The Thing About Preaching

Mar. 1, 2023.One day John's disciples came to Jesus and asked if he was really the Messiah. Jesus told them to go back and tell John, who was in prison at the time, about all the miracles occurring and how the gospel is being preached to the poor. (Matt. 11:5; Lu 7:22) Is it possible we are routinely developing our preaching around scriptural themes, while forgetting that the first focus might have less to do with content and more to do with who we are preaching too?

According to Jesus, preaching to the poor is in itself a telltale sign that the Messianic age is upon us.In 2004, Paul Engel and Gary McIntosh researched the Characteristics of renewal movements in church history, and found the following commonalities: 1)A rediscovery of the heart of the gospel, 2)A tension with institutional forms, 3)Catalytic leaders, 4)Rediscovering a sense of community, 5)Active discipleship as the norm for all members, 6)Ordinary Christians are released to ministry, and 7)Preaching the gospel to the poor. Whether it was the four Great Awakenings between 1730 - 1890, the American Pentecostal Revival of 1900, or the Welsh Revival of 1904, there was a consistent return to preaching the gospel to the poor.

This research thrills me, especially when I consider what the Spirit is raising up with the Dinner Church movement. All of the characteristics listed above are increasingly becoming commonplace among our many Jesus Tables. I am not saying the Dinner Church wave will reach to the heights of the Great Awakening or the Pentecostal Revival, but I do feel a deep kinship with the highpoint's of church history and the work of our Founder as we preach the stories of Jesus to the poor at tables hundreds of dinner tables every night across the land. There is a holy alignment that occurs when we focus our preaching on the poor. And that is worth some deep meditation.

Blessings & Boldness,

Verlon 

Bus People

Feb. 15, 2023.Melodee and I just returned from Israel a few days ago, and it was so wonderful to see many of the holy sites. However,  there was one that rather stunned me because of the sacred/profane paradox it offered.

We were sitting on some bleachers prior to going into the Garden Tomb, and the tour guide was orienting us to what we were about to see. She started her lesson talking about the place of Jesus' crucifixion, and that most Bible scholars believe that Golgotha, which means 'the place of a skull' refers a cliff that has a few cave openings that resemble eye-sockets, nasal and mouth openings. And further it is believed that Jesus was crucified at the bottom of this cliff with the skull imagery behind him, rather than on "a hill far away", as the hymn suggests. After explaining this, our tour guide pointed out that we were sitting right next to that cliff and the likely crucifixion site. And sure enough, when we looked to our right, there was a cliff with cave openings in full view only 200 yards away.

But then things got crazy, because backed up against the bottom of that skull cliff was a paved parking lot for the Jerusalem metro busses. Dozens of busses were stacked end to end; some were trying to get out; some were trying to get parked; horns were honking; it was chaos. At times it was so noisy we could hardly hear our guide talk. The very place where Jesus likely became the sacrificial lamb of the world is now completely consumed by a public transit system.

I was annoyed that someone hadn't captured that location and created a meditation site so people could sit, look upon the place of the Savior, and recapture the wonder of their salvation. But then I was reminded that Jesus was born in a barn, spent his infancy running from the government, gave his days to the outcast, the broken and the sick, and was crucified between thieves. So why should we be surprised that his crucifixion site has now been offered to the 'bus people'? There is something holy about this.

Blessings & Boldness,

Verlon

Sea of Galilee

Feb 2, 2023

Today Melodee and I are in Israel, staying in a kibbutz beside the Sea of Galilee. I am writing this blog overlooking the water from our back deck that is only 200 ft from the waters edge. I’m wondering how many times Jesus and the disciples walked by this exact piece of lakeshore? Was this near the place where Jesus healed hundreds of people, and then had to teach from a boat because the pressing throng? Or maybe one could have seen Jesus walking on the water from this point during that storm? Or perhaps this was near the place Jesus cooked the disciples breakfast on an open fire and restored Peter after his failures? Whatever May have happened on this spot, Melodee and I are stirred beyond words to be walking across the same stones as our Lord did.

We do not represent a mythical diety that has created a religious following, but we bear witness to the stories of Jesus that happened right here…on this little strip of Palestine the size of New Jersey. Jesus happened here! Jesus changed the world from here! This Jesus is our story!Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

A New Passover

Jan 25, 2023.

