When Fleenor and I followed God’s call to start Nomad, we agreed to simply listen to the Spirit and do what he says, when he says. Man, that’s been hard for me to get used to. As I’ve mentioned before, I have this innate desire to take control, develop a strategy that makes sense to … Continue reading Open Door Policy
Kingdom
Hearing and Obeying in Conflict
In the last post, I rambled on about the structure of story and the meaning of conflict and suffering in life. In short summary, I tried to illustrate how Christians are often tricked into believing that God lives in the safe, familiar part of the story, rather than the adventurous, conflict-filled part of the story: … Continue reading Hearing and Obeying in Conflict
Life With Meaning, Life With Conflict
Every story is filled with meaningful conflict. If there’s no conflict, there’s no story. And there’s really no getting around this. The very structure of a story requires that the protagonist(s) experience significant conflict that challenges their character and pushes them to grow. Stories begin with the protagonist in an established, familiar world, the place … Continue reading Life With Meaning, Life With Conflict
Not Alone
I’ve written a few blogs that I hope to post over the course of the next couple of months. I wrote most of them just before lockdown and have waited to share them until things calmed down a bit (laughs to self). Here’s the first, an introduction to my dear friend, Fleenor. He’ll make several … Continue reading Not Alone
The Good News of God’s Faithfulness in My Neighborhood
Something incredible has happened in my neighborhood over the past few years: It has gotten better. I don’t have any statistics to back that up, but I’m here every day and I see it and feel it. The local churches are actively ministering to the poor on a relational level. The city has invested in … Continue reading The Good News of God’s Faithfulness in My Neighborhood
An Odd, Yet Hopeful, Prayer Meeting
Matt and I walked to a popular spot on Vincennes street – a stoop that sits in front of an empty lot. An abandoned house once stood on the lot before homeless squatters burned it down. They were trying to stay warm in the winter. Several of our homeless friends still hang out at the … Continue reading An Odd, Yet Hopeful, Prayer Meeting
The Cost of Discipleship – Pt. 1
Several years ago, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote a book called The Cost of Discipleship. The overarching theme of the book was that the grace of God is costly, demanding everything from the Christian disciple. He contrasts this costly grace with cheap grace, the type of grace that doesn’t transform the disciple, but allows the “Christian" to … Continue reading The Cost of Discipleship – Pt. 1
What Does “Homeless Church” Look Like?
I’ve invited more homeless people to church than I can count. On a few occasions, the person I invited showed up. Most often, however, the person gladly accepted the invitation and later apologized for not making it. There were also a couple of times when the person showed up an hour and half late, as … Continue reading What Does “Homeless Church” Look Like?
The Grit of the Kingdom
A couple years ago, after a small church gathering, a volunteer approached me and said, “I’m afraid my wife and I won’t be helping at the gathering anymore.” “Sorry to hear that,” I replied. He continued, “It’s just that so many of those who attend have no reverence for the church. Especially Bill. He’s always … Continue reading The Grit of the Kingdom
