Who Is Interested?

Jan 12 2022.I do not like limitations being placed on my efforts. I'm sure you don't either. And yet there are times when it happens in ministry. We have all bumped up against financial limitations that have stalled our leadership visions. Beyond that, there is the ongoing challenge of getting the people around us to cooperate with a wonderful ministry idea. uggg.#JesusStories: Early in Jesus' ministry he decided to return to his hometown to minister to those he knew best (Mark 6). When he arrived, the townspeople gathered to hear him, and were absolutely amazed at the power of his words and miracles. But then an unexpected downturn occurred; the people started talking among themselves that this was only Joseph and Mary's son who had been a carpenter among them for years, and they became disgusted at the authority Jesus was now exhibiting. Was it because they remembered his days of youthful behavior? Maybe. Was it because they did not want to be told to rearrange their live for the new kingdom by one of their local carpenters? Likely. Was it because they were jealous that their sons had not risen to prophet status? Perhaps. But whatever the reasons, the crowd backed away from Jesus the miracle worker. Even his own family seemed to side with the townspeople. But the most interesting thing from this 'walk away', was Jesus' inability to do many miracles or healings. This was such a contrast from the other towns Jesus and the disciples had visited. Just days earlier Jesus had cast out a legion of demons from a scary violent man who lived in graveyard; he had cured a woman who had suffered from chronic bleeding for 12 years; and he had raised a little girl from the dead. Usually crowds were running toward Jesus, but now his friends and family were walking away from him and shaking their heads in derision. This was a shockingly odd experience for the disciples. Even Jesus was deeply surprised at their unwillingness to listen to him and at least let him heal their sick. But then Jesus recalled that hometown folks tend to dishonor their own prophets. Further he commented how his people "did not have any faith" (vs. 6). Wow, what a blow to have to acknowledge that your closest friends and family have 'no faith'. And with that, Jesus turned and took his message and miracles to the nearby villages.Dear Christian leaders, whether we like it or not, our effectiveness in advancing the gospel is deeply impacted by the church people around us. If the Messiah could have his ministry  minimized by friends and family, so can we. Truth be told, I have many memories of this happening to Melodee and me over the years. When this occurs, we must take this lesson from our Lord, and turn instead to serve other people who are more ready for heaven to  download upon them. I had a superintendent in California who used to say, "ride the horse that is running!" In other words, if the initiative you are pursuing isn't advancing, get on another one that will. Jesus' townspeople wouldn't respond, but the neighboring villages would. The disciples were taught that if people weren't listening to their message and miracles, to shake the dust off their sandals and go the another village. Are you hearing this? It is our heritage of Christian leadership that if your church people will not engage in your kingdom visions, go to people in your community who are ready to engage. Here is a dirty little secret - many Dinner Churches have been birthed by a pastor and a small team after their church people said, "we're not interested." If you have heard that, I have a question for you: "Who is interested?"#DinnerChurchQuotes: "The church has divested itself of the connection business in order to master the principle business, the proposition business, and the being-right business. But the future belongs to the connectors." (Leonard Sweet)#PracticalStuff: It is a new year, and a great time to remind your team of their core dinnertime practices. One of them, which happens to be the most important job in the room, is "turning strangers into friends". This is an assignment for EVERY person on EVERY evening. How do you feel about making this the convo for your next leaders huddle?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

No Matter What!

Jan 5, 2022.We don't usually mean to be contrary to God, but as humans we are sure good at it. Our three-pound brains instinctively lead us in directions opposite of divine wisdom over and over again. Spiritual maturity then is the process of becoming more Christ-directed.#JesusStories: Jairus was a synagogue leader. I am quite sure he felt conflicted by this uprising prophet named Jesus who on the one hand was breaking the rules of the sabbath, but on the other was healing people in the most profound ways. But now Jairus' daughter was deathly ill, and he found himself standing before Jesus asking for help. There is a lesson here: when things start touching our families our spiritual perspectives change. Jesus agreed to help and as they were walking to Jairus' home the woman with the issue of blood interrupted the procession. To Jairus' dismay, Jesus stopped to sort why divine virtue had just flowed from him..."who touched me?"..."your faith has made you whole"..."go in peace"...(you know the story). All the while I'm sure Jairus was anxiously shifting his weight from foot to foot hoping to get the healer refocused on his sick daughter. But right then, in the middle of Jairus' deep anxiety, some of his servants arrived to tell him the little girl had died. Can you imagine what he felt? He had gone to great lengths to see this would not happen; he had stepped over theological lines to come to Jesus; he had risked his standing with other religious leaders; yet it still happened; she died. The frustration, the anxiety and the grief must have descended upon him like an avalanche. Hearing the news, Jesus turned back to Jairus and simply said, "Don't worry, Just have faith!"Now if my daughter had just died, those words would be woefully inadequate to address the explosion that would be bubbling up from inside of me. How could Jesus say something so shallow to a father? Today in fact, we caution people not to throw faith platitudes to someone who is experiencing deep pain and loss. But that is exactly what Jesus did. And yet, it is absolutely clear that Jesus fully expected those words to carry the day and address the need of Jairus' heart. Hmmm.Now I love the ending of the story where Jesus goes to Jairus' home, kicks out the funeral people, and tells the little girl to get up...and she does! But we must all do business with what happened on the road between Jesus and Jairus before the miracle. It is at this point we must all consider our spiritual positioning. Do you see yourself as one who is living on the earth trying to figure out what God is doing?...or do you see yourself as one who is a critical part of God's inbreaking Kingdom that is flowing onto the earth with Him? Do we spend our time discerning Heaven from earth, or do we see ourselves as called to represent Heaven to earth? In some way this defines the journey of spiritual maturity; the more we grow as men and women of God, the more we embrace a 'flowing with heaven' spirituality. And the more natural it becomes to watch our faith overwhelm our worry - even during the scary stuff. Now don't get me wrong, this story still challenges my human fathers heart in a very deep way. But then again, so does Jesus' expectation that we should boldly trust him NO MATTER WHAT!#DinnerChurchQuotes: "You have to trust in divine appointments. You have to trust that every kind word will help somebody. Be ready to be a part of Gods plan." (Feyez, an Egyptian Pastor)#Practical Stuff: What do you think about pulling your team together, and remind them that your dinner church is on the forefront of expanding the Kingdom of God into new hearts, families, and under-gospeled neighborhoods? Would you pray over each team member that a new anointing would descend upon them as they start this new chapter of time? Would you then write a short report about your teams prayer time in the comment section of this blog so we all can feel the rising tide of readiness for this new year? (BTW - I'm doing this with my team tonight).Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Something Wonderful Happens...

