book review: everyday conversations, eternal impact
A few years ago, while on vacation, my husband and I visited a popular tourist attraction. Amongst the throng of happy visitors stood three scowling young men wearing sandwich boards. One of the boards read, “Repent.” I don’t remember what the other two said. One of the young men pounded his Bible and spoke of [...]
perhaps this is your calling(?)
Last week I asked a question about what you would change about the church if God granted you the ability to change one thing. Some of the things people wanted to see change in included: Christian apathy More open discussion with people who are different (denominational dialogue and secular culture dialogue) A better understanding of [...]
order up some soul pancakes!
Someone once advised me to ask questions when approaching an unbeliever. Soul Pancake gives Christians the chance to ask questions. I stumbled onto Soul Pancake via Facebook. It’s a strange name that causes cravings for Lone Spur’s short stack. Your questions won’t be shut down by the moderator, but as I replied to some of [...]
philippians 1:12-18a [the advance of the gospel]
![philippians 1:12-18a [the advance of the gospel]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/bible-prison-100x100.jpg)
Read Philippians 1:12-18 (ESV, NIV, The Message) Paul was nothing if not focused, his field of vision bounded above and below, across and between by a landscape of always and only the Gospel. When Paul tested and probed the value of a thing, he seemed always to do so through the filter of how widely, [...]
who’s coming to dinner?
As a follow up to my last post (who attends your church?) we should also ask, ”Who is coming to dinner?” This question was asked to me. Why do we talk only about the church service and the attendance of people with “alternate” lifestyles? The church is made of people, not buildings and such, so as Christians [...]
paper or plastic? [the grocery store ministry]
![paper or plastic? [the grocery store ministry]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/grocery-store-100x100.jpg)
My husband Rich and I exchanged apprehensive glances as we stood in line at the grocery store checkstand. Behind us, a man flung his order onto the conveyer belt: two rotisserie chickens, a basket of strawberries, a loaf of French bread, a large bottle of cheap wine. His brows met in a deep furrow above [...]
rising from the ashes [an interview with bob shirock]
![rising from the ashes [an interview with bob shirock]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/Spirit-of-Detroit-100x100.jpg)
Something incredible is about to happen in Detroit. This Saturday, 40,000 people from over 500 congregations will gather for a historic prayer walk. Beginning at Comerica Park and walking 2 miles down Woodward Avenue to the Spirit of Detroit statute on the riverfront, Christians throughout metro-Detroit will claim the truth of the verse inscribed on [...]
[real-time connections] chapter 9: making space for everyone
![[real-time connections] chapter 9: making space for everyone](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/founding_fathers-100x100.jpg)
I don’t know what I expected when I volunteered to lead the discussion on chapter nine of our BibleDude group blogging project, but it wasn’t a discussion on religious freedom. With a title like Making Space For Everyone, I was thinking tolerance; I was thinking love (I like to talk about those things). Bob Roberts, [...]
[real-time connections] chapter 8: sweating the work
![[real-time connections] chapter 8: sweating the work](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/Construction_Workers-100x100.jpg)
I must confess to you a scandalous secret: I have an aversion to Evangelism. Oh, dear reader, please do not hate me! This distaste does not stem from a lack of love for my God – it’s just that my experience with evangelism has always been so – um, what’s the word? Fake. I think [...]
[real-time connections] chapter 7: serving together
![[real-time connections] chapter 7: serving together](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/foot_washing-100x100.jpg)
This Chapter has relevance in 2 areas of my Life. 1.) My Church is Also a Missional Church, similar to Bob Roberts- Northwood Church, Focused on reaching outside the 4 walls of our Church, to Reaching the world for Christ, locally, and globally = Glocally My Home church is Lifebridge Church, In Fort Wayne, Indiana. [...]
[dillon burroughs] on using tracts in evangelism
![[dillon burroughs] on using tracts in evangelism](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/business-card-100x100.jpg)
Why don’t more people hand out tracts these days? After all, aren’t they the perfect little Gospel message in a short, easy to read, interesting format? Especially in our sound-bite culture, these straight-to-the-point presentations should have a big impact… right? So then why to they end up in the trash can more than they do [...]
