tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-104563892011-08-05T09:33:22.362-07:00This is a "Pastor's Corner," as droll as that may sound--musings on Scripture, ministry, and life in the Kingdom of God, as we wait and work toward the coming Dawn. The entries here are either devotional musings or related to vision and direction for the Brooklyn Avenue congregation of the Seattle Vineyard. All writings (c) Karl Neils unless noted otherwise.Karlnoreply@blogger.comBlogger581100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-62470762281281605502010-11-07T18:07:00.001-08:002010-11-07T18:15:19.538-08:00

Recommended Reading: Love Your Heavenly Enemy | Christianity Today | A Magazine of Evangelical Conviction Comments: During this morning’s message I gave a teaser around something that I think merits significantly more attention. There are a few different ways of putting the question, but one of the simplest might be to ask: how is that we expect the new creation to be the new creation if it’s

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-14510747513296858822010-02-24T15:35:00.001-08:002010-02-24T15:43:53.250-08:00

As requested by the bride … below is a poem written for C & D’s wedding (2/20/10): Two and One He wants to go out, She wants to stay in: His, the exploration, the far landscape, Loping stride taking hills by the meter, Lazy rays arcing who-knows-where-ward; Hers, the excavation, the interior weave, Parsing warp and woof, feeling and thought, To know quite clearly the Weaver’

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-90671136135566277622009-09-05T18:58:00.001-07:002009-09-05T18:58:20.172-07:00

While I’m “busy” making my semi-annual blog entries (brace yourselves!), I thought I’d upload a message from earlier this year that I’d written out--a rare occurrence. It’s a framework for approaching personal transformation (inner-healing, in essence) rooted in the Genesis narrative. Or, you might just say it’s a commentary on some of Leanne Payne’s writings. One could do a whole lot worse, I

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-81380911978657748522009-09-05T18:40:00.001-07:002009-09-05T18:40:39.785-07:00

Ok, this has a bit of the feeling of Paul’s, “This is foolishness, but you put me up to it.” Per Mark S’s request, here’s the “Phil 4:4-9 inverted” from last Sunday’s message, set against the genuine article: Phil 4:4-9, (slightly edited) NIV ~ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything,

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-79543619523802961602009-03-10T07:25:00.001-07:002009-03-10T07:25:43.490-07:00

Once again, I'm struck by how useful jet lag is for being able to work during those otherwise unfruitful wee hours of the night. I've also always liked the way that crossing the international dateline going eastbound allows one to live the same day twice: Monday, March 9th was a great day in Japan, and equally good here in Seattle. We certainly weren't expecting to arrive home to snow, though!

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-32890459822329236852009-03-10T07:23:00.001-07:002009-03-10T07:23:36.343-07:00

Mokpo isn't the end of the world, in South Korean terms, but it's not far from a place that locals describe in just that way. To get there we flew from Seattle to Seoul, connecting through Japan (Narita). We landed in Seoul (Incheon) a bit after 9pm on Friday, Feb. 27th, having been in transit about 15 hours already, and were met by the Seoul and Mokpo Vineyard pastors along with the couple who

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-65919981824222048442009-02-01T23:14:00.001-08:002009-02-09T12:55:27.790-08:00

You can find a PDF form of today's message here (note that one parenthetical reference is slightly off - the reference to the "anatomy of temptation" should be James 1, not James 3 -- though the discussion of why we quarrel and fight, in James 3, fits well within this overall topic).One thing that I neglected to discuss this morning is the whole matter of perseverance and its integral place in

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-73478696774859757902009-01-20T10:41:00.001-08:002009-01-20T10:41:13.100-08:00

It’s almost embarrassing to set a recent sermon (one of mine, yes) against one that, as one person commented, should be catalogued alongside the writings of the Church Fathers (and Mothers). But if it’s true that one of the central stories of scripture is that of the glory of God (not so much what but where – and how), C. S. Lewis’ 1942 sermon, The Weight of Glory, gives something of the why: why

