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Anthropologist T. M. Luhrmann concluded from her study of two Vineyard Fellowships, “Coming to a committed belief in God was more like learning to do something than to think about something. I would describe what I saw as a theory of attentional learning—the way you pay attention determines your experience of God. Clinical Psychologist J. …

Name the Spirit at Work in Our Lives Read More »

Consider fresh perspectives on the challenge of re-tooling our inherited ministries.  And the emphasis is indeed on ministries, not just academic theology alone.  Theologians like to make distinctions, but if a distinction doesn’t make a difference in ministry, why pursue it?  Social anthropologists define a culture as a set of beliefs, values and behaviors passed …

Fresh Behavioral Perspectives on Ministry Read More »

The prophet Ezekiel gave us the image of the Word of the Lord breathing new life into old, dry bones. He assured, “I will put my Spirit in you and you will live” (Ezekiel 37). Traditional churches are in danger of seeing their bones go dry in our times. We need the Spirit to refresh us. The way he …

Dry Bones, Hear The Word of the Lord Read More »

Every congregation has some. Mature Christians well along in their journey to becoming more like Christ. When asked, others can usually point them out by name. What they convey is fruit the Holy Spirit has produced in them. The Apostle Paul lists some, like love, joy, peace, and patience. Under the influence of the Spirit, these inner qualities often …

Re-Discovering the Holy Spirit Read More »

I am intrigued by an insight from C.S. Lewis. Jeff Dryden highlights Lewis’ metaphor that “the head rules the belly through the chest.” The chest is the heart seen as the seat of emotions. The belly is irrational passions. The chest has to be trained to love what the head recognizes as good, otherwise it will not have the …

The Head Rules the Belly Through the Chest Read More »