Dec 15, 2021.Thousands of sermons are being preached during this advent season about Jesus’ coming, and I’m sure they will be filled with many stirring insights. I wish I could hear them all - Oh how I love the Christmas message. But there is one portion of the incarnation story that tends to get downplayed.  #JesusStory: Luke 4 captures Jesus’ mission statement. The way it happened is that Jesus and crew went into a Jewish synagogue, and true to form they invited Jesus to do the reading. He asked for the scroll of Isaiah, and found his way to the section we now know as Isaiah 61. The very fact that he could get to that section while everyone was watching demonstrates familiarity with the scrolls, which is impressive in and of itself and speaks to Jesus’ devotional life. But once there he read about being anointed to lift the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed. Then to the astonishment of those in attendance he said that section of prophecy had now come true on that very day in that very room. In other words, this was his divine commission that had been delivered to the prophet Isaiah hundreds of years earlier, but on that day they were all witnesses to the fulfillment of that prophecy and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. And then he went from that room and began to do exactly what he had read - he pursued the poor, he healed the blind, and he released oppressed peoples from all kinds of bondages. We need to pause right now and remember that this is the stated reason he came to earth. It is easy in our wealthy part of the world to blur Jesus’ primary commitment to the marginalized and offer up a Jesus that has come for the middle and upper classed peoples, but it isn’t quite true is it? Actually, He unapologetically stated and demonstrated an initial calling to the people who were not doing very well in this life. Now don’t get me wrong, I fully believe that Jesus loves us all and embraces us into the family, but still his stated and practiced mission started with the ‘least of these’. May we not forget this part of the story as we preach our advent messages. If we get our Saviors first steps wrong in our messaging, then our next step will be offering a sanitized Jesus to a sanitized audience, and the incarnation will be emptied of the compelling power; Heavens deep love for us is proved by the deep contrast of the incarnation - He who had everything came to earth and gave it up for people who had nothing. Once we reveal Jesus’ first calling, something wonderful happens afterwards. Merry Christmas!Verlon

Faithful Shepherds

Dec 8, 2021The term 'shepherding' has suffered some negative press over the years. Some have equated it with controlling the details of peoples lives, and that has created push-back. Others have perceived it as one of the ministry gifts that isn't very effective in leading a growing church, and that too has created push-back. But let's consider a different definition altogether.#JesusStories: In Jn. 10 Jesus talked about his role as the good shepherd, and how he opens the gate for people to come and go and find pasture. Interestingly though, he also revealed some other personages who commonly show up in these spiritual pastures. There are thieves who come to rob, kill, and destroy everyone in the pasture. Then there are wolves who prey upon people. And lastly there are hired shepherds who run when the predators show up. These hired shepherds are not like the owner shepherds, and they run because they do not feel a sense of loss that would cause them to turn and fight to defend the vulnerable ones in their pastures.I suppose it is valuable for every minister of the gospel to stop once in a while and ask if there is any hireling motivation in them? Or are they more robust than that, and see a willingness to fight for the quality of their peoples lives? If you are a Dinner Church pastor, your tables have likely filled up with all sorts of vulnerable of people, who are used to being harassed and threatened in a dozen different ways. But, do we know how to fight for these people? It would be easy if we just served a meal each week and went home, but that sounds like 'hired-shepherd' thinking. If however, we were capable of hitting our knees at times and contending for the lives of people whom Jesus has gathered for us, that would be more like 'owner shepherd' thinking. While thieves and wolves seem less visible to middle-Americans, they are very real to the half of the population who suffer profound levels of isolation and loneliness. These friends do not need a hireling, they need a pastor ready to fight for them in prayer...they need a FAITHFUL SHEPHERD!#DinnerChurchQuotes: Wolves are not the scariest things in the wilderness, a watchful pastor with a shepherd staff is. -anonymous#PracticalStuff: Christmas is coming, and giving a JesusStories bible to each of your people might be a great idea. They are only $3.99 each, but are designed to feel like a genuine gift when you hand them out. If you jump on it today...they might make it before the 25th. Order from DinnerChurch.Com/Resources.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Pushing Back Evil

