Posts by nbarnes:
Re-Thinking How We Do Church: The Next Leg Of Our Journey
What's Next For Us?
Have you ever had one of those epiphany moments? You know, one of those moments when all of a sudden everything seems clear to you, and you know exactly what needs to be done? I had one of those moments about eight months ago, while sitting in a seminar on the missional church being led by Alan Hirsch at Tyndale College and Seminary in Toronto. It was a powerful moment, but like many epiphanies, it was also a frightening moment.
Let me explain what I mean.
The church community I’m a part of is a fairly small group of people. Some of our group are left over from a church that imploded and shrunk from a little over two hundred down to about twenty five, or so. The rest of our group is made up of people who were looking for a more missionally minded church community to serve with. We meet in the church building that was owned by the church that imploded, and the reality is, it is far too big for us, and we have a hard time affording the upkeep on it. The other problem with the facility is that it is located in an industrial area in the city with a cement factory, and two trucking companies as our neighbours. Read more…
I’m Not Dead Yet!
I know it’s been a while since I posted anything here, but I promise I’m not dead, or anything so sinister. The church I pastor is in the process of selling our building and stepping out into a new chapter of our story, and I’ve been a little busy with that whole process. [...]
Re-Post: A Raw Self-Evaluation From Chris Yambar
My friend Robin pointed me to another friend’s blog recently. Chris Yambar is an absolute riot to hang around, and always keeps you laughing, but he is also one of those guys that challenges and convicts you just by being who he is. I definitely think it’s worth your time to take a few minutes to read his latest blog post.
Learning to Live Like Little Children
This morning my boys were running and jumping and diving into every little bit of snow they could find. They let their imaginations run wild and alternated between being astronauts in space, and their favorite Star Wars characters. They had an amazing time and never once did they worry about what the neighbors were thinking about them. I think Jesus was a lot like that as well.
Re-Post: 10 Commandments of Scripture Interpretation
The bible can be a tricky book to understand sometimes, so when I read this post by Skye Jethani I thought it was worth re-posting. There’s some great practical advice here for reading, interpreting and understanding the scriptures. I hope you find it helpful.
A Great Re-Post
This is from a blog I follow called, “The Ongoing Adventures of ASBO Jesus.” It was so good, I had to re-post it.
How to Tell A Friend They’ve Crossed the Line
I’m not sure if this is okay to say or not, but I really don’t like watching American Idol. I don’t mind watching the last few episodes of the season, you know the part where everyone left can actually sing on key, but I can’t stand watching the auditions at the beginning of the season. I know that a lot of people enjoy watching the tone deaf people doing their best impersonation of a alley cat in heat trying desperately to impress the judges, but it just hurts my ears too much.
Just What Does it Mean to Chase Jesus?
Having a relationship with a God like this requires that I am willing and prepared to move, serve, minister, care, comfort, challenge, and reconcile with him as he is going about these things himself. My relationship with this Jesus is not static, rather it is a wild, dynamic, flowing experience of the action and activity of God himself.
When God Seems Distant
One of the messages the church in general seems to communicate clearly is that we should never doubt our faith, or especially God. Being honest with your pastor about the doubts you’re having often makes the as squeamish as a parent who’s toddler just asked them where babies come from. Often you end up getting pat answers about trusting God, and the need for faith. The problem is the answers don’t really deal with the doubt, and they certainly don’t make us feel any better, so what do we do?
Book Review: “Resonate” by Nancy Duarte
“Movements are started, products are purchased, philosophies are adopted, subject matter is mastered — all with the help of presentations. Great presenters transform audiences.”