The Remarkable Power of Brokenness
Monday, 10 Dec 2018
Even at first glance, his eyes told a story. It was a story of deep pain, suffering and betrayal. Our conversation quickly revealed the depth of this initial impression. Sitting before me was a man who radiated an intense compassion and kindness. One that that had been shaped through years of suffering. He was a man that I instinctively trusted. He was broken. Yet his brokenness was strangely... Read more
In Pursuit of Sabbath
Monday, 02 Jul 2018
After 30 years of ministry, I still get it wrong. I work too hard without recovering and ignore Sabbath rest. This strange phenomena in life called ‘balance’ eludes me. It seems to dance before me... just beyond reach, as if taunting and mocking me.
“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do... Read more
Facing the enemy
Friday, 25 May 2018
I was 15 000 km away from home when I heard the news, "The doctor says the tumor is large, growing rapidly and most likely malignant."
News like this numbs.
Being seven time zones away from your wife when she breaks this news to you is not good. I longed to hold her, cry with her, tell her everything would be OK. Instead, I stepped into a training event.
It's impossible describe the... Read more
What Korea taught me
Friday, 01 Dec 2017
‘A North Korean soldier races for the border in a jeep and then on foot before his former comrades shoot him at least five times as he limps into South Korea, where he collapses and is dragged to safety by southern soldiers...’
This was the news headline the day we visited ‘one of the world’s most dangerous borders’ according to NY Times. Tensions at the DMZ (Demilitarized zone) were high,... Read more
Surprised in Tulsa
Tuesday, 17 Oct 2017
As soon as I drove into the parking lot, I knew that God was up to something. To be honest, I did not really want to be there. But God was about to catch me by surprise. Over the years, I have been shown a handful of insights about the future. They have always been right. This article contains one of those glimpses into the next 20 years.
I have attended many... Read more
What is a movement?
Thursday, 08 Jun 2017
Over the years, I have been involved in many lively debates attempting to define movements of the gospel.
It begins with the name. Several years ago, we changed the term “Church planting movements” to “Disciple making movements.” Others have used more branded names to define what they do (e.g. T4T). Then there is the confusion created when people do something completely different to this and... Read more
Movements are not a technique
Sunday, 26 Mar 2017
About 20 years ago, I became involved in the cell church movement. Churches around the world were discovering that Sunday services were not great for making disciples. Initially, there was massive resistance to the idea of creating "cells" for members of the church. Pastors were fearful that the idea would split their churches, create break-away groups and even that new cults would form.... Read more
A theology of us
Tuesday, 07 Mar 2017
We desperately need a fresh theology of us. Movements are about us.
The church is plagued by a theology of me. The individual has become the great end of God’s plan for mankind. We are told, “If you were the only person on earth, Jesus would have died for you,” and “God has a wonderful plan for your life.” This may be true, but it misses the grand plan. In fact, it misses the entire gospel.... Read more
Is DMM a passing fad?
Monday, 19 Sep 2016
Several years ago, I participated in discussions that led to renaming the term “Church Planting Movements (CPM)” to “Disciple Making Movements (DMM).” This was an attempt to more accurately define these movements around the core value of disciple making. It was not the beginning of such movements. It was simply a redefining of something that God was already doing in many countries around the... Read more
Three Builders
Monday, 19 Sep 2016
There were once three builders. They had very different approaches to building. Each builder thought that his approach was the best.
Builder one had many great ideas. He would dream about the places he was going to build. Everyone loved his ideas. They spoke about him and told others what a great builder he was. But builder one never built a single building. He was too busy telling others... Read more