylarson — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 16:02:25 +0000

praying Psalms

gregorylarson — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 15:56:08 +0000

Psalm 27: 1 The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked advance against me to devour[a] me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then I will be confident. 4 One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. 5 For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. 6 Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his tabernacle I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

Fear responds to danger by burying us beneath thick layers of self-defense, where we can only cower in shadows. Faith responds to danger by trusting God & lives head high out in the open w/ ‘shouts of joy’ (vs. 6).

Prayer: I refuse, O god, to live fearfully or cautiously. I name my fears one by one & turn them over to you, & find them simply trivial when set alongside your majesty. With lifted head I will live in your light & salvation, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

…this morning, with much on my mind – I named (& listed out) my fears, one by one in my journal. I felt like it was an exercise in faith as I committed today (or at least simply in this moment) – to not live fearfully, or cautiously in the areas of my life that I listed, but trusting my heavenly father.

random Saturday links

gregorylarson — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 12:45:41 +0000

An uprising in Tunisia

JFK’s inaugural speech: Six secrets of his success

Missional Communities Series | Post #2

Missional Community series | Post #3

minimalism vs. fear
the money quote: “…sometimes being naked with fear is a good experience. It teaches us a lot about ourselves and about life. It is scary but it awakens us. Live with the fear and without the safety net and see what it’s like to be alive and uninsulated.”

ways into small missional communities

Tiger Mother Meets Mr. Moderation

Irenaeus – and missional DNA
…a plea that we need to rely more on the power of the Holy Spirit in mission. I found this intriguing, because as he begins to works out mDNA through the book (in particular the diagram on page xx), he places Jesus is Lord at the center without mention of the Holy Spirit.To me this all adds up to a reminder that mission is always a Trinitarian venture. I think in particular of Irenaeus dictum: “the Word and the Spirit as the two hands of the Father.”

How not to choose a job.

Leading from your strengths will sometimes look unusual
So one of the lessons here is: lead from your strengths, even if it means being unconventional. You will be more effective being who you are than who you are not. In fact, it’s often the most unconventional minds that make a difference because what seems unconventional is often simply counterintuitive wisdom

MLK Day

gregorylarson — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 18:40:49 +0000

from Ben Sternke

In honor of a true modern-day prophet, here are the final words of Martin Luther King, Jr’s strangely prophetic speech the day before his murder.

It really doesn’t matter what happens now. I left Atlanta this morning, and as we got started on the plane, there were six of us, the pilot said over the public address system, “We are sorry for the delay, but we have Dr. Martin Luther King on the plane. And to be sure that all of the bags were checked, and to be sure that nothing would be wrong with the plane, we had to check out everything carefully. And we’ve had the plane protected and guarded all night.”
And then I got into Memphis. And some began to say that threats, or talk about the threats that were out. What would happen to me from some of our sick white brothers?
Well, I don’t know what will happen now. We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now. Because I’ve been to the mountaintop. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I’ve looked over. And I’ve seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people will get to the promised land. And I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

Another really great quote by MLK

“We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood — it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, “Too late.”

(more) random links

gregorylarson — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 12:25:08 +0000

Missional Communities Series | Post #1

Haiti, one year later

Revival: Ways and Means

So Do We Just Wait For Revival?

Death of a Church Plant – Some Reflections and Hope for the Future of Missional Church Planting

Please stop praying quietly.

Ten Most Significant Cultural Trends of the Last Decade
by Andy Crouch

for those who follow foreign policy & world news
My Father Died for Pakistan

Redknapp keeps faith over David Beckham loan

Chris Brauns Defines Preaching

Resolve

thanking God for the wrong things