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-43186031194425115672008-07-07T10:21:00.000-07:002008-07-07T12:26:10.307-07:00

My first post on this blog, not so many moons ago, was a meditation on hope as expressed in the "awaken-the-dawn" language of one of David's psalms. It began, "I need hope to live."I've come, in recent years, to view hope as perhaps *the* most powerful force in the universe, if one could call hope a 'force.' Hope gives meaning and purpose to life; hope might be described as the wings on which

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-52070697892887664982008-04-20T08:25:00.001-07:002008-04-20T08:25:54.339-07:00

One of the underrated benefits of jet lag is it's much easier to get up in the wee hours of the morning and enjoy more of my favorite time of day. The birds are just starting to sing (5:30am), still full of thanks and praise, even though spring temperatures are slow in coming. I recently finished slogging through Alexsandr I. Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in

Karlnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-40376886592536897622008-03-21T23:33:00.001-07:002008-03-21T23:33:37.388-07:00

Many moons ago, when starting this blog, I thought I'd include periodic bits from my favorite poet, T. S. Eliot. While that has not happened, this occasion seems to call for one such post: The wounded surgeon plies the steel That questions the distempered part; Beneath the bleeding hands we feel The sharp compassion of the healer's art Resolving the enigma of the fever chart

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-39033240084873295922008-03-21T23:17:00.001-07:002008-03-21T23:35:56.372-07:00

From the sixth Sunday of Lent (Palm Sunday) - "service"Primary scripture – Luke 22:1-30 (the "last supper")Other scriptures referenced: Luke 9:46-48 (the disciples' first discussion of 'greatness' in Luke); Matthew 18:1-4 (a slightly different treatment of a similar question); John 13:1-17 (John's closest parallel to the 'last supper'); and Luke 9:18-36 (review of the starting-point of the Lenten

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-72380668296033976462008-03-11T16:15:00.001-07:002008-03-11T16:15:12.038-07:00

On July 3 of last year, I had the following dream: In the dream I was speaking at the (current) Vineyard and realized, in a revelatory “a-ha” sort of way, that we actually had an entire other sanctuary adjoining the first, one that was newer, nicer, etc., than the current one (it was also in some ways more ‘traditional’ in feel, though newer; very rectangular in shape, wide but not deep). We

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-87309397019413074562008-03-09T18:01:00.001-07:002008-03-09T18:01:55.250-07:00

I've been thinking for awhile about doing a weekly blog follow-up to the Sunday message time - a means of furthering the discussion, adding bits and pieces that couldn't be covered effectively during the morning, addressing things that were left unclear (or were even misstated), thoughts for further reading or exploration, etc. But I'd hope it could also be a space for further discussion among

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-5506764022921024322008-02-06T21:28:00.001-08:002008-02-06T21:28:37.954-08:00

Ever wondered what an 'evangelical' is? Or wondered if you are one? And whether that's possible, if you don't live in the South? Or perhaps you've wondered how to avoid being one, based on various examples you've seen here and there? The term "evangelical" is widely used, widely misrepresented, and perhaps even more widely misunderstood. I often hear it lumped together with "fundamentalism" and

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-38067333567246053362008-02-06T14:17:00.001-08:002008-02-06T14:17:04.075-08:00

Lent is the season within the annual rhythms of church life when we journey with Jesus of Nazareth to his cross and resurrection, considering discipleship in light of what he teaches and demonstrates about life in the Kingdom of God. The focus this year will be on the paradoxical way - emphasized repeatedly by Jesus - that in 'losing our life' we enter fully into Life. Below are the week-by-week

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-50160412211378485322008-01-31T16:36:00.001-08:002008-01-31T16:36:20.169-08:00

This article from the Jan. 7th UW Daily features two of our regulars, Zach and Chris. Enjoy! - Karl Homeless U-District youth share their stories - The Daily of the University of Washington

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-80284467202731857862007-10-26T10:24:00.000-07:002007-10-26T15:35:41.116-07:00

