This has been a strange week in the international life of NieuCommunities. Within days of each other, we had two stirring incidents take place on opposite sides of the world. One of our sites is in Pretoria, South Africa. While developing young Church leaders, our team has been diving deep into the local context, which …
Category Archives: Missional Living and Advocacy
When Dreams Meet Reality: Life in Intentional Community
After years of being a youth pastor, I remember the time I came home from yet another event that required endless administration, energy and resources and asked myself, “Is this what it means to be the Church? And if so, there have to be better ways to embody the supposed life-giving, relational aspects of Jesus …
Continue reading “When Dreams Meet Reality: Life in Intentional Community”
International Day of Peace: Reflections on an Issue We Can’t Afford to Get Wrong
Today is International Day of Peace. It is a time to slow down and reflect not only on global peace, but on the way each of our lives reflect (or fails to reflect!) the way of peace as was embodied in Jesus. My prayer to start to start the day: “Lord, may your people reflect, …
Continue reading “International Day of Peace: Reflections on an Issue We Can’t Afford to Get Wrong”
Fatalities of Prejudice
(Pic: Our daughter Ruby with a Muslim family that recently fled Afghanistan as persecuted refugees) Confession: I often fall victim to stereotype and blind prejudice against those outside of my cultural, religious or ethnic circle. I believe many of us have allowed the polarizing and hateful rhetoric of media/politics to inform us on who we …
Just Peacemaking Final Video: Mustard Seeds of Hope
My friend Eliyahu is one of the hero’s we must highlight as advocates for the peace/shalom/salaam of Jesus. He is a Jewish Rabbi and founder of Jerusalem Peacemakers. In the village of Zakarias meeting with Jewish Israeli settler (on far left) and Muslim Palestinian (second from right). The Jewish couple that helped start the Neve …
Continue reading “Just Peacemaking Final Video: Mustard Seeds of Hope”