Perspective Cards - Website Now Live

A week ago or so, our Perspective Cards website went live. There are still items to be added, included the training videos. But this at least begins the support of the Perspective Cards. Last I checked, there were more Perspective Cards sold than Soularium for the fall. And I am hearing stories of staff and students on campuses across the U.S. who love using these for spiritual conversations. Check them out!

If you have used them, share a story in the comments of what you think.

Divisions of People

Divisions of People is a thought provoking video from our friends at InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, shown at Urbana '09. Enjoy...

The Divisions of People from Urbana 09 on Vimeo.

Every Life Has a Story-If You Care to Read it

One of the principles driving effective exploring in the CoJourner Explorer role is the recognition that "everyone has a story and every story is worth discovering." Seems that Chick-fil-a agrees. Enjoy...

Introducing "The Art of the Four Holy Gospels"

My last post touched the mixture of business and church--pretty much "left-side of the brain" stuff, don't you think. Well, traversing to the "right-side", what about Art & the Bible? Check this out:

Makoto Fujimura - The Art of "The Four Holy Gospels" from Crossway on Vimeo.

Makoto Fujimura is a writer, speaker, and, of course, world-class artist whose influence (including through the IAM Movement) is significant. I am so thankful for gifted individuals like him who are leading the way in wedding arts and faith!

Our experience increasingly demonstrates the powerful connections between the visual and the spiritual among the emerging generation. Perhaps The Art of the Four Gospels will be another profound display. Wish I could be there to see it!

Fast Company, Willow Creek & the Business World

The December/January print edition of Fast Company will include a fascinating article, available to you now on-line, entitled, "How Willow Creek is Leading Evangelicals by Learning From the Business World". It is a longer article but worth the read, especially if you want a case study in mixing practical (in this case, business) wisdom with ministry philosophy.

While most of the article features Willow's Leadership Summits, I am intrigued by:

1. The insights into Bill Hybels as a man and a leader. For instance, "I've been put in a position of influence, and reading is one of the most economical ways to get better at it."
2. The tensions over Willow's intentional embrace of "secular" wisdom. How would you respond to David Wells critical comment? "Willow Creek has confused what leadership is in a company and what it must be in a church. We're in a very different orbit from the corporate world. Our objective is night-and-day different."
3. Common quote attributed to Calvin, "all truth is God's truth." Actual quote from his Institutes, "If we believe the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth, we shall neither reject nor despise the truth itself where it shall appear, unless we wish to insult the Spirit of God." That, of course, frames the discussion around "truth". But is it better framed around "wisdom", and, if so, what difference does that make?
4. Willow's amazing international influence--"some 53% of the Willow Creek Association's nearly 9,000 congregations are now overseas"-- yet recognizing that the model hasn't worked everywhere, "Two years ago, the association quit India; the cost of putting on an event there...was prohibitive." Intriguing, in part, due to the reality that India is both an emerging global influence (especially in business) and home to a significant portion of the remaining "unreached" peoples for the gospel. That is one location I would expect to be a very high priority.

Of course, it is important to bear in mind, as with any article, you are getting the "author's perspective", and not all can possibly reflect the reality or views of Willow. But it is still a helpful (10-15 minute) read.

Thanks, Willow, and thanks, Fast Company.

The Next Christian - Lyons Interview

If you haven't seen it yet, you might want to invest the 5 minutes and 36 seconds to watch the ABC News spot: Focus On Faith, entitled, "What's Wrong with Today's Christians?", an interview with Gabe Lyons.

Begins with a recounting of the rise of the Religious Right, including Lyon's "embarrassment" from peoples' perceptions of Christians (think, UnChristian). He also shares his perspective on the "attractional church".

But the greatest value (at least in light of my interests) is his brief insights into the emerging generation of believers as those "restorers". This begins BTW at 3:50 min into the interview.

We have continued to watch (with interest) this growing value among students over the last decade. The tsunami (Dec. '04) began to give initial motion within our movements, accelerating with the response to Katrina and now spilling into more and more campus movements, summer projects, partnerships and collaborative efforts.

Part of "The Changing Landscape of Campus Ministry".