I like to challenge Christians to rethink what it looks like to follow Jesus. It all stems from my work as a Pastor.
Eleven years ago I started a new church called Christ’s Church of the Valley in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Today more than 2,000 people call CCV their spiritual home.
Of all the challenges we’ve faced as a church, none have compared to the ongoing struggle of helping 1200+ new Christians grow in their faith without becoming really creepy in the process. It’s as if we’ve had to protect our new Christians from, well, Christians. I don’t know what it is, but if you lead someone to Christ in America and get them serious about their faith, within three years they’re speaking some strange Christian lingo, putting Thomas Kinkade paintings in their living room, wanting to sing 4,345 Hillsong worship songs in church, and TiVo-ing Joel Osteen while they’re watching Fox News.
Christians need to heed Christ’s call to become radically normal. So do their pastors.
In my mind that means being so deeply committed to our faith that we’re willing to die for it, yet still be the kind of person with whom an unchurched person would love to have a beer.
My blog has one simple focus – to challenge Christians to reflect on whether or not they are, in the words of my favorite band Coldplay, “Part of the cure or part of the disease.”
Yet, this blog is not about creating super-hip Christians that are a cross between Jay-Z and that Dos Equis’ “Most interesting man in the world” guy. A quick look at how I dress will tell you I’m no help there. I just want to be what Warren Bennis calls a “Reflective practioner,” both theologically and pragmatically.
About the blog itself – look for blog posts on four specific areas – rethinking church, biblical issues, living out our faith, and cultural hot topics. On Mondays I’ll post my sermon videos, and when I find helpful resources and humorous stuff I’ll be sure to pass those along as well.
A few other things you may not know about me:
- I’m a graduate of Cincinnati Christian University (B.A.) and Princeton Theological Seminary (M.Div.)
- I’m a huge Ohio State football and basketball fan
- My favorite meal is KFC chicken
- I’ve written three books and have had opportunities to talk about them on such diverse TV and radio ministries such as Focus on the Family, the 700 Club, Pastor to Pastor, and TBN.
- Church planting is in my DNA – I’ve traced my genealogy back to a church planter who moved from England in the 1680′s to start a new church in America
- My top three spiritual gifts are leadership, teaching and evangelism
- My favorite TV shows are – The Office, Parenthood, House Hunters International, and River Monsters
- I’m an INTJ on the Meyers-Briggs and a high D/I Inspirational pattern on the DISC test
- My “claim to fame” is I’ve been hit on the head by a Televangelist. Twice.
