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Beginning a spiritual formation practice of generosity, Jon discusses the difference between a mindset of abundance vs. scarcity. #PracticingTheWay #Generosity #Sermon

Understanding God's Generosity Continuing our practice of generosity, let's take a moment to reflect on the source of all generosity—God Himself. In the parable of the workers in the vineyard, found in Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus reveals profound truths about God's character. This parable isn't just a story; it's a window into how God operates and how we can apply these lessons in our daily lives. The Parable Explained In this parable, a landowner hires workers at different times throughout the day. At the end of the day, he pays them all the same wage, regardless of how long they worked. This can seem unfair at first glance, but it highlights God's generosity. He gives grace and blessings freely, not based on our merit but on His love. Have you ever felt like you were working hard, yet others seemed to receive the same rewards without the same effort? It’s a relatable feeling. But this parable invites us to reconsider our perspective. God’s generosity isn’t about fairness in human terms; it’s about His boundless love and grace. Applications in Our Context Now, how does this apply to our lives today? One area that stands out is immigration. Many people are seeking a better life, often facing challenges that can feel insurmountable. As followers of Christ, we are called to love our neighbors, regardless of their background or circumstances. This means extending generosity to those who might not seem deserving by worldly standards. Imagine welcoming a new neighbor who comes from a different culture. What if we approached them with the same generosity that God shows us? It could be as simple as sharing a meal, offering assistance, or just being a listening ear. These small acts can make a significant difference in someone’s life. The Challenge of Generosity Generosity can be challenging, especially when we feel stretched thin ourselves. It’s easy to hold back, thinking, “I don’t have enough to give.” But here’s the truth: God doesn’t ask us to give what we don’t have. Instead, He invites us to share what we do have, no matter how small it may seem. Have you ever noticed how a little kindness can go a long way? When we step out in faith and give, we often find that God multiplies our efforts. This is where the beauty of discipleship comes into play. As we grow in our understanding of God’s generosity, we become more equipped to reflect that generosity in our own lives. Reflecting on Our Generosity As we continue this journey of understanding generosity, let’s take a moment to reflect. What does generosity look like in your life? Are there areas where you feel called to give more? Perhaps it’s time to consider how you can embody God’s love in practical ways. It’s not just about financial giving; it’s about our time, our attention, and our compassion. When we open our hearts, we create space for God to work through us. This is what discipleship is all about—growing closer to Jesus and allowing His love to flow through us to others. Conclusion: Embracing God's Generosity In conclusion, the generosity of God is a powerful reminder of how we are called to live. As we reflect on the parable of the workers in the vineyard, let’s embrace the challenge of generosity in our own lives. Let’s be willing to step outside our comfort zones and love those around us, just as God loves us. Remember, generosity isn’t about the amount we give; it’s about the heart behind it. So, let’s strive to be generous in all aspects of our lives, reflecting the incredible generosity of our God. #PracticingTheWay #Generosity #Sermon

In this sermon, we look at the generosity of God through the lens of our sufferings and how it can be redemptive, ultimately leading to hope. #PracticingTheWay #Generosity #Sermon

Here Jon discusses the nonviolent way of the cross as seen in the life and ministry of Jesus and its relevance in a context of Christian nationalism and violence.

In this sermon Jon discusses the concept of the whole Gospel and distinguishes it from common incomplete Gospels as seek to be centered on the Well of Jesus' lordship.