I have always enjoyed the story about the 12-year old Jesus left behind in Jerusalem (Luke 2). When his parents returned to search for him, they found him in the temple discussing spiritual things with the priests. I have chuckled to myself when Jesus replied to his parents, "Didn't you know I would be about my Fathers Business?" This past week I noticed that several translations say, "Didn't you know I would be in my Fathers House?" I fear those translations are trying to accommodate the modern version of Christianity who's primary expression is attending church gatherings. But the older translations who depict Jesus' answer as doing his fathers work or being about his business are more accurate. In Jesus Hebraic world, spirituality was always proven by corresponding engagement in good works; going back and forth to synagogue would never be sufficient. Our primary metric of Western Christianity is church attendance, which it is not the same as doing the Fathers work, and needs to come under a serious review. I am so thankful for the Fresh Expressions movement that is giving leadership to the established church about engaging in the lives of different people groups in their towns. This takes Christian spirituality outside of our buildings, which is an important first step toward good works.

There is another truth that emanates from this story of the misplaced boy-Jesus. Lu 2:41 states that every year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for Passover. Thus, by the time he hosted the Last Supper with his disciples on the night before he went to the cross, he had celebrated the Passover remembrance dozens of times; he had a deep and practiced understanding of this annual meal event which celebrated Israels miraculous deliverance from Egypt's slave program 700 years earlier. Jesus also knew full well that on that final night, he was altering the reason for the Passover from God's rescue of Israel, to Jesus' rescue of mankind. It was the New Passover they celebrated that night. And then he told them to do this and remember him going forward. He gave them a vision for doing church. It is from that inaugural event on the first Holy Week that the dinner church finds its traction. So as you gather for your next dinner church event, please pause to remember that you are practicing the same New Passover Jesus handed to his disciples...and to us...2000 years later.

Blessings & Boldness,

Verlon

Greater Works

Jan 18, 2023.The healings, miracles and works of Jesus are legendary. These miracle stories have built our faith as pastors, and enabled us to stir the imagination of our audiences. Most of us do not try to explain them away as exaggerations; we believe them. Many are also recorded in secular historical records, making it difficult to relegate them to mythology or folklore.Given the radical nature of these historical stories, it can be difficult to digest Jesus' words, "Most assuredly I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father" (John 14:12). That is such a lofty promise, but Jesus forwarded it to his leaders none-the-less. Then, we watched these works flood into the ministries of the first disciples - they preached everywhere with great power and worked miracles which proved their message was true (Mark 16:20). Before we even get to the end of Acts these first followers were arguably surpassing the works of Christ; they were praying over hanky's that healed people who touched them later; even their shadows coming across sick people healed them as they walked by. Remarkable. Greater works indeed.What about our ministries today? Could it be that Heaven has some 'greater works' ready to pour into each of our stories? Are you feeling stirred to start praying for some unexplainable things?Remember, Jesus promised us 'greater works' if we'd reach for them. If we have learned anything at our dinner church tables in Seattle, it is the more we pray healing prayers the more healing occurs. That is a great place for any dinner church team to start reaching.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Only The Shepherds...

Jan. 11, 2023I know that Christmas is over, but there are a few points from the incarnation stories that I am still mulling over.Luke 2 records that the angels only visited and invited the shepherds on that Holy Night. Shopkeepers, townspeople, and hostels full of visitors were not invited to come and view the newborn Messiah - only the lowly shepherds. Most of us have preached how the shepherds were the lowest in the social order and received a meager subsistence income for a difficult lifestyle. But they were the ones invited to come to the infant Christ. Further, they were told to look for a baby sleeping in an animal feeding trough. So, when they went looking through the animal enclosures, they found the Savior exactly as the angels had said. Only the shepherds knew what it was like to sleep with animals; only the shepherds were invited.We often say that the ground is even at the foot of the cross. And while I believe that everyone is welcomed equally, not everyone is sought equally. There is a clear preference throughout scripture about seeking the "least of these" first. While this doesn't sit well with some of our egalitarian theologies, it remains an unavoidable truth. One of Thomas Merton's famous quotes: "Those who abandon everything in order to seek God know well that he is the God of the poor."I know there are dinner churches across the country filled with all kinds of people other than the financially challenged - and I am thankful. But, let's remember that heaven offers its loudest invites to the poor. I know there are many churches effectively serving middle and upper neighborhoods - and again I am thankful. But, let's remember that Jesus wants to redeem the sore neighborhoods too.We estimate there are 350,000 neighborhoods in the US that have a low ratio of churches but a high ration of isolated residents. Is there a neighborhood like that near you? That is a great place for a dinner church congregation to be planted. And trust me when I say: Jesus REALLY wants to sit and eat with those neighbors.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon 

FOREVER!

