Few things encourage me like seeing everyday people—with everyday jobs, commitments, and schedules—extending small acts of presence, hospitality, and creativity in their localities.
Read MoreWhile many in the church today lament the loss of power, influence, and attendance, there is a growing group …A book review of Thrive: Ideas to Lead the Church in Post-Christendom.
Read MoreThe point of the Lenten season is to prepare us spiritually for the events of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday. These three days are the pinnacle of the Christian calendar. They point us each year to the God
Read MoreGod, it was awful.I don’t know if you were there, don’t know if you care or how you’d react if you were. As for me, let me just say it again to be clear: it’s nothing if not an awful, God-forsaken mess.
Read MoreI write this with tears because I’m so grieved. I’m heartbroken. I can’t fully explain it but it feels like there are a million pounds of pressure on my chest and I’m having a hard time breathing. The weight of your stubbornness is going to kill me but it’s going to destroy you.
Read MoreOne of the more soothing therapies my wife and I have turned to in an effort to survive this particularly brutal winter is Netflix. In recent weeks it’s not been uncommon for our days to wind down in front of a roaring fireplace,
Read More“Congratulations! You must be so excited!” This is the most common reaction you get from people who find out you are newly engaged and preparing to get married. This response from the kindest of people are well-intentioned, but they have fallen flat for me lately. It’s not that I’m not excited or not full of joy, it’s just that there is so much grieving taking place, too.
Read MoreI am connected with Vision Ministries Canada, and Jay Gurnett thought the Design Shop would be helpful as we got closer to making our church plant a reality. When I came to the Design Shop in April 2018 we had
Read MoreIt has been an exciting year for the New Leaf Network. The podcast has flourished, the blog launched and we had some great events. Check out our top blog posts and podcast episodes of 2017.
Read MoreThe first Christmas Eve must have been quite uneventful. Although for generations the Israelites had been waiting on the arrival of The Messiah, we recognize that on the first Christmas Jesus was born silently in Nazareth.
Read MoreThe first Christmas after my sister died, I wasn’t prepared for how alone and isolated I felt. It started in November when I went to our local Santa Claus parade, where my son’s beaver troop was going
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