A cohort of church leaders from around the country join me in a conversation with Dr. Mark Baker, author of Centered-Set Church: Discipleship & Community Without Judgmentalism. Mark was a seminary professor for 25 years in California. Mark's book (inspired by Hiebert) has impacted me tremendously. After discussing this book together as a cohort of pastors for several months, we concluded by having Mark join us for our last discussion and for us to ask him questions as we wrestle with these concepts and how to implement them in our contexts. Referenced Materials: For those who have not read the book - diagrams and definitions : 13 minute video on individuals living in a centered way, internal evangelism: Blog – list of new insights since the book came out: Video series on first few chapters of the book #discipleship #leadership #bookreview

Learn how to read Revelation well and apply some of Revelation's themes to the modern Western context. Experience Level Videos Total Time Beginner 6 230 mins Course ​Description This course is designed for beginner Bible students that are seeking to better understand, interpret, and apply the book of Revelation while avoiding common mistakes. Revelation is dense and multi-layered ancient literature that is often misunderstood and misused.   The first three videos are designed to set a framework in which to read and interpret Revelation while the last three videos are designed to make thematic applications to our modern context from the book of Revelation. To help provide a brief framework in which to read and interpret Revelation while making some applications from a few themes of Revelation to our modern Western context. ​ What you will learn: ✓  Class 1. Re-Canonization of Revelation Students will learn how we can avoid the extremes of "hyper-canonization" and "de-canonization" of Revelation, and instead learn how we can "re-canonize" it.. ✓  Class 2. Apocalypse Literature​​​​ Students will learn​ about ancient apocalyptic literature and how understanding genre and literary type can help us better understand Revelation. ✓  Class 3. Interpretive Grid Students will learn various interpretive approaches to Revelation and how to understand the benefits and draw backs of each as we seek to have a well rounded interpretive method of Revelation.​ ✓  Class 4. Critique of Power Students will ​look at Revelation's critique of power and empire while making application to the modern Western context. ✓  Class 5. Civil & Uncivil Worship Students will ​look at the Revelation's critique of civil worship and religion while making applications to the modern Western context. ✓  Class 6. The Final Vision Students will ​look at the final chapters of Revelation, and the entire biblical meta-narrative, while finding hope in John's final vision and Jesus' victory over all things. Apocalypse Literature The Re-Canonization of Revelation Interpretive Grid A Critique of Power Civil and Uncivil Worship The Final Vision