Dec 1, 2021.Most leaders entered the ministry imagining they'd be preaching on Sundays and shepherding their flock throughout the week. But staring down evil until it backs up?...that wasn't in the original dream.#JesusStories: Mark 3 reveals some interesting things about the selection of Jesus' disciples. First of all, they were twelve incredibly common men. That should give all of us hope. But I'm intrigued about why Jesus wanted these men. Jesus states three reasons in vs. 14-15: 1)to be with him, 2)to be sent out to preach, and 3)to force out demons. The first two descriptors are easy to embrace, but that last one is not. Dealing with evil was obviously on Jesus' mind when he selected those first disciples. And this means something for every disciple to follow...even us 2000 years later. Jesus was so sure that dealing with evil would be commonplace for us that he included it in the Lords Prayer, "...and deliver us from..." (you know the rest).We live in a pragmatic world - one that dismisses the presence of the spirit world out-of-hand. Somehow, the ministry has been affected by that cultural assumption. Even though we delve into the spiritual world when we practice and teach about prayer, we rather ignore the spirit of darkness. This is not wise; this is now what Jesus had in mind when he selected us for Christian leadership. We live and serve in a war zone between the inbreaking kingdom of Heaven and the uprising kingdom of darkness. And Jesus expects each of us to win victories for him in that war. When we see evil destroying peoples lives around us, it is within our calling to resist that evil until it flees (James 4:7). This is both a spiritual attitude and an activity of prayer. Sometimes it spills into the visible world in the form of a divine work on behalf of someone. But that is our calling. We are to spend time with Jesus, preach the stories about Jesus, and stare down evil until it backs away from the people we are called to reach. That is why disciples have been called...it's what we do. Lord, give us the ability to discern evil when it shows up, and the boldness to push it back until it runs.#DinnerChurchQuotes: Mission will always imply struggle – the struggle between the forces of evil to divide, and the forces of love to unify. (Jean Vanier)#PracticalStuff: Consider sitting down with your core team, and discussing how the uprising kingdom of darkness might be pressing against the people in your neighborhood? Once you have some answers in hand, maybe it is time to take a stand against that evil. It might even be time for you and your team to do a prayer walk around your neighborhood. In so doing you are ushering the inbreaking of kingdom of Heaven IN, and pushing the uprising kingdom of evil OUT! What do you think?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Woundedness and Thanksgiving

Nov 19, 2021.We are a week away from thanksgiving, when we will be gathering as family and friends to laugh, eat, and watch football. It is also the time when most families offer the deepest prayers of gratitude they will pray all year. And that is meaningful.#JesusStories: One day as Jesus was walking into a village near Samaria, ten men who had leprosy met him and asked for healing (Luke 17). Rather than praying over them, Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests, which was the protocol for lepers to be taken off the 'unclean list'. As the men turned to go, their leprous spots and disfigurements disappeared before everyone's eyes. That must have been some sight; it surely impressed Dr. Luke who recorded it in his gospel. The next scene is one of the lepers returning to Jesus, face in the dirt in humble thanksgiving for the miracle. Jesus then asked where the other nine were, to which everyone shrugged. Then he turned to the one ex-leper, blessed him, and sent him home to his family. I know this verse has been often used in a ptolemaic manner to scold thankless people. However, I wonder if this story isn't a commentary on the cross-section of humanity in some way?There are some personalities who are naturally thankful, and others who are not; there are some families who have trained thankfulness into their children better than others; there are some persona's on the enneagram who are achievers that forget the past and rush to the future, or reformers who ignore what is going right and are always fixing what is wrong, or challengers who are unappreciative of others in their struggle to confront unfair systems. These folks are all designed by God, but lack an intuitive gratitude like the helpers, peacemakers, or loyalists. It appears that some of us can only regain a spirit of thanksgiving through spiritual discipline and practice and liturgy. Shaming them for being like the nine ungrateful lepers isn't very helpful.There is a human point in all this to be considered: I am sure that most of the lepers were so excited after their healing that they were immediately desperate to run back to the family they had been forcefully separated from to hug and kiss and cry with them. Do you blame them? Running back to embrace my family would be my first instinct too. While I'm sure Jesus understood this, he still asked the question, "where are the others." This signifies that gratitude for God's work in our lives remains an important part of our spirituality.Finally, there is the deepest point worth our attention: the one who returned was a Samaritan. In other words, rejection and social shaming was normal throughout his life. And the leprosy, well that was a pile-on of reasons to further exclude and degrade him. Is it possible that the continual rejections and exclusions created in this man a heart that could simply never walk away from this kind of divine attention without giving honor? Did it whelm up within him with even greater desperation than the need to hug his family? The brokenness, disappointment, loss, and pain that we have experienced is actually carving a deep gratitude in our soul for every intervention the Lord has brought our way. Thus, the deeper the wounds, the deeper the gratitude.#DinnerChurchQuotes: We can’t force ourselves to be grateful, but we can stumble into the arms of gratitude when we’re exhausted from our running. (Dan Allender)#PracticalStuff: This theme of thanksgiving is a particular challenge to me, as I am one of those who is always chasing the future so hard I forget to appreciate those who are helping me get there. So, this is for me probably more than you, but may we look each of our team members right in the eye and thank them from the depths of our soul for their friendship and ministry efforts. And then take a deep moment to thank Jesus for giving this Dinner Church family to us all. It will be good for them...to hear your thanks. But it will be great for you...to breathe the pure air of gratitude.A Blessed Thanksgiving To You All,Verlon

