no, i'm not dead, nor back, just compelled.

I am invested in a number of projects. Too many projects. But most passionately, I am partnering with several dear friends to gather church leaders in the LCMS (Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod) for a conversation on the gospel and mission. We're calling this conversation, gathering, summit, group, (OTHER POSTMODERN WORDS FOR ORGANIZATION GO HERE) Regeneration.

You can read more about Regeneration here.

In the weeks building up to our summit, the planning group will be posting a series of short articles on our values. I have been writing all afternoon, words swirling around my fingertips, and I feel compelled to share this with any bloke with attention span enough to make it through 290 words.

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Value: We believe the church advances the gospel when saints partner in a spirit of selfless unity.

Aren’t you tired of hearing what this church is doing and what that church is doing?

I am. I’m tired of demagogue worship. Sure, Pastor X is great, but my pastor is doing God’s work just as diligently. I’m tired of hearing how this publishing house sucks and this conference is so much better than the other. Blah.

Does anyone care anymore? Should we care anymore? Those conversations aren’t furthering the gospel. They aren’t sharing Christ. They are promoting egoism and narcissism and lots of other negative –isms that Jesus smacked down in the Beatitudes in his ever-so-subtle manner (as seen in Matthew 5: 3-5).

We don’t believe in the sort of ministerial training that promotes the thoughts of the expert over the conversation, needs, and concerns of the masses. We want the skilled, the expert, and the knowledgeable hand-in-hand with the rest of the schmucks (Ahem, me. Not you.) .

We believe that the Church is best resourced in a spirit of humility. We believe that each person has the profound experience and knowledge to contribute incalculably to every conversation. We believe that the body of Christ is best when every part is allowed to excel at its intended role. We believe that the church is a gospel community, a place where each person experiences the love of Christ and is empowered to transform lives, one's own and others, accordingly.

We believe that as the people of the gospel, we are called to set aside ourselves, our ego needs, our personal soapboxes for the glory of God and His Kingdom. When we partner with one another, valuing uniqueness in God’s creation, we can expansively touch physically and spiritually barren lives with the love Christ first gave us.

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Now, back to that silence.

Oh, you can read my resource reviews at thEsource.

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Now, silence. FOR REALS PEOPLE.