No, I don't believe in reincarnation. However, part of me has always been drawn to the monastic. When I was younger, before I became a Christian, I seriously considered moving to Tibet to become a monk. Last week over new years, I had the opportunity to take a four day silent retreat at a Franciscan prayer center near Greensboro, NC. I didn't speak and I didn't have any connection to the outside world via the internet for four days. I have never done anything like that before ... and it was truly amazing. St. Francis of Assisi  was an 11th century Italian Catholic priest who founded the order of the Franciscans who were inspired to lead lives of poverty, chastity, and obedience to Christ. He is the namesake of San Francisco in the US. Interestingly, the silent retreat wasn't as difficult as I was expecting it to be. I didn't have any problems being silent (except for a couple of times I began to talk to myself out loud without realizing it), or being in the silent. The only sounds were a few small propellor planes that flew over head during the day, and there were often gun shots in the distance off-property. Perhaps it was a shooting range, or more likely I just live in the South ... but either way the sound continued to bring issues of violence and peace to the fore of my mind. Other than that, I had only the sounds of nature. The center was officially closed for the holiday and none of the staff were present (it is not a full-time abbey), so there were only a couple of people on the property the entire time I was there. I tried to go into the silent retreat with little expectation and just remain open and neutral to whatever God wanted it to be. It was one of the most encouraging, inspiring, and clarifying spiritual times I have ever had in my life . My motivation for wanting to do a retreat like this in the first place was to try to intentionally create space and time for God to be able to speak to me, and for me to travel deeper and more intimately into my walk with Christ, gaining perspective about Him, myself, and the world around me. I am so grateful to God, my family, and my church community who support me in doing this kind of thing, I consider it a blessing from the Father. I know this is a great privilege that not all have, but for everyone that is able, I highly encourage you to try your best to do something like this, even if it is only for one day. I had a chance to walk this amazing prayer labyrinth several times. Learn more and find one near you at LabyrinthLocator.org During my time on the retreat I took several prayer walks on the grounds, including through their incredible prayer labyrinth. I also reflected over my year as I engaged in the Great Annual Examen , and I had time to read ... a lot. I contemplated as I was surrounded by the writings of ancient mystics, monks, and spiritualists who have lived through the centuries and sought to follow Jesus in their context. The likes of Thomas à Kempis of the 14th century, Thomas Merton of the 20th century, and John Woolman of the 18th century. I also read the modern Ben Witherington III's " Sola Scriptura ", which I hope to write a more complete book review for in the future. Having just finished my doctorate in peace studies and Christian nonviolence, I was intrigued to see this "peace gazebo" (pictured above) on the grounds that had a prayer column "May Peace Prevail On Earth" in the language of every country in the world that possessed nuclear weapons (as of 2023). Being that I live in the only country to have ever detonated nuclear weapons upon other human populations, I believe this prayer to be incredibly poignant. In all of this, it was the Journal of John Woolman and the Plea for the Poor: the Spiritual Autobiography of the Great Colonial Quaker that particularly moved me as I read about his endeavors to end the practice of slave ownership amongst Quakers in the late 18th century (particularly in the South). He also wrote of the ethical implications of paying taxes to support wars, the political involvement of Quakers, and the ethics of colonialism amongst the Native Americans. I couldn't help to hear God's voice through John Woolman as I appropriated many of his writings into my current context, both personal and communal. I believe it is a beautiful thing to glimpse the faith of those that have gone before us as we realize two things; there is truly nothing new under the sun (Ecc 1:9), and God is faithful to the last. Hallelujah. I am scheduled to lead two other groups to St. Francis in 2025 for spiritual formation retreats, one for our local microchurch pastors, and one for other church and ministry leaders from around the country. I look forward to making this silent retreat part of my personal annual rhythms every new year. Arriving just after Christmas, I was able to reflect deeply on the birth of Jesus, the Son of God. During my time on the retreat I took several prayer walks around the grounds, visiting some of the grottos they have on property. I had never seen a root structure quite like this, it encouraged me to reflect on my own faith rooting.

We hustle. We bustle. Our lives are arguably the most busy they have ever been in history. Computers, email, smart phones, 24/7 internet access, automobiles ... the light bulb! All of these things help our productivity potential be greater than ever before, but what about our potential with God? Are these things helping us get more connected to God and the eternal things that matter most, or are they helping to distract us with greater effectiveness from the inevitability of death and our meeting the Creator? In order for us to have a vibrant and intimate relationship with God we must get away from our normal environments and routines, and we must do this with some regularity (probably more regular than our annual vacation). "Getting away from our normal environments and routines is an essential part of our intimacy with God." We see our Lord Jesus getting away from the crowds, from his disciples, and from his normal schedule in order to connect with and cry out to His Father in Heaven. "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." (Lk 5:16) "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." (Lk 6:12) "Once when Jesus was praying in private ..." (Lk 9:18) ""Jesus ... took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray." (Lk 9:28) "Jesus ... withdrew again to a mountain by himself" (Jn 6:15) "Immediately Jesus made his disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to Bethsaida, While he dismissed the crowd. After leaving them, he went up on the a mountainside to pray. When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land" (Mk 6:45-47) Have you ever spent an entire day away from people with the Lord? Have you ever spent an entire night in prayer, study and meditation? Have you ever gone on an overnight personal retreat - for the sole purpose of drawing near to God? Sometimes people go years in the faith and have never done anything like this (and we wonder why our relationship with God might be stale, stagnant, joyless, and wearisome ... try being married for years without having any special time or special dates, and see if you feel any different in your marriage!) Even if you are not an outdoors person (although there is something to be said for the spiritual connection that can happen in God's creation, c.f. Ps 65:8-13; Rom 1:20; etc.), you can still find creative ways to have special retreats to get away from all the distractions ( make sure you don't take your phone, I know it's hard, but hey Jesus and his disciples often went without food! ) and connect with God in meaningful ways that will help you to not only persevere in your faith (Heb 10:36), but to also have a faith that doesn't grow dimmer as the years go on, but a faith that burns ever hotter and brighter as you fan it into flame! (2 Tim 1:6) This type of thing does not happen accidentally or all by itself, you must be intentional ... it's not as though your schedule will just miraculously open up! What a great use of some of your vacation days, or school break days this could be! You must plan it and decide to make it happen and that it is important enough for you to say "no" to something in order to do so. I know you won't regret it! #biblestudy #discipline