The Fading Light

Nov. 10, 2021.Through the centuries, the gospel has had ups and downs. At times the light has burned bright as the noonday sun, only to be followed by a time when it faded to a flicker. The gospel in the West is experiencing one of those latter chapters. What do we as Christian leaders do about it?#JesusStories: Jesus once said that no one lights a lamp and then puts it under a clay pot or hides it under a bed. He went on to say that if someone is going to light a lamp, they put it on a lamp stand so it illuminates the room. (Mark 4:21). His point is obvious: the gospel is intended to be lifted up, so it will maximize its ability to light up a darkened world. But, throughout church history humanity has tried to blunt that light. Within months after Jesus' resurrection, religious leaders unleashed a wave of persecution to put out the light. Soon Rome mounted a brutal persecution because they felt Christianity was a threat to the sovereignty of Caesar. Then it was internal groups, frightened by the persecutions that arose to find middle-ground by reducing the divinity of Christ and turn Christianity into a mere moral compass. This is visible in the book of Jude. Thankfully, these gnostic efforts were not effective as the gospel swelled from a movement of hundreds to a movement of 40 million in the first three centuries. We actually owe a debt of gratitude to the early liturgists who pulled the divinity of the gospels to exclusive places in order to preserve it from the heresy's of the day. This was the birth place of the liturgical church that protected the mysteries of the faith and gave us things like the Nicene Creed. Given that, find a liturgical leader near you, hug them, and thank them for their efforts to preserve the wonders of gospel for us.Such efforts to lessen the glow of the gospel have continued throughout the life of the Church. In our day waves of atheism (no god), agnosticism (don't know and don't care), and syncretism (merge all notions of god) abound. And these ideas chip away at the flame of the gospel in arising generations. Even within the church, things like the church growth movement which began as a soul-winning effort degenerated into Christian consumerism. And now many congregations are fading.While the church in the West has a sociological problem, our gospel is still very fiery. Yes there is missiological work to be done on our ways of doing church, but still Christian leaders must set our foreheads like flint to keep the gospel on high places - by retelling the stories of Jesus anytime we can find hearers. Why? Because we are still called to dispel the darkness and the gospel of Jesus still flames up every time we speak it. So, set a table, gather your isolated neighbors, eat together, tell the stories, and watch the gospel burn.#DinnerChurchQuotes: "Thomas Edison, after spending countless days working to develop the lightbulb, handed it to a little boy to carry up the stairs. That little boy tripped and dropped the lightbulb. It took a team of 20 people another 20 hours to build another one, which Thomas Edison handed that second lightbulb to the same little boy to take up stairs again." (John Bishop)#PracticalStuff: We must trust our people to carry the light of the gospel. Whether the retelling of up front Jesus Stories or at tables, this is where our power is in dispelling darkness and lighting up the room. What do you think about asking someone to tell the next Jesus Story that is a reach? Maybe consider interview style for those who don't have good communication gifts?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

The Invisible Gospel

Nov. 3, 2021.Do any of us really know how Christian spirituality grows in the human heart? There is something very mysterious about the way Jesus climbs into our souls. And there is something equally mysterious about how Jesus builds his churches too.#JesusStories: In Mark 4: 26ff, Jesus explained how the Kingdom of Heaven imbeds itself upon the earth. True to form, Jesus used a parable in which a farmer planted some seed, then he went about his schedule without thinking much about that seed. The line from this parable that catches my attention the most is, "The seeds keep sprouting and growing, and the farmer doesn't understand how." There is a mysterious nature to salvation. Though the modernist's era tried hard to reduce the gospel down to a set of scientific principles, it just wouldn't fit. In fact, modernism was not as friendly to the gospel as some supposed; we should be comfortable to move on from the Western culture of the last 500 years. If the post-modern era turns out to be more welcoming of the mysterious as advertised, that would be great for Christianity. Truthfully, the gospel has worked quite unexplainably in my life. A scripture, a song, a prayer, and suddenly a new bold faith emerges from my soul. The same is true for the churches I've led. There have been times when the group seems stuck in the status quo, and then suddenly a fiery courage emerges from my leaders and people. These things are a mystery.I remember some years ago leading a man to Jesus from a life of drug abuse. He did really well for a few months, and then he started hanging around old friends and slipped back into the drug life. As a young pastor, I was brokenhearted. One of the board members tried to console me by saying, "the last chapter has not been written on this mans life yet." I acted like those words were helpful, but they weren't. A couple years later we moved to another pastoral assignment a few hundred miles away. When we returned to that former church for a funeral some years later, standing in the sound booth was the man I thought we had lost to the drug culture. He was free, he was smiling, he was the sound tech, and I was stunned. The voice of Jesus never stopped talking to him.I have watched this pattern repeat itself over and over again at our Dinner Churches. At times things look fruitless, as though many guests are absolutely disinterested in our Jesus as they eat our food. Still others slip back and forth in their addictions with no capacity to resist. And then suddenly, a desire for prayer arises and new faith births before our very eyes. This is a mystery; this is the kingdom. To all Dinner Church leaders, it might appear that nothing spiritual is happening, but no! The invisible gospel is at work. And one day, it will burst forth into a most impressive harvest.#DinnerChurchQuotes: The church is described as salt and light, a bride, a family, a flock, a field of wheat, a mustard seed, branches connected to a vine, leaven, a body, and a building. But for decades the church in America has been treated like a business. (Neil Cole)#PracticalStuff: How long has it been since you've reminded your core team and volunteers that the most important role at Dinner Church is not cooking, unloading the truck, setting up the chairs, doing the music, etc. The most important role is turning strangers into friends…and then triangulating our new friends with our best friend. We talk about this almost every week with our teams. It is time for you to remind your people? Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Secret Things