Dec. 14, 2022.Kingdoms upon this earth have never lasted; all governments have faded with time. Dating back to the first world power when Alexander the Great cried because there were no more worlds to conquer, til the Romans overthrew the Greeks, and then the Visagoth’s overthrew the Romans. Soon the French, and Germans and and Brits would all take their turn as super powers. In recent decades it has been the US holding the greatest sway over world events. But we too are now going the direction of so many before us, and are showing signs of a society in retrograde. The grand point of this chronology is this: kingdoms do not last forever. Against that earthly history, I am greatly intrigued by what the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary about her forthcoming son, “He will be great, He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Lu. 1:32-33). Those words are startling. Think of it - a government that will never lose its reign. And this is the kingdom we represent. This gospel that was birthed upon the earth 2000 years ago will never cease to be an influential kingdom upon the earth. Kings and tyrants have predicted Christianity’s demise, famous sociologists have declared that the Church will soon become invisible, and at times it might even feel like they are right and that momentum is waning. But in the face of these falterings I will recall Gabriels prophecy, that our Lord’s kingdom will never fall and his government will be the singular movement upon the earth that will never fade into irrelevance. Jesus’ leadership is FOREVER. The kingdom we serve is FOREVER! Merry Christmas,Verlon

Unexplainable and Impossible

Dec. 7, 2022.This time of year my heart is drawn to the incarnation stories. I don't know why, but I usually skip the Zacharias & Elizabeth story and jump forward to Mary and Joseph. And yet it is such a necessary thing to start the advent story where Luke did. Young Mary was about to enter a twilight zone type experience involving angels, an unexplainable pregnancy, scandal, and an undeserved disturbance in her engagement. She needed some large doses of reality to help her process all of the mystical occurrences and become a willing participant in the unexplainable and impossible plan of incarnation. Heaven presupposed her emotional need and sent her to her cousin Elizabeth, who had experienced similar impossibilities, and was now six months pregnant. For Elizabeth it all started one unassuming day when her husband Zacharias, a priest, took his shift at the temple. While there an angel appeared and told him that his wife would bear a child and he was to call him John. Zacharias struggled with the details of this message, after all his wife was old and barren, and the name John was a departure from the family name. Given his doubts, the angel caused him to become mute until the baby was born. But during Elizabeth's pregnancy young Mary arrived, and was told of the infant John leaping within Elizabeths womb at Mary's arrival, of the angel visitation, of Zacharias' muteness, and then of the unexplainable pregnancy. This was exactly what Mary needed - to hear a 'real-time' story that was similar to the mystical and unexplainable and impossible events that were now happening to her.We must pause to remember that the way Jesus came to this earth was not, and will never be, a logical story. It pushes the boundaries of reason. And as Christian leaders we have been called to lead the ongoing ripples of this gospel story. We have been asked to engage in the unexplainable and help usher in downloads from heaven that are flatly impossible from time to time. Faith by nature has an illogical component to it. And being a leader in the Faith has an illogical component as well. But rest assured, heaven will pre-suppose our need for some 'real-time' examples like was done for Mary. My father once told me, "Be sure to read the biography's of Men and Women of God on a regular basis. In so doing you will be in the company of those who had to trust God deeply and take large steps of faith. You will find this to be very encouraging throughout your days and the faith steps you will be asked to take." I have remembered my fathers words often. And I am glad I took his advice, because the unexplainable and the impossible have both arrived at my door numerous times. It is the way of the gospel...oh servant of God!Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

A Particular Gratitude

Nov. 16, 2022.With Thanksgiving just around the corner, there is a particular divine outpouring that is occurring of which I am deeply grateful...I am thankful for the historic richness of the Jesus Table that is rebirthing before our eyes.I am thankful for how church after church is setting a bountiful table each week - offering a living picture of Christ's lavish Gospel.I am thankful for the sacrifice of leaders and congregations who are entering challenged neighborhoods and traveling distances each week to provide an Agape' Table, because they feel everyone should get a chance to be with Jesus.I am thankful for a renewed understanding of the Jesus Stories which is giving us a powerful voice with our secular neighbors - something that had been lost in recent decades.I am thankful for a new vision of 'koininia' = the deep fellowship that naturally forms at Jesus Tables and among the teams of people who are leading them.I am thankful for the healing that is flowing from our hands - if we are in the 'Jesus Table' business, we are in the 'Healing' business.I am thankful for a re-awakening of the New Passovers which Jesus instituted on the first Holy Week, and the restoration of mission it is offering to the church family.I am thankful for denominational leaders who are welcoming and supporting Dinner Church planting initiatives throughout their ranks, and watching congregations go from 'struggling' to 'thriving'.I am thankful for the many people who energetically gather for Dinner Church trainings across the country because they want to maximize their effectiveness.I am thankful how the Dinner Church is enabling us to live out our foremost Christian vocation - populating heaven.I am thankful for leaders who are engaging the frontlines of the Gospel, where the inbreaking Kingdom of Jesus is advancing against the uprising kingdom of darkness, and are contending in prayer for the souls of their neighborhoods. Darkness and oppression wins until we show up, then the strongman flees (Ja. 4:7)I am thankful that Jesus has opened up for us a door in heaven that no one can close (Rev. 3:7), and if that weren't enough he put the keys to those doors in our pockets (Mt. 16:19) so we can pray with assurance that there will be a constant flow of Jesus' presence, Jesus' healing, and Jesus' embrace at our tables.YES...I am profoundly thankful to be watching the rebirth of the Jesus Table in our lifetime.Verlon 