Friends:Some have asked me to give recommended readings from Isaiah as we're doing a brief walk through highlights from chapters 40-66. A few thoughts and suggestions:While there's clearly a shift in tone and content that begins in chapter 40, there are many 'hints and glimpses' of what's to come in the first 39 chapters, and in fact some of the most profound expressions of hope - from personal

Karlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-88297108298069663522007-10-19T16:15:00.000-07:002007-10-26T10:24:23.440-07:00

Friends:For those who missed Pastors Ed & Carolyn's announcement this past Sunday, please click here to read a PDF copy of the letter announcing Ed's resignation from the Seattle Vineyard. Ed and Carolyn planted the church in June of 1987 and have pastored faithfully for the past twenty years. As Ed has noted in various discussions, he is not retiring but resigning - that is, shifting from work

Karlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-15661285860097774212007-10-18T18:05:00.000-07:002007-10-26T15:36:08.348-07:00

One of the things I try to do is to listen for various ‘words’ and other signs that indicate what the Spirit is saying and doing in our midst. Sometimes, if a particular word catches my attention, I’ll carry it – sometimes for quite awhile – looking for confirmation and possible fulfillment.Three years ago on the Seattle Vineyard’s 17th birthday (celebrated June 6th, I believe) we had a Sunday

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-64256291045563541602007-08-26T06:03:00.000-07:002007-08-26T06:11:21.812-07:00

Note: the following is the text of the 8/19/07 sermon at the Brooklyn Ave Vineyard. It was not intended to be a precise section-by-section paraphrase of Romans 1-8, but certainly hopes to be a faithful rendering of the heart of Paul's message, applied in our specific context. - KarlHi: my name’s Paul, and I’ve been sent out to share some amazing news about God’s son, Jesus, who, simply put, is

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-68206437852896768252007-05-25T14:53:00.000-07:002007-05-25T16:36:41.574-07:00

Friends:Here's a brief update on a few things happening w/the Vineyard along with a little bit of nourishment for the journey...please scan for items of relevance:Items covered below:What's happening with the May Bimonthly Leaders/Volunteers Meeting?Spring into SummerWhat's happening with the Building?Desires & Promises1. What's happening w/the May Bimonthly Leaders/Volunteers Meeting?At our last

Karlnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-19558971664706412842007-04-04T07:03:00.000-07:002007-04-04T07:52:30.389-07:00

When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples, "As you know, the Passover is two days away--and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." (Matt. 26:1)One of the things that has saddened me of late is the way in which we've more or less missed the observance of Lent this year, with its deliberate multi-week journey with Christ to Jerusalem and Calvary. It

Karlnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-3047106246604513052007-03-30T15:36:00.000-07:002007-03-30T17:02:47.672-07:00

A few people, places and things referred to in the earlier post...First, some of the young, and very young, people in the church:At the right is Misato, wife of the Pastors' first son. She's on staff in the area of hospitality ministry, and was caught here helping to prepare supper for the weekly Sunday evening leaders' dinner and discussion. Below left are two other young leaders working on the

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-58462164078052663402007-03-27T17:18:00.000-07:002007-03-27T19:43:20.182-07:00

Hi, again:Lovely sunny day here in Yokohama. Spring has been a bit delayed in coming; the sakura (cherry) blossoms are just starting to emerge, and there's a delicate hint of warmth on the sunny days, of which we've had about two and a half: weather otherwise very much like Seattle's in the spring, a mix of grey, rain and mist.We flew from Seoul to Japan last Friday after Dave & Roy had a final

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-66832658809054862072007-03-26T16:11:00.000-07:002007-03-26T18:16:40.974-07:00

Hi, All:We've just finished week one of two weeks here. Most of our church-related visits are finished; we have an afternoon meeting today with the three Tokyo-area Vineyard pastors (two current, one just about to plant), and after that I think we're pretty much free to explore and visit with Gail's friends a bit. Some highlights from week one:Seoul, KoreaWe flew first to Seoul (via Tokyo), where