Oct 28, 2021.We need to hear from the Lord. Not just occasionally, but in an ongoing way. Without it we are only relying on our three pound brains. In the world of epistemology, we have two inputs of knowledge available on this earth: our experiences and others experiences. That's it! However, when we tune our hearts toward the voice of the Lord, a third input of knowledge begins flowing into us. And we sure need that! Without it, we are just rehashing carnal reasonings. I once saw a bumpersticker: Don't believe everything you think! Something  happens in our leadership when we start listening to a deeper wisdom than the calculations of our minds.#JesusStories: In Mark 4:10ff, the disciples asked Jesus why he used so many stories? His response is worth some serious meditation: "I have explained the secret about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories." I don't know about you, but this grips me heart. How long has it been since you and I have heard some secrets about the kingdom? There is an awful lot of talk today about 'best practices' and 'church growth metrics'. Hmmm. Church leadership principles abound, but they not be the same thing as 'secrets about the kingdom'. I have a sense that the leadership material Jesus told his disciples were not the logical and rational and cause-and-effect observations that are common to earth. That is why he called them 'secret' - they flowed from heavens way of doing things, not earths. They were based on the God-calculator, not the man-calculator. The more I think about these 'secrets' and 'mysteries', the more my heart longs to hear Jesus talk to me. Like the boy Samuel in the Old Testament who heard the Lord call his name, I want more of that 'talk-to-me-in-the-night' stuff. Best practices and church leadership metrics might have their place, but my soul yearns for something deeper. How about you?#DinnerChurchQuotes:

• The missional church live their lives with the idea that they are on a mission trip, and on mission trips people focus on the work of God, and are alert to the Spirits prompting. (Reggie McNeal)
• If we are going to count for much in the postmodern world, the Spirit must remain the key to the churches existence and God must be breaking into our lives. (Gordon Fee)

#PracticalStuff: The JesusStories Bible has been printed for secular readers. It does not have concordances, commentaries, cross-reference tools, chapter explanations, or even numbered verse references. All it has is the stories of Jesus found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Acts. In its unobstructed simplicity, the stories come to the surface. Beyond that, it is a nice water-resistant cover and serves as a valuable gift to everyone the Lord has brought into your ministry circle. The cost is only $3.99, so you can afford to order them from this website by the case. Interestingly, the American Bible Society has also helped us create an insert titled: A Guide To Telling Jesus Stories that you can download from their website. This is a step-by-step training tool for your people to use at their table conversations or when asked to preach. Would you consider downloading this for each of your team members and talking it through with them line-by-line?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

The Family Table...The Family Biz

Oct 20, 2021.The pastors, teachers, and prophets among us are skilled to lead their people into worship and the love of the Lord. Conversely, the apostles and evangelists among us are skilled to lead people to engage in the advancement of the Kingdom of Heaven. This creates leadership tension, but both are needful.#JesusStories: Numerous times in the gospels we see Jesus leaving a very effective ministry time to withdraw to the wilderness to pray. Sometimes he withdrew alone (Mt 14:23), and other times he took his disciples (Lu 11:1). Sometimes his withdrawal efforts worked, and other times they were interrupted by desperate people who ran to find him (Mk 6:31ff). We all can relate to this: there is so much ministry happening and so many people calling that finding time for solitude and prayer becomes difficult. But it's a fight worth fighting! Several of the disciples found out how potent these times can be as they watched Jesus actually transfigured before them to match the glorious heavenly visitors that came to meet with them (Mk 9:2ff). I am sure that experience changed their prayer lives forever. And while I wish that happened every time to me, I have had numerous prayer encounters that stirred my heart to its depths, rescued me from my carnal perspective, and reoriented me to the power and presence of my Lord. I am sure you have had times like that as well.My point is this, if Jesus felt the deep need to 'be with dad', we probably need that too. Stated another way, our first calling is to meet at the God-Family Table. While this is easy for some, it is difficult for those who are gifted at expanding the Kingdom of God. But every gospel worker needs to work in the Family Business and sit at the Family Table in equal measure. If we don't, our souls will become 'weary in well-doing'. To be honest, this is a chronic problem for me; I am quick to rush to the work; I am slow to set down to breakfast with Jesus. Lord help me, and everyone of my brothers and sisters who are like me!#DinnerChurchQuotes:

• The constant thread in the early church was prayer; yet we have become so accustomed to relying on our own methodology.(Dan Kimball)
• We don’t sit at a table by ourselves; we are surrounded by parents, patrons, partners, pastors, prayers, and paraclete. (Conrad Gempf)

#PracticalStuff: Have you been working your team week after week with no time for spiritual refreshment? I am certainly feeling that about my leadership team right now. In fact, tonight I am taking our group to the Table of the Lord. We will be worshipping, taking communion, and breathing prayers of blessing upon each other. Tomorrow we will rise and lead the 16 dinner churches we serve throughout the week, but for tonight we will practice Jesus' words in Mark 6:31, "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest for a while." Does your team need to withdraw for a night?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