Headwinds

Oct 26, 2022The Christian movement has always faced headwinds. We need to accept this as a prevailing condition of our calling. Let's remember that our founder faced continual pressure; it even culminated with a riotous crowd screaming for the release of a murderer and the execution of the Messiah-miracle-worker. What? Even Pilate was mystified by this level of injustice? But he gave into the crowd and ordered Barabbas to be free'd and Jesus to be crucified. (Mark 15:15). From that time to the present, Jesus' followers have faced headwinds.Over the years I've watched these winds often arise when mission-minded leaders start talking about opening up a Dinner Church congregation. Reaching isolated people should feel 'noble' to Christians, but oft-times it seems to threaten the insiders somehow, and headwinds begin to blow: "But we are the givers, are they?" "Will the leadership have time for us?", "We have a limited budget you know!" Yes, insider winds will blow. There are outsider winds too. Once our New Passovers become effective and we start populating heaven again, the strongman will react. After all, Jesus Tables naturally start breaking oppressions off of people and plundering the strongman house. These headwinds can be extra blustery, as they are inspired by the uprising kingdom of darkness. Know this: any group using a Jesus Table will find themselves on the frontlines of the gospel, reaching isolated people, populating heaven, and plundering the strongman's house. Given that, you might want to increase the fervor of your prayer life.In our Seattle story, after opening eight Dinner Churches with significant effectiveness, we watched a dark wind blow against us that we were not prepared for. We had outlasted the internal headwinds, we had adjusted for the organizational headwinds, but we simply were not ready for the dark headwinds that "whipped up the crowd" and leveled unjust charges, courts, and government offices against us. That year we learned how powerful dark winds can be. We also learned how powerful bold and expectant prayers can be when practiced by Jesus' people. What was intended for evil, Jesus used it for good. And what was intended to shut us down, Jesus boomeranged it to increase our influence. Amazing. I wouldn't trade 2017 for anything. That was the year we learned how to do more than Jesus Tables, we learned how to pray with bold expectancy and similar to Acts 15:28 spread all-the-more through our city.Are you facing some headwinds? I expect they will soon transform into your greatest influence. That is just what Jesus does with things that bluster against his kingdom.Blessings & Boldness,VerlonPS: In our book: "A Trowel and a Sword", Episcopal Priest Jon Davis and myself (a pentecostal) delve into the topic of spiritual warfare in real time. This is a very practical approach approach to readiness for the front lines. In it I share our Seattle meltdown, and the boomerang Jesus piloted for us. (available on this website)

Heaven's Version of Power

Oct 19,2022.Followers of Christ are dual citizens; we live in this world but we also live in another - the inbreaking kingdom of Heaven. But living in two very different kingdoms at once can get confusing, especially when it comes to leadership. Jesus never got confused about this. In Mark 15, Pilate asked, "are you the king of the Jews?" I love Jesus' response, "Those are your words." That 4-word phrase so crystalizes the issue - this world sees roles and powers one way while heaven sees it completely different. Jesus was a powerful person, so it seemed obvious for Pilate to ask about his kingship and authority. But Jesus was ruled by heavenly metrics, so power positions seemed ludicrous to him. He saw himself as a servant of Fathers will and a servant of this world. There are kings, rulers and leaders upon this earth who happily exercise authority over others. There are even subordinates who try to wield power like kings. These versions of leadership are normal, sadly even in the Church. But these things are not normal in the heavenly realm. How refreshing when Jesus' leaders push back from earthly power identities and opt to walk in the sandals of the Rabbi. Once we decide to put on the servants cloak something quite amazing happens - we release the divine principle of, "less-of-me-always-means-more-of-Him". Big doors start opening, big mountains start moving, Jesus tables start serving, the gospel starts getting preached to the poor, and sick people start getting healed. That is heaven's version of power.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Heaven's Megaphone

