Etymologically, the word for companion is derived from the Latin com, meaning “with” or “together”, and panis, meaning “bread”. Literally speaking, a companion is someone who shares bread with another. To be a companion of Jesus is to be someone who shares in Christ’s lifegiving bread.
Author: revkylenorman
Embracing Church Mess: Acting like Jesus in Flawed Communities
what if the messiness of the community is an opportunity for you to act like Jesus? Have you ever considered how Jesus experienced the community of faith? Jesus, who experienced perfect communal love within the Trinity, witnessed the community in all its inglorious humanity.
Is Jesus not enough?
The reality is, if someone joins a congregation because some out-of-the-box program tickles their spiritual fancy, then it is only a matter of time before they move on to some other spiritual side-show.
Finding Jesus in Daily Life: An Invitation
I once went for a walk with someone new to the church. As we strolled through the park, she looked at me and said “So, you are really into Jesus, aren’t you?” What followed was a wonderful discussion about faith, scripture, but most of all, the importance of Jesus. She described being how Jesus seemed aloof to her. What she really wanted to know was how to get to know him.
The Secret to Enlivened Prayer
The more that I skipped my prayers, or entered them in words alone, the more I felt my connection with God slowly drift. My sense of rootedness in God’s presence became dim and I found myself easily irritated.
The Leadership Trap that Keeps Churches Stuck
Even before Jethro voiced his concern, the Spirit was at work in the lives of those 70 elders. The longer Moses held a tight grip on his ministry, the more he limited the Spirit’s work. Believing that ministry rested exclusively on his shoulders meant that opportunities for others to step into ministry were withheld.
Turn my Dancing into Mourning.
Indeed, what does worship look like when we don’t feel like dancing? What does Christian life look like when wrapped in mourning? Does not-dancing betray our connection to Jesus?
The Future Church Doesn’t Exist
Many people relate the future church to the existence and participation of young people. But is the future church a church of young people? Because time-travel is fickle, and the young people today will be the old people of the future, so who exactly are we referring to?
Hi I’m Kyle and I’m into Jesus.
I once had a parishioner invite me for a walk. She was new the parish and I was eager to get to know her more. As we walked through a nearby park, we talked about her emerging faith and what precipitated her return to church. She then turned to me with a pensive look. “Can I ask you a question?” She asked. When I nodded in reply, she continued: “You are really into Jesus, aren’t you?”
No one likes a boaster….except Jesus.
Boasting is intimately connected to worship. Thus, boasting is akin to idolatry, the worship of someone or something besides the one who made us and redeemed us. But the bible never actually calls us to refrain from boasting, but to boast rightly.