New Ways

Oct 13, 2021.Most of us are uncomfortable changing memorized patterns. The status quo is a powerful thing for the simple reason that it requires less mental work. Thus, humans and groups have opted for the known approaches, even when those approaches are no longer effective.#JesusStories: One day the Pharisee's criticized Jesus' disciples that they were not practicing righteousness by fasting (Mark 3:18ff). They pointed out that even John the Baptist's disciples were going without meals for spiritual reasons. Jesus' reply was one of those 'head-scratchers'. First, he said that no one fasts during a wedding party. Then he pivoted to say that no one patches a hole in an old garment with a new piece of cloth. And then he ended by pointing out that no one puts new wine into an old wineskin. Then he walked away. In retrospect we can see that Jesus' mysterious answers forced them to meditate deeply about their willingness to shift from the 'Moses-Law' chapter to the 'Messianic' chapter, but it was difficult to grasp in real-time. And that shift proved to be very hard for those who had practiced their spirituality the same way for 700 years. In other words, it made for some very deep ruts. But with the coming of Jesus, something new and very different was now pouring out of Heaven. There was a new intervention coming that could not be attached to the old torn cloth of law-based spirituality; there was a new experience pouring upon the earth that could not be contained in the old worship patterns of synagogues, annual temple visits, and the 613 rules-of-righteousness - of which fasting was just one of them. Wow, if anyone needed a new spiritual path, it was those who had bloated spirituality to 613 rules. How impossible. I am sure glad I live in the day of Salvation where I can focus my eyes on only one place - Jesus the author and finisher of my faith!Before we rush ahead, we must admit we get into spiritual ruts too - ruts that need to be interrupted. Jesus understands this and has sent numerous season shifts to His Church. Heaven has poured out new waves of blessing many times - waves that forced the Church to form new wineskins to hold it: Agape' Church, Persecution inspired Missionaries, Consolidation of The Holy Scriptures, Desert Fathers, Church-Planting Monasteries, Printing of the Holy Scriptures, The Reformation, The Great Awakening, Azusa Street, Rise of the Stadium Evangelists, The Jesus Movement, The Charismatic Renewal, The Worship Movement, Emerging Church, Fresh Expressions of Church...just to name a few. And each time a new heavenly wave came, the Church had to make some new wineskins so the new wine would not be spilled. Now don't get me wrong, the old wine and old wineskins are still valuable to Jesus because they are still very meaningful to many in his flock. None-the-less, we are again on the cusp of a new wine pouring upon the Church - one that can respond to a more chaotic and fragmented and tribalized world. Eyes up everyone - NEW WAYS are coming.#DinnerChurchQuotes:*We are looking for 1000 new ways to express a 2000 year old tradition. (A Seminary Billboard)*The situation required Christians to make many adjustments in their efforts to communicate with their society. The interpretation of the Lord’s Supper was included in these new ways of looking at things. (Ben Witherington)#PracticalStuff: Are you using the JesusStories bible? This is a bible intentional developed for the never-been-churched. This is a wonderful way to get your dinner church congregation visually focused on the life of Christ. Beside that, they are nice gifts to hand out to everyone all the time. And for the speakers to preach from this bible each week underscores our BIG message that the life of Jesus still changes everything. Note: we have received some grants to keep costs down so you can afford to order them by the case, and you can order the from the bookstore on this website.Blessings & Boldness,Verlon 

Facing Evil

Oct 6, 2021.Our brains play tricks on us. The modernist era taught us to process everything though the lens of logic, reason, and scientific explanations. So when we see evil at work, we try to make sense of it in left-brain terms. This cultural default leaves Christian leaders under-practiced in dealing with the uprising kingdom of darkness.#JesusStories: Our Lord dealt head-on with evil quite often; he faced it personally and in his ministry. Marks gospel begins with Jesus' encounter with the devil in the wilderness, and then just a few verses later, during Jesus' inaugural sermon at a Jewish gathering, a demoniac walks into the room and confronts him. Think of it, on Jesus' first official day of ministry he encounters visible evil. The uprising kingdom of darkness wasted no time in showing up to make its intentions known. We too have had evil resistances at work in our ministries, only we have probably not called it out as such. In this day where 'reason' rules, anyone who dares to suggest that they are squaring off with evil will be branded a "super-spiritualist" and be dismissed from many ministerial circles. I admit there are those who turn every difficulty into a spiritual attack. However, I am concerned that the greater risk is Christian leaders being unprepared to face evil interference when it actually shows up.Many read quickly through the demon stories in the gospels because they don't know how to handle them. It is helpful for us to recognize the presence of evil rather than trying to use demon-talk. In Jesus' day, they saw evil and spoke of it in terms of 'demons' - that was their cultural voice. In our day, we can all see the work of evil destroying the drug addicts life or the evil involved in those who are kidnapping children for prostitution rings, etc. I don't know about you, but when I walk through my city, I can see evil at work destroying one life after another, and it makes me angry. When destructive things show up, we as Christian leaders can call it out for what it is - EVIL! And when we see evil, we can learn to respond in the likeness of our Lord. Jesus understood his authority to simply told evil to shut up and go (Mark 1:25). His authority is our authority; the Great Commission teaches us that. We too can bluntly resist evil; James 4:7 teaches us that. While we submit to the plans of the inbreaking Kingdom of Heaven, we never submit to the uprising kingdom of darkness. That is what 'Men of God' and 'Women of God' do - we face down evil and in our prayers we say NO! If not us, then who?#DinnerChurchQuotes: "Jesus rebuked evil spirits, he rebuked the wind and the waves, he rebuked fig trees. What kind of guy is this? A guy who knows how things should be and has the authority to bring that state of affairs about." -Conrad Gempf#PracticalStuff: The stories about Jesus are a powerful antiseptic against the reasonings  of evil in human hearts. How ready is your core team and volunteers to share a Jesus Story? This is what I believe the verse "instant in season and out" is actually talking about - having Jesus Stories 'at the ready'. From time-to-time I ask our leaders during a core-team meeting, "What Jesus Story has been burning in your heart lately?" And I might even go around the circle and ask several leaders to share their Story. They all know that at any given moment I might call on them. I do this to get them ready, because the Spirit might ask them to tell a Jesus Story the next time they are eating at a Jesus Table. If they can be instant for me, they can be instant for the Spirits urging - and that makes them a powerful voice in the room. Would you consider warning your core-team that you might ask them to tell a Jesus Story at a moments notice? And then make it an ongoing part of your leadership huddles?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon 

