Advent – God Speaks Through Wombs

“But God speaks through wombs, birthing prophetic utterances…Enough of this unbelieving religion that masquerades as faith. Divine favor is placed on what we have disgraced.” That’s an excerpt inspired by Luke 1:5-25 from a new book of poems from Pastor Drew Jackson in NYC. Reading this as part of my Advent has been a great…

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Befriending

The following is a guest post from a 15-year mentor and fellow sojourner, Pastor Mark Dobrin of goodnewschapel.com. This is a picture of us befriending others while playing music outside a local cafe. (We played blues with his harmonica too:)) This is Mark’s story and how our stories overlapped through the One who befriended us.…

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MINISTRY SUPPORT DEVELOPMENT IN COLLECTIVIST COMMUNITIES

Through Epic Movement/Cru, I’m proud to release a book on ministry support development (MPD) for missionaries. Intended for missionary staff from minority cultures, I wrote it with all missionaries in mind because collectivist communities are becoming more ubiquitous. Perhaps the most respected MPD training organization is Support Raising Solutions. Their director of resource development said…

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Chinatown Through the Eyes of God: An Evening of Storytelling, Healing, and Solidarity

Kingdom Rice has a unique and specific response to the recent uptick in attacks against people of Asian decent. This response focuses on facilitating healing and solidarity among local intergenerational congregations of color, starting with Asian and Black people. We are drawing from the great work of advocacy, storytelling, education, and theology, and applying it…

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Pentecost – Solidarity

I often am asked what’s going on here in San Francisco regarding the pandemic and riots. For that I encourage you to listen to these words from two colleagues of mine, Kirk Davis (starting around minute :13) and Tim Svoboda, who directs Youth With a Mission in SF’s Tenderloin neighborhood. I’ve spent years meeting, praying,…

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Both in Heaven; Why not here on earth?

So far, two people who have had an impact on my life passed away during this world-changing COVID-19 pandemic. I’ve been a part of both of their communities, but never at the same time because I’ve not found a space where BOTH these two men would be welcomed and fellowshipping together here on earth, not the…

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Why I kissed “Evangelistic Programs” Goodbye

My church signed onto this program in the early 2000’s when it was fairly new.  Like many evangelical churches, we “wanted to reach the lost” and thus ordered it for our church because of its promise to equip Christians to confidently lead anyone to repentance. And with a name like “The Way…” who would not…

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About Art, Storytelling, and Entropy

I love that San Francisco has ample spaces to dive into conversations of depth with complete strangers.  Its parklets, small locally-owned coffee shops, and walkable neighborhoods invite such interactions. In one such recent conversation, a stranger turned friend and I quickly got into sharing some of our passions around our respective storytelling initiatives. I say that…

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