Tag Archives: Missional Outreach
what are the margins of culture and why do they matter?
Those who inhabit the cultural margins typically do so because they either do not have the social or economic capacity to remain in or penetrate mainstream society, or they choose to remain beyond the grasp of full engagement. There are also degrees … Continue reading
into the margins
I seek to inhabit the margins of my city because obedience to Christ’s mission demands it of me. I do not go as a rescuer or self-appointed sole arbiter of truth or instructor on preferred ways of doing life. No, … Continue reading
Filed under Mission
mentoring boys
Last night I hung out with a group of fifteen boys and girls, many of them from the local Lents neighborhood. My pastors, Phil and Priscilla, and their daughter Dana shared the honor with me. Dana led the effort. I … Continue reading
it’s just a conversation
Why are most Christians so afraid to talk to people who do not believe or live the same way they do? Is it that they do not know what to say or how to behave? What trips them up from … Continue reading
Five Ways to Learn the Culture of Your Neighborhood
Outreach without a foundation of relationships invariably leads to misunderstanding. Unfortunately, this is too often the norm for churches attempting to impact the neighborhoods in which their campuses are located. Good intentions are derailed by a failure to become a contributing part of … Continue reading
everyday kindness
She has a name, but I call her trouble. All in good fun, of course. She teases me, and I return the favor. Laughs are shared and memories, too. But I am not the only one. Each person who walks … Continue reading
Filed under Mission
lady in distress
She is beautiful. She is someone’s daughter and quite possibly a mother, too. Maybe even a grandmother. But beautiful all the same. Not in the way we typically think about beauty when considering physical appearance. Although she is disheveled and covered … Continue reading
Filed under Culture
putting words into action for the sake of others
Christmas eve. Early afternoon. The quiet. Living alone is most profound in these seasons which emphasize togetherness. A choice is set before me: huddle in the warmth of my small apartment home, or go out on an adventure with a … Continue reading
Filed under Outreach
Ministry is Local
My pastor occasionally states that ministry is local. That is, ministry happens best at the local level, where there is face-to-face contact on a regular basis. Although there is nothing wrong with having a broader reach through whatever means God … Continue reading
Filed under Outreach
who?
I dutifully walked to the apartments this morning. Rubbish lay strewn about the parking lot and sidewalks. Satellite dishes– four in all which feed their signals into an army of ubiquitous flat screen tv in most of the apartments– betrayed … Continue reading
Filed under Outreach
