Smoking What We’re Growing: 8 Things That Happen When We Live (or Don’t Live) What We Talk About

I was down in Mexico a few years ago for a gathering of peers who are leading faith communities around the world. It was a rich time of conversation, encouragement and visioning.  Walking through a local Mexican neighborhood between sessions, something struck me. While those of us in the Minority World (often called the 1st …

Transition, Sending and the Eucharist

It was a bit of an emotional day for Janny and I yesterday as our dear friends, community mates and fellow NieuCommunities staff put together a “sending/blessing” time for us. If you haven’t yet heard, we are NOT moving out of our neighborhood and we are STILL leading our missional community (gathering regularly in our …

Is It Possible to Celebrate Christmas and the Birth of Jesus on the Same Day?

There is certainly a warm, nostalgic feeling about the Christmas season. Social media fills up with pictures of Starbucks holiday cups and we get the play-by-play of Christmas trees being purchased and filled with homemade ornaments. Holiday party’s become about as frequent as breathing and there is a general sense of camaraderie among people who …

Women, Child Birth and What it Means to be Fully Human Again

My wife, Jan, was 8 days past her due date when the first signs of labor finally kicked in about 5am. Being past your due date is no fun (keep in mind, I’m a dude talking here, so I really have no idea how hard it really is) as you start to wonder, 1. if …

When Good News Looks Like Something: 5 Ways to Engage Your Neighborhood

I love my neighborhood. It’s not that it is all that glamorous or cool or “safe” or whatever. It’s that it is full of people who actually want to experience some kind of community together. There is a building sense that we all have some skin in the game and that our thriving is somehow …