The Gift of Determination

Sept 28, 2021.We talk about different kinds of gifts: leadership gifts, spiritual gifts, strengths, aptitudes, talents and skill-sets. However, there is an inner expression that deserves far more attention than it usually gets.#JesusStories: Mark 2 tells of a paralytic man who is being brought on a stretcher by his friends to Jesus. But when they got to the house where Jesus was teaching, it was overflowing with people; even the street in front of the house was loaded with onlookers and listeners. I am sure they were immediately disheartened as it appeared they had wasted their trip. That was until one of them had the outlandish idea to climb up on the roof, rip open the thatching, let the dust fall over everyones heads who were crammed into the house, and lower their friend right in front of Jesus. Many rush past this point to the dramatic healing, when we should stop and ponder the thought process of these friends. I surmise that one of the friends kicked the dirt, pointed his finger at his buddies, and said something like, "we're going to do this anyway!" His courage became their courage, and that collective courage turned into creative problem solving and inspiring innovation. They all knew that roofs were not designed to be entry points into houses. But on this day, they turned that roof into a door - all thanks to the gift of determination. And, Jesus counted their bold act as faith and great healing flowed. Dogged-determination looks an awful lot like extraordinary faith from heaven. Similarly, when Jesus taught on the Lords Prayer, he only spent three verses on what to pray, but then spent ten verses talking about the role of determination in prayer. That tells me that determination is three times more important than getting the words right. Where are you adding dogged-determination to your leadership and ministry?#DinnerChurchQuotes: "The strategy nor the tactics of the First Christians were particularly remarkable. What was remarkable was their determination to act as Christ’s embassy to a rebel world." -Michael Green#PracticalStuff: If you would ever preach on the Mark 2 story, you might use my friends title: "Four-of-a-kind beats a full house". :) On another note, Covid has been awful. Perhaps it's time for you and your team set your foreheads like flint to restore your dinner churches momentum anyway? I am not talking about ignoring health protocols, but I am talking about mustering your groups determination to take some forward steps despite the recent setbacks. Maybe you need to apply your boldness to regain spiritual momentum, reassembling your team, or maybe in other ways altogether. Maybe you just need to read this paragraph at your next team huddle. But know this: God loves to see dogged determination from his people - then He acts. Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

He Wants To!

Sept 22, 2021When it comes to healings and miracles, most people consider it a rare exception rather than a common occurrence. The greatest reason for this is the modernist era in which we live; these recent five centuries have been predominately informed by a worldview of logic, reason and the explainable sciences. And yet, we are Christian leaders called to preach the gospels to the fullest. This creates an interesting dissonance between our message and our practices.#JesusStories: The book of Mark opens with a bang: demon exorcisms, a flood of healings, and even a leper being cured (vs. 1:40). That last one catches my attention. Jesus was likely walking out of a small Galilean synagogue when a leper came and knelt down before him. The interchange between Jesus and the leper is both holy and haunting. The holy part is when the man said, "You have the power to heal me." Even though this was early in Jesus' ministry (first chapter of Mark) the leper had already heard of his healings and miracles. And yet, he was a leper; and leprosy was a next-level disease that inspired a fearsome social reaction. Somehow, this leper believed that Jesus could even deal with his problem, as horrific as it was. Many of us need to meditate upon the faith this leper was able to muster for his big problem. There are those who feel the Lord might respond to small requests like some extra finances when things get tight, but trusting Jesus with a next-level issue like leprosy or cancer? That is really out there. Let me remind all of our souls that our Jesus is as capable of dealing with the big challenges as easily as the small. If a leper can come to know this, we can too.Then this leper said something that was less faith-filled, even haunting. He said, "If you want to." Though this is not bold like his first statement, I can actually understand it. This man was a social outcast; he was used to people not wanting to help him for fear they might get too close and contract the disease themselves. He was a shunned man, and his self-value had been diminished bit-by-bit with each shunning. Now he is kneeling before the Healer, but with a broken sense-of-worth. Many Christians and leaders need to meditate upon the question of whether or not the Lord really wants to fix their situation. Most trust the love of the Lord, but waffle in believing He desires to intervene in the challenge before us. We might even have a lagging spiritual confidence and wonder, "Why would heaven pour on this situation? I am not a big leader or a huge prayer-faith-person."  Maybe we need to take a lesson from this leper: he had the faith to trust Jesus' power, he didn't have the self-worth to expect anything, but he asked anyway. Awesome. You may or may not fully trust Jesus' miraculous power in this day, you may or may not expect Jesus to choose to fix your need, but will you ask anyway? Like the leper, you just might be surprised at Jesus' quick willingness to move heaven and earth to address your challenge. I am convinced that Jesus 'wants to' more often than we think.#DinnerChurchQuotes: "The more we pray for healing, the more often healing starts to occur." -David Godwin#PracticalStuff: Our Dinner Churches flow from the historic practices of Jesus, who healed people by day and had dinner with sinners by night. Are you and your team praying for healing around your dinner tables often? Would you consider gathering your core team and volunteers for the following convo: 1)read & remember some healings in the Gospels, 2)each of you determine to look for opportunities to offer healing prayers when the need arises in conversation, 3)end the meeting by inviting Jesus to heal your people more and more and more. What do you think?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

