ARE:A Renewal Enterprise

Who Are You Listening To?

After being in seminary for way too long (on and off for a decade!), my favorite reading these days usually comes from somewhere in the “real” world – local and national newspapers, magazines (the good, the bad, and the shameless…Do you know what Brittney did this weekend?!), books from my monthly book group, titles on the best seller list, and recommendations from my wonderfully creaky neighborhood bookstore. I do occasionally pick up the latest missional church book or a recommended read by a trusted colleague, but mostly I stir clear of anything that smells like it’s “inside the church box.” So, yesterday found me reading the cover story from this month’s Fast Company magazine, a piece by Clive Thompson entitled “Motorhead Messiah.” I will save you all of the crazy engine details from the article. Let’s just say, this guy is putting in juiced-up, environmentally-friendly, biodiesel and electric engines in some of the biggest gas hogs on the road. Can you say mean and green…Hummer!?! This guy is doing things the folks in Detroit say are impossible. So much so that, when Goodwin had his Hummer parked overnight at a hotel in Denver, he woke up the next morning to about 20 awe-struck guys standing around his car. Anderson says:

Who Are You Listening To?

After being in seminary for way too long (on and off for a decade!), my favorite reading these days usually comes from somewhere in the “real” world – local and national newspapers, magazines (the good, the bad, and the shameless…Do you know what Brittney did this weekend?!), books from my monthly book group, titles on the best seller list, and recommendations from my wonderfully creaky neighborhood bookstore. I do occasionally pick up the latest missional church book or a recommended read by a trusted colleague, but mostly I stir clear of anything that smells like it’s “inside the church box.” So, yesterday found me reading the cover story from this month’s Fast Company magazine, a piece by Clive Thompson entitled “Motorhead Messiah.”

I will save you all of the crazy engine details from the article. Let’s just say, this guy is putting in juiced-up, environmentally-friendly, biodiesel and electric engines in some of the biggest gas hogs on the road. Can you say mean and green…Hummer!?! This guy is doing things the folks in Detroit say are impossible. So much so that, when Goodwin had his Hummer parked overnight at a hotel in Denver, he woke up the next morning to about 20 awe-struck guys standing around his car. Anderson says:

A Nice Little Story

Here's a great little story coming out of the Reformed Church in America about a growing congregation in South Dakota. Faced with a space shortage on Sunday mornings - too many people to fit into one worship service - they decided to do something dramatic: They added services. As time went on, each service began to take on its own character.The story doesn't explain why this congregation was growing in the first place. But it does report that members of the congregation have learned two things as a result of their experience with new - and varied - worship services: 1) There is spiritual power in diversity and 2) Focusing on meeting the needs of your neighbors leads to both personal - and congregational - spiritual health: