Travel as Pilgrimage #4: Pavlov, Minus His Dog…

The sun was starting to set as we wandered around the streets of Aegina, an island off of Greece.  We weren’t planning on spending the night on the island, but the little town was beautiful and a late night adventure back to the mainland didn’t sound appealing.  Hoping to find a comfortable, inexpensive and safe …

“By The Way, She and Her Son Have Aids.”

(My Monday “Travel as Pilgrimage” post will have to wait until Wednesday this week) There is a soup kitchen a few blocks from our house that provides two warm meals for local homeless each day near downtown San Diego. They are the longest standing soup kitchen in SD and one of the only ones still …

Why God Calls Us To Be Traders

As followers of Jesus, we are called to participate and extend God’s mission in the world. In short, all Christians are called to be missionaries. Maybe not in the traditional “missionary” sense, but we are to be on mission in our workplace, homes, neighborhoods, etc. And, if we are to fully align with God’s mission, …

Watching the Missional Church Come to Life

Every once in a while I sit back, reflect and realize what a gift it is to serve and live among a missional church community like ours. While the mission of NieuCommunities takes many different forms (click here for explanation of such forms), one key element is the weekly gathering of the church community. Every …

Travel as Pilgrimage

I recently read a book with an illustration that profoundly resonated with my life experience.  The author (Paul F. Knitter) compares one’s inherited worldview (culture, tradition, geography, etc.) to that of a telescope.  A telescope offers a beautiful and clear view of a few starts in the sky, but it fails to offer such a …