Oct 12, 2022.In our world, big is big, and loud is loud. But in God's world, big is small and loud is soft. God redirected Jonah by sending a worm with a ravenous appetite. And God spoke wisdom to Balaam from a talking donkey. Go figure. God seems to really enjoy speaking loudly through small vessels.Peter got a dose of this divine strategy in Mark 14, as he was warming himself by a fire. Jesus had just been arrested and was now inside being accused, cross-examined, and sentenced. But outside, around that fire another court was in session, a soulish court. As Peter stood there alone with his anxiety, a servant girl recognized him and blurted out that he was one of the guys walking around with Jesus. Suddenly, with all eyes upon him and the lynch-mob spirit still hanging in the air, Peter became afraid and denied the girls charge. But she wouldn't give up repeating herself, so he denied it a second time and finally a third time with curse words. Let us pause for a moment - Peter didn't have to go to those lengths to dismiss her words. In those days women were primarily property, especially the servant girls. All he had to do was give a deriding glance in her direction, mutter under his breath, "you foolish girl", and go back to warming his hands. Had he done that, everyone would go back to their conversations and it would have been over. Why didn't he do that? Because it wasn't just that servant girl who was speaking - in Peters heart he heard the reverberations of the voice of God. He was being revealed and redirected. After all, heaven had some great plans for Peter in the not-too-distant future; plans that needed him to be filled with power from on-high rather than self-determination from with-in. This was a megaphone moment for Peter.Are you facing a megaphone moment? We all find ourselves in need of loud interventions from time to time. When your next moment comes, don't expect revelation from a loud clap of thunder, listen instead for some mutterings from the lowest voice around you. Dick Foth states, "If you've lost Jesus, go the poor and they will lead you back to him." Heaven is orchestrating some big pivots and loud voices for your leadership. When they come, it might not be a seasoned spiritual leader who delivers the insight, it might be an insignificant assignment or an unassuming vessel the Lord speaks through. That's how heaven's megaphone tends to work.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

An Outlandish Assignment

Oct 5, 2022.We have been placed in the same position as all of our gospel predecessors - offering a message about a risen Jesus that defies logic. Jesus himself was the first one to be placed in this odd position. When he was questioned by the High Priest in Mark 14: 62 Jesus simply stated that he was the son of God and would soon be sitting on the throne at the right hand of The Father. But those words seemed ludicrous to the religious leaders of the day, and they immediately voted to have him crucified for blasphemy. However, three days after he was executed, he rose again leaving an open empty tomb behind for all to see. So Jesus was telling the truth, however illogical it sounded at the time. Since then, every minister of the gospel has been tasked to offer an unearthly message to earthly people, and invite them to start praying to an invisible Jesus and expect him to answer back. And to their great surprise, person after person found that Jesus did answer back, and faith was born. This is exactly what Paul said would happen in Romans 10:17, "Faith comes from hearing the Good News about Christ." (NLT). When we tell the Jesus Stories of healing and water-walking and rising from the dead, however illogical they sound, he will show up to our hearers. Here is the timeless truth: we are in the business of birthing unearthly faith into the hearts of rational people. What an outlandish assignment!Do you have a team around you that needs to be reminded about the immense power of the Jesus Stories? Are any of them tempted to reduce the stories down to rational and logical explanations? None of us have been called to deliver a gospel narrative that is immediately believable; we have been called serve the outlandish stories about Jesus. The health and future of your dinner church rests upon your Jesus talk, and his self-revelations to follow.Blessings & Boldness,VerlonPS - Jon Davis has written a great update about the hurricane destruction of one of our Dinner Church neighborhoods in Fort Myers Florida. Please take a moment to read this...it's one of ours.https://freshexpressions.com/2022/10/05/hurricane-ian-support-for-dinner-churches-and-others 

Storms

Sept 28, 2022.My heart is pulled today toward the historic storm hitting Florida. We have a multitude of Dinner Churches in that part of the country with many friends facing Ian's fury in real-time. Even as I type this blog, the academic mentor for the Dinner Church School of Leadership Jon Davis, is unable to respond to emails - presumably due to power outages. His community of Cedar Key is where this storm is making landfall. Also, Heather Evans, one of the core-team leaders for the Dinner Church Collective is preparing for great loss in Cape Coral, especially among the must vulnerable in her community. Of great concern is the fact that the timing of Ian's arrival coincides with high tide, which gives the storm surge unusual destructive power. Beyond that, we have family members, children, and grandchildren in Florida during these days. I am having a hard time thinking of anything else today...OH LORD PROTECT OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS AND FAMILY IN FLORIDA!I am comforted by the gospel remembrances that Jesus is no stranger to storms. When he was on earth he did not avoid them, he did not fear them, sometimes he calmed them, and sometimes he just slept through them. "Oh Lord, give us all that same fearless Spirit!" Can you take a moment today, gather your family and ministry team, and call on the Lord for a divine surge that overwhelms the storm surge in Florida?VerlonP.S. - That is not a bad prayer for anyone in your family or on your ministry team or in your congregation who is facing a storm surge of their own. 

One Thing Is Unmovable

Sept 14, 2022.Near the end of Mark 13, Jesus was engaged in a sobering conversation with Peter, James, John, and Andrew about the challenges and disturbances of things to come. He taught them that discerning the times was similar to looking at a fig tree and discerning when Summer was near. It appears that some of Jesus' prophesy spoke of the destruction of the temple which would occur some 35 years later in AD 70, while other portions seem more fit for what is happening in our day. Whichever way we separate the text, it is sobering and thought-provoking. But the line in Jesus' dialogue that leaps out and demands attention is this: "The sky and the earth will not last forever, but my words will" (vs. 31).Let us think about that for a moment. According to Jesus, the solid ground beneath our feet isn't actually that solid; and the sky that arcs over us isn't actually permanent. Those two elements, which are foundational for our survival, are temporary. By contrast, Jesus' words is the only element in the universe that is not destined to fade away. Jesus repeated this truth in the parable about the wise and foolish builders, where his words were highlighted as the only rock-like material we could build a life upon - everything else is mere sand that would wash away during storms and floods. Have we meditated sufficiently upon the singular and foundational place that Jesus' words and Jesus' Stories hold for humanity? When those early apostles preached the Jesus Stories around their Jesus Tables, they were using the most potent and stable spiritual material available. Do we need to work harder at preaching what they preached? We live in a day of turmoil, division, plagues, pandemics, and conflicts, where once-stable institutions and constructs are suddenly moving. Everyone is looking for some solid ground. So, the next time you stand before a room to preach a Jesus Story, remember you are offering the most unmovable and timeless spiritual material that is available upon the earth. This week, take a moment to remind your team of the unequaled power of the Jesus Stories.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Spiritual Acts...Carnal Reasonings

Sept 7, 2022Mark 14 captures a great JesusStory in which he was eating with a table full of friends and guests, when a woman came up behind him, broke open a very expensive jar of perfume, and poured it all over Jesus’ head. This seemed awkward and inappropriate enough that some of the guest became angry and spoke cruel things to the woman. Others complained that the perfume jar she broke was such a waste, and instead could have fed many poor people. It seems everyone had a negative review of the woman’s actions. But Jesus knew what was about to unfold, and that he was soon to be arrested, crucified, and buried. In light of that, he told the table guests to leave the woman alone, because she was doing a beautiful thing, and was in fact preparing his body for burial. What? I’m sure Jesus’ words were more of a head-scratcher than what the woman's behavior. But this underscores a human problem: it is so easy to witness a spiritual act but immediately assess it through carnal reasoning. What looked so wrong to the disciples and guests that day was actually timely and spiritual and beautiful. Simply put, Jesus needed to be ministered to prior to his impending death, and that unnamed woman was sent by Heaven to do it.  I have a message for all Dinner Church leaders today: there will be those in your family and your church that will hear of your work and despise it. They might even say cruel things about your ministry. They will do this because of carnal reasoning, but they are simply wrong. They, like so many others before them, are missing the spiritual act you are offering to Our Lord. What you and your people are doing is absolutely timely and spiritual and beautiful. Please strengthen your team with these words, and all of you joyfully attend to the Jesus Tables you are called to serve.  Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Confused...No More!

June 2, 2022.There is an inherent disconnect that all Christian leaders must navigate if we are to be effective in advancing the kingdom of Jesus. To begin with, we only have three pound brains, while the mind of Christ is a much larger thing. But to stop there would minimize the true challenge.#JesusStories: In Mark 10:32 we read, "The disciples were confused as Jesus led them toward Jerusalem, and his other followers were afraid." Jesus continued to head toward Jerusalem when everyone knew there were true haters waiting there to destroy him. It must have seemed to the disciples like he had a death wish. In hindsight, we can see that the salvation plan included Jesus replacing the sacrificial lamb. But that was a very foggy understanding for the disciples, though Jesus had told them plainly several times. But herein lies the problem that every disciple and Christian leader struggles with to this very day - Jesus' leadership assumes sacrifice when everything within us longs for comfort. That inner conflict was why those first disciples could not process the divine plan. And that inner conflict is why following Jesus becomes foggy for us too. The inbreaking kingdom needs sacrifice from the people of God. Our time, our money, our dreams, and our comfort will all be asked for from time to time. We are soldiers in a spiritual war; the struggle between the uprising kingdom of darkness and the inbreaking kingdom of Jesus is real. This requires a soldier-like identity from us all to lay down our comfortable longings and follow Jesus toward the needed sacrifices. When the voices of comfort and Jesus are both talking, the result is confusion and fear. But once we surrender our need for comfort, the sacrificial path becomes clear, and a corresponding boldness whelms up from within. Confusion is gone, fear is gone, and we find ourselves running to the battle. That is the spirit which is prompting countless Dinner Church leaders into broken neighborhoods and crime-ridden corners of their cities. And to those leaders I say - "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, and the good news to the poor." (Ro. 10:15, Luke 4:18)#DinnerChurchQuotes: We need the ability to will 'one thing' and live life with the single-mindedness and clarity that follows. (Soren Kierkegaard)#PracticalStuff: How are you growing your team? Every Christian leader is called to grow the ministry impact of everyone around them. That is what leadership means in Jesus' kingdom. And if this is true for the traditional church, it is doubly true for the Dinner Churches which are being recovered from the storage bins of history. The patterns of ministry needed for these New Passovers are the same that occurred around the tables that Jesus and crew practiced: becoming a friend of sinners, telling the stories of the kingdom, praying healing over the broken, and ushering new followers into the very life of Jesus. These ministry practices are needing to be won back by very focused and determined leaders. This is your first calling and your biggest job. When you do it, a full-bodied table church will form; without it you'll only have a feed with a devotional. So, lead on DC pastors; grow you teams who are capable of growing your congregations in Jesus' likeness.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Simple Trust

May 26, 2022.A couple weeks ago was our grand-daughters 4th birthday. When Melodee and I arrived, I teasingly told Everly that this was her big day in which she was supposed to give all of her little friends a present. She corrected me that her friends were going to be bringing presents to her. But I persisted in my rouse and said, "No darling, birthdays are when you give everybody else presents." Instantly, her eyes whelmed up with tears and she ran to her daddy crying before I could fix it. It was a case of a grandpa joke going too far. I felt terrible, of course. An hour later Everly came to me and asked, "Papa, why did you tell me that I would not be getting any presents for my Birthday? Because that is just not how the world works!" Oh my goodness...what a little doll!#JesusStories: Mark 10 captures a time when the disciples were telling parents with children to stop bothering Jesus, to which he became angry and insisted that the children be brought to him immediately. Then Jesus said this, "I promise you that you cannot get into God's kingdom unless you accept it the way a child does." For any of us who desire our lives to flow with the kingdom, we must develop a simple childlike trust. This is not only true for our personal salvation, and it also true for our ministries and Christian leadership.My father was a well-read, studied, and serious pastor throughout his life. I remember asking him one day whether or not God was truly faithful to us. I had witnessed a few things in which it appeared that Jesus had failed to show up. My father recognized my quandary of faith and gave four little words that changed my life, "I just trust God!" There were certainly times to look for logical answers, and he did that as a serious student of theology. But on this day he revealed there were times to rely upon a simple childlike faith. Through the years, I have faced numerous ministerial challenges that made me dig deep for practical answers. But I have also faced a few raw impossibilities and some deep disappointments. These became the moments when the Spirit brought back my fathers words, and I found myself bowing my head and repeating, "Jesus, I just trust you!" And with that simple prayer, my soul regained its traction. In our darkest moments, it is not our theology that will fix us, it is a simple childlike trust that will restore our soul and refresh the many promises of the kingdom.#DinnerChurchQuotes: The average child asks 100 questions a day. By middle-age adults, it's down to a handful of questions a day. As we grow older, we lose our inquiring sense of awe and wonder. We forget how to be childlike. (Michael Slaughter)#PracticalStuff: What is your Summer Dinner Church plan? Some years ago we realized that our teams had been serving faithfully through Memorial Day Weekend, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, etc. We had not shut down our weekly Dinner Church gatherings for any reason nor any day they happened upon. We wanted our guests to know they were like family to us. However, our team was getting tired. So we decided to take August's off, and turn our Dinner Church congregations over to other sister churches to host during those four weeks. This turned out to be powerful for many reasons: it not only rested our people, but it exposed other Christian groups to a different and potent way of doing church. Interestingly, our congregations felt well-cared for even while we were caring for ourselves. And guess who were soon wanting to open a Dinner Church congregation of their own? Yup, those who had filled in for us. We now have many partner churches hosting a Dinner Church of their own throughout our city. Is it possible that you can do some things this Summer that would be both restful and multiplication-oriented?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

The Thing About Salt...

