By Chaplain Mike I had a vision of the evangelical church today. While coaching at my grandson’s Little League game (6-8 year olds), the heavens opened and a lot of things became clear to me, especially: Why it’s so hard to be a Jesus-shaped follower of Christ in America today. Why the evangelical church isContinue reading “Ballyard Religion”
Category Archives: Jesus Shaped
Open Mic: Spiritual Progress and the Church
Question posed by Chaplain Mike Over at Out of Ur, Christianity Today’s ministry blog, there is an interview with Dallas Willard about how churches assess spiritual growth. Here is an excerpt from that post. In our Open Mic discussion today, I would like our iMonk community to respond to what he says. Q: How canContinue reading “Open Mic: Spiritual Progress and the Church”
Helping the Spiritually Helpless
By Chaplain Mike Last week I visited a family in a common hospice situation. The patient was non-responsive and near death. The patient’s daughter, though saddened by the impending loss of her father, was even more concerned about his spiritual welfare. He had lived most of his life saying he was an unbeliever. He’d hadContinue reading “Helping the Spiritually Helpless”
Walking Barefoot
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger bringing good news, Breaking the news that all’s well, proclaiming good times, announcing salvation, telling Zion, “Your God reigns!” Isaiah 52:7, The Message (This is the second part of a two-part essay. You can read part one here.) My feet are killing me–and it’sContinue reading “Walking Barefoot”
The World’s Worst Feet
The worst feet in the world undoubtedly belonged to St. Francis of Assisi. Francis walked miles everyday throughout the region of Italy where he and his followers preached the Gospel. He walked on broken rock, bare dirt, ice, snow, and thorny weeds each day–in his bare feet. His feet were a mass of bloody wounds,Continue reading “The World’s Worst Feet”
Walking On The Moon
I am a geek when it comes to the Wright Brothers and manned space flight, as much of this history goes through Dayton, Ohio (near where I was born and raised) and vicinity. I have several dozen books on Wilbur and Orville as well as the space program. I consider going to the Air ForceContinue reading “Walking On The Moon”
Our Dangerous God
Two and a half years years ago a friend of mine stepped forward in our Sunday morning service to share a message he had wrestled with for weeks. It was not a message he was excited to share, but knew that God was compelling him to do so. The word he shared that morning changedContinue reading “Our Dangerous God”
Found: A Gospel-Centered Church
We frequently take shots here at the home of the iMonk at churches who have abandoned the Gospel for a message of self-help, or of prosperity, or of how to never again have a bad hair day. And we will continue to do so. Why? It is our calling to do so. And it’s fun.Continue reading “Found: A Gospel-Centered Church”
iMonk Classic: What Is Jesus-Shaped Spirituality?
This weekend, as we mourn Michael Spencer’s passing, thank God for the hope of eternal life, and comfort one another in our time of loss, IM will feature classic posts from the Internet Monk. What Is Jesus-Shaped Spirituality? (2/24/09) The past year and a half has been the most personally tumultuous time I’ve ever experiencedContinue reading “iMonk Classic: What Is Jesus-Shaped Spirituality?”
Making Music in Midst of Chaos
By Chaplain Mike. Back in the early 1990’s a simple act of heroism caught the imagination of those who learned about it. On May 27, 1992, Vedran Smailovic, principal cellist for the city opera, was practicing his cello in an upstairs apartment in Sarajevo, in the former Yugoslavia. It was a time of war, andContinue reading “Making Music in Midst of Chaos”
The Internet Monk Archives 