Category Archives: Church History
The Fifth Gospel
“And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there.” Acts 20:22 Seven years ago, I came to Jerusalem with seven other pastors. To describe our story sounded like the beginning … Continue reading
The Story…2
For about six years, I’ve been leading something at NCC called The Story– through the chronological story of the Bible in three nights. Tonight, I’m going to continue The Story with the second part. The Story of the Church. Bruce … Continue reading
Pilgrim’s Process: Gratitude
“Thanks.” That’s what I said as I stood in front of St. Peter’s tomb in the excavations underneath the Vatican. We Protestants don’t have heroes. Or at least we don’t have many. I guess Jim Elliot, Lottie Moon, and Martin … Continue reading
Pilgrim’s Process: In Cathedrals in Conflict
You might have clued into it at some point along the way, but I’ve just returned from a 2-week adventure in Greece and Italy, following largely in the footsteps of Paul with a few sides trips to cool places like … Continue reading
Final Thoughts From St. Peter’s Basilica
Well, we just returned to the hotel from our final night in Rome. Here is a wrap-up of our trip.
Martyrs and Witnesses
Just a couple of quick thoughts from Rome. One spot is called Tre Fontane, and it is the location of Paul’s imprisonment and execution. The other is from St. Paul’s Basilica, which traditionally is believed to hold the remains of … Continue reading
Loving God in Athens
Spent the day in Athens. Toured the Acropolis, including the Parthenon, the Odeion, and the Erechtheion. Temple of Hephaisteion, Stoa of Attalos and Temple of Zeus. Ate some great gyros. And scrambled all over Mars Hill, where Paul proclaimed the … Continue reading
Going Crazy in Corinth
Alright, there was a lot to show in Corinth, so…let’s get started. Video #1: Port of Cenchrae (Acts 18:18, Romans 16:1) Video #2: At the Bema in Corinth (Acts 18:12-16) Video #3: Between To Temples (1 Corinthians 1:18-31, 1 Corinthians … Continue reading
Ryan and Heather in Nicopolis
Here are Ryan’s reflections on Nicopolis. And here are Heather’s reflections on Nicopolis. And she meant when Paul was writing to Titus…not Timothy. Details, details.
Thoughts From Berea, Vergina, and Preveza
Here’s another video update.
Thoughts From Philippi
I recorded this for Theology 101 the other day and thought I would share it here, as well.
Thoughts From Thessaloniki
Alright, Campers. It’s too late to blog, so I’m bringing you a little video instead!
Tripped Up in Troas
Acts 15:40- Paul begins his second missionary journey The Holy Spirit doesn’t allow him to preach in Phrygia or Galatia. So he goes to Bithynia, but the Holy Spirit won’t let him preach there, either. “So, passing by Mysia, they … Continue reading
Greece/Italy Itinerary
For those who are interested, here’s what I’ll be up to for the next couple of weeks: Feb 27, Sun Depart Home Airport for Thessaloniki, Greece (SKG). Feb 28, Mon Plan arrival by 1:45 PM at the Thessaloniki airport for … Continue reading
A New Pilgrimage
In 2005, I embarked on my first trip that might be described as a pilgrimage. I joined 6 other clergy from various theological streams (Lutheran, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian, etc…it sounded like the beginning of a bad joke). We traveled to … Continue reading
Poking Fun at Mark Batterson
In the vein of not taking ourselves too seriously, we always like to poke a little fun at our lead pastor, Mark Batterson. Two years ago, we created this little gem. Last year, Amanda Giobbi masterminded this little bit of … Continue reading
Ancient Wisdom – Clement of Alexandria
“When the heathen hear God’s oracles on our lips they marvel at their beauty and greatness. But afterwards, when they mark that our deeds are unworthy of the words we utter, they turn from us with scoffing and say that … Continue reading
Voices From the Sacred Roads: Basil the Great
Incarnational discipleship happens when we grow closer to Christ by becoming his hands and feet to the world around us. It happens through missions, social justice, and service to our communities. The missions movements of the 18th and 19th centuries … Continue reading
Voices From the Sacred Roads: Thomas a Kempis
Personal discipleship was brought to the forefront of church history by Pietists and Puritans who sought to connect the mind of the reformed with the heart of a personal revivalist. Personal discipleship was fueled by the observation and practice of … Continue reading
Voices From the Sacred Roads: Clement
Intellectual discipleship burst onto the stage of church history during the Protestant Reformation. It was fueled by a desire to learn and was captured by Martin Luther’s statement at the Diet of Worms, “unless I can be convinced by Scripture … Continue reading
Voices From the Sacred Roads: Johann Sebastian Bach
As the church transitioned from a movement to an institution in the late fourth century, the Relational mode of discipleship gave way to a more Experiential mode of discipleship. Buildings for worship were constructed, incense was burned, music was composed, … Continue reading
Voices From the Sacred Roads: Dawson Trotman
Relational discipleship was the primary approach to spiritual growth in the early church. There were no church buildings, hymnals, financial campaigns, or even creeds. The church was just people. And people grew closer to God as they grew closer to … Continue reading
Voices From the Sacred Roads
In the study Sacred Roads, I introduce readers to five discipleship trends- relational, experiential, intellectual, personal, and incarnational. While each seemed to play a dominant role in a specific period of time, all of them have been practiced throughout Biblical … Continue reading
Wesley’s Discipleship
John Wesley had a pretty hard-hitting approach to discipleship. In many small groups today, structuring the meeting time around the following questions would be frightening to many members. But if you want to challenge your people to deeper community and … Continue reading
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