Outreach
Cut the Ministry Fluff: 6 Honest Ways to Tell It Like It Is
Evangelastic: When Exaggeration Undermines the Gospel Let’s be honest. Many ministries under the banner of “evangelical” Christianity are guilty of a subtle but dangerous habit: “evangelastic” storytelling—the tendency to stretch or inflate numbers, outcomes, and spiritual wins in order to sound more faithful or fruitful than we really are. We’ve all heard it (and maybe…
Read MoreTop Ten Mistakes in Outreach
I’m listing a few days worth of thoughts on mistakes I’ve made in the area of outreach. I’ve made plenty! I’ve had to pare the list down to just ten for this blog. As you look it over maybe you will save yourself some energy by not repeating my misfires. #1 Mistake: Didn’t go fishing…
Read MoreOutreach Myths
There is negative thinking that influences us regarding outreach. We can self-justify a serving-only approach to evangelism that bypasses vocalizing the Gospel with thoughts such as: “There are so many hypocrites circulating who talk too much…I’m just bringing balance.” “I’m not really enough of an extrovert to speak up in a meaningful way…” “We have…
Read MoreLesson #14: The Thing In Your Hand Is Powerful
#14: The Thing In Your Hand Is Powerful We tend to underestimate the power of the simple that has been going on around us. This is true throughout history. Moses thought he had little to offer to the cause of God. Just to clarify this arrangement God decided to use the most common item imaginable…
Read MoreLesson #13: Saying Yes Brings Life
#13: Saying Yes Brings Life Life is difficult after going through a time of death. One of the fastest ways to make forward progress is to practice saying Yes. Literally, say Yes! We need to get into the habit of telling God Yes. There are plenty of forces at work around us that conspire to…
Read MoreHow About A Summer Outreach Lab
If you haven’t taken a stab at Kindness Outreach, the summer is the perfect time for doing a “Lab” – that is, to do some experimenting to learn a few lessons about how to build a heart connection with the those in your community. Any season has its advantages for connecting with people, but the…
Read MoreLesson #10: Turtles Last Longer Than Rabbits
#10: Turtles Last Longer Than Rabbits You’ve heard Aesop’s story about the tortoise and the hare. In this classic tale, the hare takes off quickly in the race. He looks impressive, to begin with, because he leads from the get-go. The tortoise looks like a loser at the back of the race. In a way,…
Read MoreLesson #8: You Will Become A More Focused Person.
#8: You Will Become A More Focused Person. Our view of God becomes more intense when a death occurs. We also become more focused during a time of great loss. Life may be free from loss these days. You may find it difficult to relate to the notion of loss. Make no mistake though. A…
Read MoreLesson #4: What You Have Known Will Probably Be Recycled
#4: What You Have Known Will Probably Be Recycled During my medical meltdown, when I was “out,” I heard God speak to me in terms I was already familiar with. I think he often speaks to us in contexts we have known previously. With me, it came in the form of a line I had…
Read MoreAre You In Outflow Mode?
“Outflow” is the word I used in a recent book to describe the attitude we live in when we are noticing our way into the lives of others. All who have been created in the image of God (that’s all of us reading this!) have been molded with the notion of “Normal” being us noticing…
Read More