Church

I like to joke with people about where I was born and raised.   My usual line is, "Peoria is a good place to be from" -- with the emphasis on "from."  But all joking aside, I'm very grateful for where I was raised.  And to be fair, I was born in Peoria but actually raised in East Peoria -- emphasis on East. Growing up in Central Illinois grounded me with Midwestern sensibilities.  It certainly shaped my sense of community, values, and perspective. This lesson came home to me when I graduated high school and headed south to Tennessee for college. In East Peoria, as in much of the Midwest, girls were friendly but too friendly (At least back in the 1980's).  There was a certain aloofness between boys and girls that helped you measure the romantic meter.  In other words, it wasn't common for a girl to run up…

We are launching a new series at Mountainview this weekend.  It's called "Onward" and it will walk us through the entire book of Philippians.  Written by the Apostle Paul while in prison, Philippians is both a very personal and pastoral letter.  In this short book we get a glimpse into Paul's friendships and we hear his loving concern for them. Many commentators often draw attention to the theme of joy that runs throughout the book.  Depending on how you parse it, the word joy or one of its companions appears nineteen times in four chapters.  As you know, whenever a writer repeats a word or phrase that many times -- it must be important to him or her.  For Paul, the joy of the Lord is a very real and present part of life, even when he is writing from a prison cell. "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I…

Many coffee shops thrive as a "third place."  People gather to meet with one another, hold meetings, share stories and tears, all over a cup of (hopefully) good coffee.  The idea behind a "third place" is simple: After home and work, people need a third place to go -- a place to socialize and reconnect.  People need to feel a sense of community.  Coffee shops like Starbucks and Peets have built a strong reputation as a "third place." Which makes this morning's observation a little ironic. I'm sitting in one of the aforementioned third places and it's filled with people.  The only thing most of them seem connected to is the Internet.  If they are socializing, it is on Facebook.  To be fair, some of them are on their phones.  Not talking on their phones but on their phones nonetheless. What is it about a coffee shop that draws together…

Marshall Shelley is the editor of Leadership Journal, one of my favorite journals.  I can remember as a young pastor getting excited about receiving my quarterly edition in the mail. Of course, I only read LJ for the cartoons -- which were some of the best. In addition to his work as editor of LJ, Shelley has also written and edited several books.  One that I just read is "Growing Your Church Through Evangelism and Outreach."  Here is a quote that resonated with me: "Faith has three essential aspects: the inner life of devotion, the outer life of service, and the intellectual life of rationality. The third area needs lifting, too; all three legs of the stool are essential. We must teach people to pray, to serve, and to think.  Jesus said not only, 'Take my yoke upon you' but also 'Learn of me.'" Pray. Serve. Think.  All three are…

This is the day after Easter. As I sit in my usual chair at Starbucks, on my second refill, I'd like to share a few Easter reflections with you.  In no particular order, sort of like my sock drawer. The message of Easter never gets old.  As one of my preaching friends (@collinpacker) said, "If you can't preach on Easter, you can't preach."  In other words, there is no need to create a clever sermon -- just tell the Easter story.  Letting people know that God still raises the dead is the most hopeful message I know of.  That alone should be enough to get a preacher fired up. We have a great team of volunteers.  On Easter weekend, our normal attendance doubles.  This means twice as many kids, twice as many communion cups, greeters, cars, trash bags, programs, etc.  Many of the people who come to an Easter service…