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-29002199049251831522006-12-12T06:01:00.000-08:002006-12-13T07:58:30.341-08:00

After sharing this past Sunday on the "Kingdom, power & glory" conclusion to the Lord's Prayer, I was reminded the next day of another way of thinking about the glory of God."Glory" is, at least to me, a somewhat elusive concept. The primary images and words that come to mind relate to the manifestation of the heavenly realm in some mostly-obvious and spectacular ways. Fire, thunder, smoke and

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-45209112512674715462006-12-05T08:43:00.000-08:002006-12-05T08:45:34.100-08:00

In this most un-read and un-updated of blogs, I thought I might post a few follow-up comments to last Sunday’s message time.I am quite aware that some of my comments may have come off a bit strong, and am especially concerned that some of the listeners may have felt somewhat “shut down” in relation to being able to voice criticism of individuals, churches, or “the Church.” That was not my

Karlnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154963148557124612006-08-07T07:58:00.000-07:002006-09-04T07:43:23.193-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 7 & Response:If the Bible is incomplete, why is it necessary for it to be

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154962689950428362006-08-07T07:56:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:29:14.776-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 6 & Response:It's clear that the Bible does not contain the entire truth,

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154962565503457232006-08-07T07:54:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:29:49.510-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 5 & Response:One if the hardest things I dealt with in the 3 years when I tried

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154962440124753572006-08-07T07:51:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:30:26.856-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 4 & Response:If animals were designed strictly to be of use to humans, then why

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154962269507974822006-08-07T07:49:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:30:57.160-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 3 & Response:Do you believe in the Trinity concept? What about Colossians 1:15

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154962178013804242006-08-07T07:48:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:31:27.956-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 2 & Response:You mentioned that the real significance of the Fall story is that

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154962099889709672006-08-07T07:44:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:32:24.330-07:00

[Note: This is part of a series of posts that answer challenging questions posed by the co-worker of a congregational member. For the initial post in the series that previews the discussion, lists all of the questions that appear in this posting series, and gives a few initial framing observations, see Link.]Question 1 & Response:Do you believe that some beings - people, fallen angels - will be

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1154959712557174922006-08-07T06:49:00.000-07:002006-08-08T07:26:25.530-07:00

Earlier this year I was invited into an email conversation between a congregation member and one of his workmates. The conversation explored a variety of questions and concerns from the workmate about things from the Judeo-Christian scriptures that were obstacles to faith -- ranging from the confusing and hard to understand over into the offensive and downright reprehensible. With the workmate's

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1151347945246677822006-06-26T11:40:00.000-07:002006-06-26T11:52:25.260-07:00

A friend recently shared this dream with me after she had experienced a significant breakthrough in healing/deliverance prayer:She dreamt that she had sold herself to a pawn shop for something like $50.She went back to the shop in an attempt to redeem herself. The price of redemption had been raised to $250 or thereabouts, and she didn't have that amount of money. The two men at the counter,

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1146751271260584002006-05-04T06:16:00.000-07:002006-05-04T15:25:48.996-07:00

Note: on Sunday, April 30th we commissioned Pastor Ryan Beattie (formerly pastor of Along the Way) as a pastor of Mercy Ministries with the Brooklyn Avenue Vineyard. Below is a partial text from the installation service:* * * * * * * * * * *Introduction:Today we are going to be commissioning Ryan Beattie as a pastor with our congregation. How this will work, so you know where we’re going, is this

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1138887647934644372006-02-02T04:06:00.000-08:002006-02-02T08:53:12.850-08:00

"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world." (John 17:24)I live on what must be one of the uglier streets in Seattle. Apart from the normal clutter (cars, telephone poles, power lines), the block is graced by a couple of distinctives. One is that nearly all the residences

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1138380099008896212006-01-27T08:15:00.000-08:002006-01-27T08:44:27.863-08:00

I often aim, in the turning of the calendar each new year, to spend some time reflecting on the year past and thinking prayerfully about the year ahead. My hope is to discern any sense of where to focus and what to pay attention to or prioritize in the coming months. Most of this has a personal focus, though I also always hope to gain some similar sense of priority and focus for the church in the

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1134663813754863792005-12-15T08:20:00.000-08:002006-01-14T08:21:19.370-08:00

[Note: Senior Pastor Ed Cook recently circulated the text of an article he'd read for his D.Min. work, "The Church in the City," by William Stringfellow. What follows are my reflections spurred by reading his article. They touch mostly on two core aspect of the Seattle Vineyard's "dNA" as captured in its founding passage, Isaiah 56:1-8: to be a prophetic people of rest (remembering the Sabbath)

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1133240227088718272005-11-28T20:23:00.000-08:002006-01-16T07:13:22.740-08:00

[Note: I was reluctant to post this closer to the event since it gives a description of the other party in the conversation. If there's an underlying thought or question here, it's simply, "What does one do?" - KDN]Monday evening I walked out with a few books tucked under my arm, trying to beat the 8pm closing time at the Ballard Library and make a deposit at the BofA ATM around the

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1128961975673252432005-10-10T08:14:00.000-07:002005-10-10T09:32:55.700-07:00

I recently finished reading Chaim Potok's The Gates of November, a true chronicle of a Jewish father and son in 20th-century Russia.The father, Solomon Slepak, was an Old Bolshevik who became one of the leaders of the revolution, having fully converted to Lenin's vision of a socialist "people's" nation and world. Solomon exhibited the same "revolution at all costs" mentality as his peers in the

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1127220048998250652005-09-20T05:40:00.000-07:002005-10-10T07:59:29.840-07:00

In part of Jason's sharing a few weeks ago in the Eagle's Nest, our prophetic mentoring group, he pointed to the importance of trusting God with His pace for the work of transformation in our lives, the lives of those we love, and the lives (to quote a former pastor of mine) of those whom nobody loves.Below are two short pieces on that theme which were given to me at different points in my own

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1124832143208618732005-08-23T14:09:00.000-07:002005-09-10T03:30:19.650-07:00

Early this year two different prayer groups gathered for a series of weeks to work through Graham Cooke's Crafted Prayer with the intent on developing crafted prayers for the Seattle Vineyard as a whole, and the Brooklyn Avenue congregation's Sunday morning worship, specifically. Below are the results of those efforts. The next steps with these prayers are to:see how these two prayers can and/or

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1120827667134410162005-07-08T05:58:00.000-07:002005-07-08T06:07:54.903-07:00

SharingMust we always assume that today’s new discoveryis new to everyone else, must be told to them now,learned by them, too, whether needful or not?Like our excitement with a new plastic bat,bonking all our friends to show themhow amazing baseball really can be,Which might slightly distract those watchinghow the DH shifts his weight forward when he swings,or why the pitcher just shook off three

Karlnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1118152334744303152005-06-07T06:50:00.000-07:002005-06-07T07:17:32.396-07:00

When I awoke this morning, one of my first thoughts was one that I don’t necessarily think of right out of the gate: the thought of thanking God straightaway for the plans He had for us today. I felt eager to see what adventures would unfold. It no doubt helped that we were traveling, my wife and I, and were spending part of our trip in a conference setting where that kind of thinking—daily

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1114778292756307072005-04-29T05:13:00.000-07:002005-06-02T05:29:42.946-07:00

One of the joys I find in pastoral ministry is the 'gems' that come my way from time to time from people I'm connected with in the church -- a quote here, an observation there, a story. Below is one such 'gem' -- the retelling of a lunchroom conversation this past week between one of our community college students and a classmate.Today I was eating lunch in the lunch room reading my bible, and I

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1114266505472017852005-04-23T07:26:00.000-07:002005-04-23T11:34:00.500-07:00

O Lord, my God, what a world you have made:A palette of fuzzy pastels smudging the morning sky;One great heron making its wing-spanned way north;The burbling chatter of hidden, happy birds;Three neighborhood pigeons checking for Barbara’s morning meal.Seagulls veer in and out of the scene, running morning errands;Neighbor cats cruise the property, smelling last night’s markings,Waiting at a door,