False Narratives

Sept 16, 2021.In our youth things seemed simple; each of us could grab one perspective on any topic and hold onto it as though it was 'the only way to see it'. But now that we are older, such simplicity no longer suffices. Most adults have fully learned that there are always a couple incongruent perspectives pulling at us on almost every topic. Maybe this is why Paul said he "looked through a glass darkly", i.e. "looked through a fogged-up window." When opposing views are present, things do get foggy.#JesusStories: As the book of Matthew draws to an end, we witness a frustrating conclusion. After the resurrection, some of the religious leaders bribed the soldiers who were guarding the tomb to report that some of the disciples came and stole Jesus' body in the night (28:13). Though there was no explanation as to how a couple fishermen could have overpowered trained and weaponized soldiers with their bare hands, the story became widely circulated among the Jewish people (vs.15). I hate this paragraph; like so many other divine happenings, even this pentacle event was blunted by an alternate version of history. In fact, the enemy of the kingdom has seen to it that there are alternate and more-logical explanations to every divine occurrence in the Gospel story. What this means for Christian leaders is we must lead people to accept the mysterious story-line by faith, even though a more-earthly explanation exists. And yet, that is our leadership task. Jesus was born of a virgin! Jesus did heal the sick and raise the dead! Jesus did remove the strangle-hold of sin for the whole world when he died on the cross! Jesus did raise from the dead so he could take his place at the right hand of the Father, be available to our prayers 24-7, and direct the greatest Rescue Project the world has ever seen. The false narratives, however logical they sound, must never be allowed to stand. We must boldly tear them down by telling, retelling, and re-retelling the stories of Jesus over and over again.#DinnerChurchQuote: "Early Christians, interestingly, began not with creedal speculation, but with stories about Jesus, about those whose lives got caught up in his life." (Stanley Hauerwas)#PracticalStuff: Are the Jesus Stories being told in your dinner gatherings? If they are, then you have the full capacity to grow your people in the likeness of Christ. If not, how soon can you start? Even covid should not hold back the retelling of the Jesus Stories. In the wake of the pandemic some groups who are serving drive-by meals are printing up a Jesus-story-of-the-day and pasting it to the lid of their to-go containers. Others are telling a 30-second Jesus Story through the window and offering a prayer before their guests drive off. Other outside dinner churches are having their people stand or sit in 'eating-circles' throughout the park while the pastor circulates through each group, tells a Jesus Story, and prays over them before moving on to the next. And these are just a few of the ways dinner church leaders are keeping the Jesus Story thriving. This is a case of 'where there is a will there is a way'. What is your way?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Authorized

Sept. 9, 2021.We are profoundly aware of our humanity. We go to bed tired every night, wake up foggy every morning, and yo-yo between clarity and confusion throughout most days. That is our human reality in this fallen world. And yet we are called to be leaders in the inbreaking Kingdom of Heaven. Hmmm.#JesusStories: I was reflecting on the Great Commission this past week in Mt. 28, and particularly on the line, "All authority has been given to me on earth and in heaven, therefore Go...!" This verse is loaded with meaning. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry he met the devil in the desert who boasted that he held all authority over the earth, and if Jesus would bow and worship him he would hand that power over to Jesus. It's interesting that Jesus did not rebut Satan's claim; if the devil was exaggerating the authority he held Jesus would have protested, but no. So now, at the end of Jesus' earthly ministry the believers are gathered for the ascension, and his dramatic rising into the clouds. It is in that moment he utters his final words, and makes it clear that he has now won back authority over the earth. That is not a small statement! But what is even more interesting is what he decided to do with that newly-gained authority.Rather than set up his visible government upon earth, he directed his authority to flow to his Church. He did this with two words: "Therefore Go!" In other words he directed his people to take his new authority, push back darkness, and bring his inbreaking Kingdom upon the earth a step at a time. It was a divine decision to exercise his authority through us. Wow. And then he demonstrated his long-term commitment to this decision by ending with these words: "and I will be with you until the end of the age." Which means that even us, two millinea later are still expected to take that divine authority, push back the darkness and instill the inbreaking Kingdom every place we go and in every town we serve. This begs the question: Are we operating our ministries in the knowledge that we are authorized to push back the uprising kingdom of darkness and advance the blessed Kingdom of Heaven into our families, neighbors, churches, neighborhoods, cities, and nation?#DinnerChurchQuotes: "The Holy Spirit does not anoint plans, he anoints people, and especially people of prayer." (EM Bounds)#PracticalStuff: Summer is over. The season of rest is done. It is time to refocus your dinner church team upon the 'