Sky Links, 9-7

Photo: Spacebridge by longobord CC 2.0

When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, you know I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
-John 21:15

Do You Really Love Me?  
When Jesus Nagged Peter and Why

I read this great little article by Dave Black, entitled Sloppy Agape, in which he writes about when Jesus questioned Peter's love, to re-affirm him and heal him of his three denials.  Some Bible teachers make a fuss about John using two different words for love, but Dr. Black clears up the confusion.

Happy New Year, 5774

This week marks the Jewish New Year.  Melissa Flores did some work on what the number 5774 means and she says it means, "the year of the open door".  In case you were wondering, she wrote that 5773, this past year, was a year for the Lords to be revealed as our “Gracious Benevolent Redeemer.”

Chuck Pierce is calling this new year, See the Open Door to YOUR New Springs!


Slow Church

Have you noticed that relationships take time?  Authenticity, intimacy, growth, healing, transformation: these all take time.  To hear people takes time.  To know people takes time.  To become family takes time.  Building trust takes time.

God's plan, revealed in the Bible, is that the world would be transformed through the church, as a whole people.  We, as a people, are going to transform the world together.  That is God's plan.

To get there, we will have to slow down and recognize the body of Christ and be the people of God.  Chris Smith, has a book on Slow Church; and wrote this post on cultivating community.  Chris' church has been living out this for 20 years now.

The most essential practical, 'how-to' of building community in the church is conversation.  Life together happens and growth occurs in conversational dialogue.  Chris Smith actually has a whole e-book about this.  Discipleship happens in conversation.  Learning occurs in conversation.

When we have dialogue, we build trust, and when we build trust, we become family and belong to one another in Christ.  Authentic love grows and we can even confront, from a standing in love, if it comes to that.

The Lost Art of Making Disciples

Molong Nacua wrote a post entitled, Making Disciples Conversations.  Molong makes so many good points, and he writes as a person who is actually doing it.