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1114178328905527402005-04-22T06:56:00.000-07:002005-04-22T21:17:42.756-07:00

The following word was read at the NW Vineyard Regional Pastors/Leaders conference in June of 2004. The word was submitted by Layne Fish who pastors the Vancouver, WA Vineyard with her husband, Steve. Layne leads a prophetic ministry team that is, from my brief experience of their work, highly disciplined and effective, and highly team-based: a very encouraging development for prophetic ministry!

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1114178087659227152005-04-22T06:38:00.000-07:002005-04-22T20:58:49.213-07:00

The following comments and 'word' for the Vineyard movement from Kathie Walters appeared on the Elijah List website in April of this year. The prefacing comments are from Steve Shultz, moderator of the Elijah List, and Denny Cline, pastor of the Albany Vineyard.There are a number of things that I connect with in Kathie's word, especially the point that whatever God 'birthed' in the Vineyard

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1113870793007882702005-04-18T17:33:00.000-07:002005-04-18T18:20:19.403-07:00

This is just for fun. The photo was taken during some accidental spare time in Cairo in early 1995. I had missed a connecting flight on Egypt Air while travelling from New York to Harare, and spent some nervous hours with the customer service manager the next morning trying to convince him to send me onward at no additional cost, since my luggage had already been checked through. My logic may not

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1112711565463926542005-04-05T07:25:00.000-07:002005-06-07T07:13:41.133-07:00

It would be hard to imagine (Saint) Thomas Aquinas being omitted from any respectable list of most influential figures in western church history. His theological works, his innovative synthesis of Aristotelian logic with theology, and even just the sheer volume of his writings, set him apart as a master theologian and philosopher: which makes his final comment on his life’s work all the more

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1112468007238002002005-04-02T08:03:00.000-08:002005-04-02T12:44:02.546-08:00

We live in an age, at least among my generation in the West, that appears to have grown quite savvy at cynical, jaded fault-finding with the church. It seems almost in vogue to be able to write and reflect knowingly about all the faults in the church, especially the American church, and especially about form and function. Along with this has come the apparent acceptance of the

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1110870169156502482005-03-14T22:49:00.000-08:002005-04-22T21:20:46.696-07:00

I originally called this post, "Why I Love T. S. Eliot's poetry, even though I don't understand half of it--Part I." One of my favourite places to go for reflection and meditation over the years has been to the writings of T. S. Eliot. I was first introduced to his works in 1992, when a portly and annoyingly cheerful psychologist, having listened to my disappointingly self-centered

Karlnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1110869336045969592005-03-14T21:53:00.000-08:002005-04-02T12:45:16.416-08:00

I've heard a lot of preachers, myself included, try to give thoughtful and meaningful explanations of what Jesus means when he says, more or less, "Unless you change and become like little children, you can't enter the Kingdom of God." Kids trust better than adults, they live in states of radical dependence and seem more or less OK with that (sure, just ask my friends with infants who aren't

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1110049967488622572005-03-05T11:01:00.000-08:002005-04-02T12:45:36.333-08:00

One of the unexpected but immediate consequences of sending out two congregational plants in April of 2003 was the way it put the Sunday morning congregation into an identity crisis of sorts – a process of ‘re-formation’ as a new congregation. There seemed to be two related aspects to the re-formation. One was relational. I vividly remember sitting in front of the congregation to preach on the

Karlnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10456389.post-1109208166603670222005-02-23T16:27:00.000-08:002005-04-02T07:54:27.186-08:00

"Awake, my soul!Awake, harp & lyre!I will awaken the dawn."~Psalm 57:8I need hope in order to live.Maybe it's a function of living through depression for a number of years and the accompanying tendencies towards despair; or of working with, and being (at least somewhat) attuned to, the pain people live with in this age; or simply of having been given a taste enough of the age to come so as to be

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