1. The Great Commission and the American Dream from J.D. Greear’s blog
Over the years I have noticed that when I call people to live sacrificially and radically for the Great Commission, many people respond immediately, but out of a sense of guilt or obligation… and it rarely lasts. My stirring sermon about the needs of the world or the demands of discipleship did not succeed in producing a genuine heart change that resulted in a permanent change of behavior. Not only that, I found that my own heart gravitated quickly away from commitment to the Great Commission.
I believe that is because most of us are held captive by “the American dream.” We can preach against pursuing the American dream, but until we deal with why we are held captive to it, our sermons will not produce permanent, lasting change. Like a moth to a flame, our hearts will be drawn back to the lure of the dream.
2. Six New Books on the Gospel from C.J. Mahaney’s blog
3. Missional Discipleship from Reclaiming the Mission blog–“The two questions that drive the discipleship process are: 1.)What is God saying to you in your life (today, this week etc.)? 2.)How are you responding – or what are you going to do about that? The way we use these two questions to drive the discipleship process in many faceted ways, I FOUND COMPELLING!!”
4. Social Media and the Church from Church Planting For the Rest of us blog–“I recently connected with my good friend Bill Seaver, founder of MicroExplosion Media, about how the Church can effectively use social media for the advancement for the Gospel.”