See the photos here.

Mike Breen writes a thought-provoking piece here. Many are trying to do Mission without first building an operating system of discipleship. As this illustration from the article indicates, a car without an engine is not going far. See the article here.

For years I have aspired to be a wise leader. As I led a leadership retreat for 16 men from City Church Eastside, I realized how foolish an aspiration that was. As I sat and looked out over the beauty of God's creation, this scripture verse came to mind: Luke 18:18-20: A certain ruler asked him, “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” Read the rest of the post here.

 Photo of the Week 2013-Week 18. I went to Orlando last week and stayed at my friend Richard Kessler's hotel, the Grand Bohemian. This was part of his art collection in the place. What a grand hotel. Check out the rest of the weekly picks here.

Priesthood of all believers: the unfinished business of the Reformation

Bill Easum describes the environment created in a healthy church as a process where people are changed, gifted, called, equipped and sent.

People who enter the community are changed by an experience of the living God. With millennials, you get one chance--if they don’t experience God in worship, they won’t return (and recent studies report most people have not experienced God in worship in their church in the last year). 

Then, as people seek a deeper spiritual journey, the church helps them discern how they are gifted. 

The purpose and life to which we are called is nested in our gifts. Prayer and meditation about our gifts will help us define our calling.

Once we begin to get clear about our call, we are ready to be equipped. That fact that I might feel called to be a Christian counselor does not mean I will excel without some equipping and practice. 

Once people are equipped, they are sent out into the world to serve others as the body of Christ.

How do you as a church leader answer these questions:

How clear are you about your gifts and calling? 

Do you feel equipped to live out your calling? If not, what equipping do you need?

How effectively are we the leaders equipping our people for service?

How do the gifts, experiences, skills, values and passions of the people in your missional community help define your missional calling as a group?

 

 Here are the photos of the week for Week 16 and 17. Check out all the photos here.

Fascinating research emerging about why it is good for you to be a part of a Christian Community. Here are some of the benefits noted: Lower blood pressure, boost to the immune system, social support, larger social networks, with more contact with, more affection for, and more kinds of social support from those peole than their unchurched counterparts. On average, church attenders, drink less, smoke less, and are less sexually promiscuous. Quoting from the aritcle,  "Because God is immaterial, those of faith have to use their imaginations to represent God., to listen to him in your mind, and those who were able to experience God vividly were healthier on the standard psychiatric scale."  Check it out.

 Photo of the Week for week 15. Beautiful thoughts. See the rest of the year here.

Jesus asked his disciples to imitate His life. That was His process. It was how He passed on the DNA. Many of us have never been discipled ourselves, so the idea of discipling others is intimidating. This post from Mike Breen gets to the heart of the matter. Check the post here.

Just posted my photos and video of the Lindblad Expedition up the Columbia River on the National Geographic Sea Bird. Look at the photos here. 

Several fun choices this week for photo of the week:

 Click here to see the final pick, and the first twelve.

 Eagle Peak Sunrise. Check out weeks 1-11 here. 

Here's the Photo of the week for Week 11: Mushroom Cloud over Mt. Evans. See the rest of the Photos of the week here.

Great article in the NY Times Magazine about Adam Grant's Research at Wharton about the beneficial aspects of being a giver at work. He differentiates givers, takers and matchers, and says growing research shows that being a giver is good for your career. See a video of Grant talking about the topic here.

For a link to Grant's Website with information about his book Give and Take, look here. 

Had a hard time selecting a single photo of the week after visiting three National Parks and a National Monument last week. After narrowing down 700+ photos to one finalist from each park, I came up with four photos: 

Zion National Park:

Bryce Canyon National Park:

Grand Staircase/Escalante National Monument:

Capitol Reef National Park:

To see the final selection of Picture of the Week for week 10, along with the earlier weeks, look here.

Capitol Reef National Park was the last of our four stops on our tour of Southern Utah. The park's main feature is the Waterpocket Fold, a nearly 100-mile long wrinkle in the earth's crust with walls 2000+ feet high. See the photos here.

We visited Zion National Park last week for the first time. I was very impressed with the Visitor Center's solar design. Take a look:

 Not only is the building in a stunning setting right by the Virgin River in Zion Canyon, but the passive and active solar features keep it warm in below freezing winter days and cool in 100 Degree summer days. Click on the picture below to see more detail in full screen. See the rest of the Zion photos here.