These are some picks of books (besides the Bible) and other resources that have shaped and influenced me over the last nearly 20 years I have been following Jesus at different life stages from college, working single professional, married and now parent of two. Some of these influenced me long ago, some more recently ... may we always be able to be influenced. College: The Pilgrim's Progress - John Bunyan This is probably my all time favorite book. As one of the most widely read books in the English language it is one of the great Christian classics (written in the 17th century) and a marvel to read. I find myself returning to this book at every stage of life and faith. If you have not read this book yet, put this at the very top of your list. How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth - Fee & Stuart I was exposed to the classic Fee & Stuart book earlier on in my Christian walk, and I am so grateful. A bit of an academic work for most, it is well worth the struggle of looking up unfamiliar words such as hermeneutics and exegesis. Their literary hermeneutical approach to the Scriptures is an invaluable one that I think is a must read for anyone who has been a Christian for more than a few years. For more on the subject see my video course: How to Read the Bible Wild at Heart - John Eldredge I read this when I was a new Christian and it formed the way I view God as a Father, especially in relation to my earthly father (and step-father) and helped me to deal with what Eldredge calls the "father wound". Single: Sex and the Supremacy of Christ - John Piper, Justin Taylor An excellent survey of various topics concerning sexuality and Christianity, both pertaining to the single and married person. Also includes a helpful reformed history of Martin Luther and the Puritans influence on our modern understanding of sexuality and marriage in Christ. Divine Sex - Jonathan Grant One of the best books I read on this subject matter. A timely and needed book for those who struggle with sexuality in their Christian walk, as well as those who try to shepherd and minister to those that do. With amazing clarity, cultural statistical analysis and the lens of Scripture to guide through this at time difficult topic to talk about, Grant hits a home run of conviction and compassion in order to reorient the readers sexuality to God. Decision Making and the Will of God - Gary Friesen One of my teachers and mentors exposed me to this book earlier in my life of singleness walk as I was facing all kinds of huge life altering decisions like college, career, ministry, and who to marry. I am so grateful this book had the chance to influence me early. This too is likely to be a paradigm shifting book about how you understand God's will and therefore how you make practical decisions in your life; everything from who to marry, where to move and what job to take, and even what clothes God might want you to wear tomorrow. Net Nanny In an unrivaled age of prolific access to lewdness and pornography, the center of the Christian battle field for so many (including myself) has been on the internet. Net Nanny was a digital comrade for me for many years in my war for sexual purity. While something I didn't use, I know Covenant Eyes to have been effective for many in this regard as well. Another honorable mention in this arena, though not Christian (and therefore perhaps even more powerful), is the secular site Fight the New Drug . For more see #pornography Blue Letter Bible A free bible study website that I have been using for years with lots of resources that allows beginners to access the original languages (Hebrew and Greek) of Scripture. An invaluable asset for serious bible students. Marriage: Love and Respect - Emerson & Sarah Eggerichs My wife and I got to go through this along with the DVD series early in our marriage that has proven to be quite influential and has even shaped how we argue for the better. With great insight in to communication tactics for men and women I found this to be really helpful. You and Me Forever - Francis & Lisa Chan This is an excellent book for marrieds (especially young marrieds) that helps in having a Godly and eternal focus that brings meaning and satisfaction to the marriage beyond just sitting on the couch watching Netflix every night. The accompanying workbook is a great resource for married groups to go through together. Parenting The Tech Wise Family - Andy Crouch An excellent, short and straight forward convicting book about the the proper place of technology in the life of Christians and their families. I would recommend this book to everyone who owns a cell phone! Good Enough Parenting - John Louis Written for parents to learn how meet what Louis calls "core emotional needs" of the children, this has been a great help to learn how to not exasperate my kids and look for ways to provide them with a safe and healthy emotional environment. Honorable Mentions: C.S. Lewis - anything he has written. Perhaps the most influential Christian theologian, author, and thinker of the 20th century, not being influenced by Lewis would be a mistake. Graeme Goldsworthy - has written some incredible works in particular on the nature of the gospel as the center of preaching and a hermeneutic for reading the entire Scripture. Surprised by Hope - I wasn't introduced to N.T. Wright until a bit later in my faith, albeit regretfully. Regarded as one of the premier theologians of our generation, one of his more recent books Surprised by Hope is highly accessible and easily understandable and will be a complete paradigm shift for most about heaven, afterlife and the resurrection. If you are someone that wants to "go to heaven", this is a must read. Divine Conspiracy - Dallas Willard is also a modern theological heavy weight with Divine Conspiracy considered by many to be his most popular and influential work. This book on the beatitudes and the kingdom nature of all that Jesus did and taught is highly valuable work. Can Science Explain Everything - John Lennox, perhaps one of the most poignant and accessible apologetics works I have ever read. In an easy to read 100 pages Lennox's new book released this year (2019) can quickly equip the lay Christian with a framework to understand the modern attack on an ancient faith. (For my full #bookreview see here ) YouVersion - You wouldn't think that a free bible app downloaded by nearly 400 million unique devices would be new to me ... but it is. I tried out YouVersion a gazillion years ago and I didn't like it at the time because you had to have a single to use it! But now with the ubiquitous nature of wifi, this thing rocks! You can even do reading plans with groups and comment with each other as you go through it! (not to mention they have recently partnered with The Bible Project). The Bible Project - Dr. Tim Mackie of The Bible Project has had incredible influence on me over the last few years. For everyone who knows me, knows that I am a total unabashed, bonafide, card carrying Bible Project groupie. I simply love everything they do and believe it adds incredible value for learning the Bible, in particular as it pertains to the Bible being a unified story that leads to Jesus. #books #bookreview #reading #resources #marriage #college #single #parenting #review

In this interview with Andy Crouch (author of Tech Wise Family and former executive director of Christianity Today ), we discuss how technology is shaping our world, and our lives, for good and for ill. In particular, what this means for us as a community of faith and for you as a believer. Andy has been gracious enough to allow me this interview with him about this issue. Quite frankly this isn't being talked about much by believers. Beware of the cultural tsunami. Referenced resources in interview: Kara Powell - Right Click: Parenting Your Teenager in a Digital Media World John Dyer - From Garden To The City: The Redeeming and Corrupting Power of Technology Sherry Turkle - Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age #ministry #leadership #technology #parenting #discipleship #fatherhood #family #culture #relationships #bookreview #review

A faith fuel interview with Andy Crouch and Amy Crouch discussing their new book "My Tech Wise Life" and the intersection of faith and our wise use of technology. This is focused especially on teens and young adults as they grow up as digital natives looking to find meaning and importance in a digital environment that often causes greater angst, insecurity, and depression. This is a great book, and interview, for parents, millennials, and gen z. In this interview we discuss things such as: fear based parenting vs. flourishing based parenting sabbath practices and beauty why we work and our sense of pride, and how technology can powerfully feed it personalized algorithms and false senses of significance disorientation and reorientation around the use of tech the beauty and pain of human relational suffering Get a Copy of the book My Tech Wise Life here #technology #interview #bookreview #parenting #sabbath