There’s a man in the neighborhood who goes by “Squirrel.” I can’t explain why that’s his nickname, but if you met him you would understand. Squirrel comes in and out of the Outpost several times a day to refill his coffee and offer his suggestions and opinions. One morning, Squirrel came in with a serious … Continue reading The Moral Of The Story: Diverted Vengeance
Kingdom
The Moral of the Story: Praying Together
I honestly don’t know what’s going on with Rhonda. She first started visiting the Outpost last winter. From that first encounter, I’ve never seen or heard her have a coherent conversation with anyone. Some days, she is cordial and polite, says “Good morning” and “Thank you” and appropriate times. Even still, these good days are … Continue reading The Moral of the Story: Praying Together
The Moral of the Story: In Common
I want to take a moment to provide an update for The Outpost. This past summer, Nomad moved out of the original Outpost and began the long and arduous journey of purchasing our own building. The building is a lot bigger than our former location, has larger bathrooms, two showers, a worship space, and plenty … Continue reading The Moral of the Story: In Common
Open Door Policy
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
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
Preston Searcy 