May 19, 2022.There have been lulls in my ministry when I was tired or my leadership was stuck in a fog bank. When we get in these places we need a new anointing, a new clarity, and a new boldness. But how do we get that? Prayer certainly helps, but there is another answer that is somewhat under practiced.#JesusStories: Mark 9 ends with Jesus asking an interesting question: "If salt no longer tastes like salt, how can it be made salty again?" Researcher and historian Valeriy Alikin helps us understand this statement: salt was one of the typical menu items at a first century meal, along with fish, bread, vegetables, wine, oil, and cheese. I doubt many of us would imagine that a bowl of salt would be considered a food group, but it was common faire in those days. In fact, it became a meaningful metaphor for the First Church. One of the Clementine homilies reports that Peter once broke the bread at a dinner gathering, put salt on it and gave it to his table companions as an expression of deep love. Salt was an emblem of their koininia (deep fellowship). The meaning of sprinkling salt on a brothers or sisters food is rather obvious: just as salt seasons bland food and makes it enjoyable, so warm Christian love season's our tiredness and makes our lives compelling again. It is the miracle of koininia, and it is something table churches can do with great fervor, favor, and flavor. So yes, in response to Jesus question - we can be made salty again. We can raise up dinner churches that pour wonderful Christian love over everyone in the room; old and new; young and old; leader and guest; saint and sinner. This is our heritage, our calling, and our anointing.#DinnerChurchQuotes: Because there were communities of mercy and help, Christians did have longer, better lives. This was apparent and must have been extremely appealing. (Rodney stark)#PracticalStuff: How are the evangelists doing in your dinner rooms? Paul talked to Timothy as doing the work of an evangelist, not as a matter of gifting but of calling. Christlikeness includes doing the work of an evangelist - i.e. being a witness to the life stories about Jesus. And every Dinner Church needs a room full of people who are buzzing about these Jesus Stories and how they have changed their life. Do you need to remind your team and volunteers about this calling? Do you need to pray over them for a new anointing to excitedly tell and retell the Jesus Stories like evangelists do? This is the repeating practice that turns a feed into a compelling great commission church. Lets go populate heaven this week!Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

What Did They Proclaim?

Apr 27, 2022The spiritual content pastors and Christian speakers use today flows from the Bible, and that is a wonderful thing. However, the spiritual content of the First Church flowed from the stories about the life of Jesus. How would a solid diet of Jesus Stories shape disciples differently than what we do? Interesting question.#JesusStories: Preaching, teaching, proclaiming, and testifying in the First Century centralized on Jesus' life. Rather than giving a specific JesusStory today, I want to focus on an entire gospel - the Book of Mark. This is the first gospel ever written, and was done by a young 16 year-old named John Mark. He was not an eyewitness to the life of Jesus as he was too young. However, he was from a well-to-do home that afforded him an education, which meant he was literate. So when Peter came to preach each week at Mark's mothers upper room, arguably the first church in Jerusalem, young John Mark sat around that New Passover table and took notes on papyrus of pastor Peters' preaching. And what did Peter's preaching sound like? It was the stories about Jesus and the stories Jesus told. In other words, the book of Mark is the best elongated example of what preaching sounded like from that time period.I fear we have made a huge mistake in thinking that our present-day preaching is similar to the preaching of the First Apostles. Teachings based on the fullness of scripture is a great thing, but it is not the same thing the First Church used. Now don't get me wrong, I believe the Bible is the inspired word of God, I love the scriptures, and I teach from them often in my Christian leadership. However, I find it a worthy meditation to consider the difference of Apostolic Era teaching. Especially if we are going to use an Apostolic Era ecclesial form - the Dinner Church. If we are going to recover their socio-form of church, we would do well to understand their preaching-form as well. If you want an interesting Bible study idea, take out your bible app and look up the words: proclaim, preach, testify, and teach that appear from Acts through the last Epistle. Read each verse carefully to see 'what' they proclaimed, preached, testified, and taught. When I did this exercise, I found 74 scriptural sections that clearly identified they were preaching about Jesus, Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Good News about Christ, the living word, etc. Only a couple times did those search words not flatly identify the Jesus narrative. I have meditated long and hard about what this means. And while I have several insights, the most impactful one has to do with our inability to speak to secular people compared with the First Churches profound ability to speak to the secular peoples of their day - the Romans, the Greeks, the Pagans, and even Barbarians. (See Romans 1:14). But then again, they were proclaiming the Jesus Stories. (See Romans 1:15-16). There is merit to recovering JesusStories preaching, especially if it restores our ability to speak to our secular neighbors.#DinnerChurchQuotes: The early preachers of the good news had one subject and one only - Jesus. This was their ‘word’ which they broadcast so assiduously. (Michael Green)#PracticalStuff: How well does your team know the Jesus Stories? Have the Jesus Stories become foundational in their faith? And how often must you repeat this message before they dive deeply into the different stories Jesus lived and Jesus told? And what will happen in your dinner church if your team and volunteers become so filled with the Jesus Stories that they spill out over and over again at your tables? You will end up with a room full of workers and guests who start looking strangely similar to Jesus himself. And the ability to shape people in the likeness of Jesus is what makes a Dinner Church different than a feed. Suggestion: take the four questions listed above into your next team meeting; give them a JesusStories Bible; start reading through those stories with a team reading schedule perhaps. What do you think?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon