December 2010
11 posts
Merry Christmas
It’s the morning of Christmas Eve and I’m having breakfast while the kids watch a Batman cartoon. We’re staying with some friends in Oklahoma City before we head off to visit family later today. It’s good to be back in our homeland of Oklahoma. There are so many deep friendships that we have here despite the distance and the many years that we’ve been in Chicago....
WatchThis is such a unique and interesting visual: long exposures of bugs under a street light.
2010 Impact Year in Review
I just finished responding to an email from a youth pastor who was asking for series ideas, specifically teaching series that we’ve done in recent days. I sent him a brief recap of this past year and I thought I might as well pass it on to you. We’ve really had an inspired, creative, and God-honoring run of Sunday morning services this year.
Here are the highlights:
The Fabulous...
Punctuate it With Hallelujahs
This scripture has been smacking me in the face all day. To all the fellow journeyers out there ‘on the hunt’ for God. Take a few moments and meditate on these words. God is close to the tired, short tempered, and ready-to-quit.
“Here’s the story I’ll tell my friends when they come to worship,
and punctuate it with Hallelujahs:
Shout Hallelujah, you God-worshipers; ...
Impact @ Salem "Journey to One"
This past weekend Impact, our high school ministry at Willow Creek, and Impact, the high school ministry of Salem Baptist church joined together for a worship service on the southside of Chicago. We worshiped together and had some great conversations around racial reconciliation, educational injustices, and what it might look like for the body of Christ to truly be one body in Chicagoland.
...
My Thoughts on "My Generation"
(This is a reblog from this past summer, Josh’s new book is in the works and due to release soon.)
The first time I met Josh Riebok he was a guest at my house. It was a wednesday night and a bunch of my buddies and I were hanging out in the garage. (It’s the closest thing I have to a “small group” but it’s actually much more than that. We call it mangroup.)...
Watch
My buddy Randy Warren is a fantastic artist and he works on media projects for an organization called Nuru International. (He’s also two inches taller than me at 6ft 8in which has always caused a little jealousy if I’m honest.) Nuru is a comprehensive aid organization that serves Kenya in the way of healthcare access, clean water, agricultural loans, education and much more. He recently sent...
Fellowship Housing
My wife Beki is a case manager for an non-profit in the northwest west suburbs of Chicago called Fellowship Housing. Basically, they help homeless and at-risk single moms get a roof over their head, a job, and their finances in order. Anyway, Beki was on the front page of the Daily Herald yesterday. I’m very proud of her.
The Past Nine Days
The past nine days have been insane: busy and good.
Last weekend I took a trip out to Des Plaines, IL and spent some time worshiping with North Maine Community Church. They are a North Pointe church plant and around one year old. They meet in a movie theater, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was what it felt like in the old Willow days. The vibe was electric. There was energy....