[dillon burroughs] on evangelizing to other faiths
![[dillon burroughs] on evangelizing to other faiths](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/other-faiths-100x100.jpg)
What do you do when you encounter someone of another faith when sharing yours? Many people think they need to know everything there is about the other faith in order to refute it . But rarely does someone change their faith system because someone who knows a lot about it told them all of the reasons [...]
[dillon burroughs] on the value of listening in evangelism
![[dillon burroughs] on the value of listening in evangelism](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/listening-ear-100x100.jpg)
What’s one of the most effective tools that should be in your evangelism toolkit? Many people often think that it’s about knowing the five (or other number) steps in a special method, or being able to make a convincing apologetic argument. But one of the most effective things that one can do when evangelizing is to just shut [...]
[dillon burroughs] on making evangelism a part of everyday life
![[dillon burroughs] on making evangelism a part of everyday life](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/marathon-100x100.jpg)
Evangelism is not as much an event as it is a lifestyle. Some of the most effective evangelism that we can do is in the context of our everyday lives. In this portion of the conversation Dillon challenges us to walk our walk before we talk the talk. It is being there consistently and being a [...]
[dillon burroughs] on initiating conversation in evangelism
![[dillon burroughs] on initiating conversation in evangelism](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/conversation-100x100.jpg)
Sometimes using normal conversation with people will get us into a position where we earn the opportunity to share our faith. This type of permission-based conversation is often more comfortable for both sides as it is based more on an initial connection made through regular conversation. I remember hearing about a dude that would wear his Christian ‘witnessing’ [...]
[dillon burroughs] on gradual evangelism
![[dillon burroughs] on gradual evangelism](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/harvesting-100x100.png)
Have you ever felt overwhelmed with the idea of evangelism? If so, there is a very good explanation for that. The tendency of the American Christian is to believe that the natural response to salvation is to go get everyone else saved as well. We often get the ‘Billy Graham syndrome’ and think that we are [...]
[dillon burroughs] on dealing with failure in evangelism
![[dillon burroughs] on dealing with failure in evangelism](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/head-in-sand-100x100.jpg)
In this portion of the discussion one student brings up questions about feelings of failure after unsuccessful attempts at evangelism. Dillon addresses the concerns by sharing two important things to remember: Learn from it. Don’t give up. Dillon continues by pointing out that many people will learn a great deal about our faith before we [...]
christian evangelism 101
Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have [...]
[dillon burroughs] on evangelism (colossians 4:2-6)
![[dillon burroughs] on evangelism (colossians 4:2-6)](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/paul-preaching-in-athens-100x100.jpg)
As author Dillon Burroughs shares via Skype video conference with my Evangelism Ministry class, I cannot help but to think about how much evangelism must have been a normal part of the Apostle Paul’s life. I mean the dude just oozed sharing the Message of Christ with other people. In this video clip, Dillon share [...]
bible college papers: heresies, leaders, and rapid church growth
Progress, far from consisting in change, depends on retentiveness. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. – George Santayana While it’s not likely that Santayana and I hold the same religious beliefs, his ideas about history do resonate with me. In my pursuit of my degree in Church Ministries from Global University, [...]
[highcallingblogs.com] the moment of impact
![[highcallingblogs.com] the moment of impact](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/hcb-thumb.png)
Note: This is an excerpt of the featured Faith post (written by yours truly!) at HighCallingBlogs.com. I met this guy (we’ll call him Joshua) on the street in a popular downtown area one night while he was waiting for a taxi. The first question that I asked him was, “How many brand names of beers [...]
[highcallingblogs.com] i hope you don’t mind…
Note: This is an excerpt of the featured Faith post (written by yours truly!) at HighCallingBlogs.com. He sat on a short stool in the entrance of a high-end jewelery shop after it had closed for the day playing his guitar. He was singing the Elton John classic Levon. I love hearing the sound of a single [...]
the monkey and the fish
A typhoon stranded a monkey on an island. In a protected place on the shore, while waiting for the raging waters to recede, he spotted a fish swimming against the current. It seemed to the monkey that the fish was struggling and needed assistance. Being of kind heart, the monkey resolved to help the fish. [...]
memoirs from the christian bubble
Have you ever been rocked so hard by a book that you start to rethink everything that you believe in? Well that’s what is happening to me right now. I am reading a phenomenal book by Dan Kimball called They Like Jesus but Not the Church. This book has helped me to realize that despite my best [...]
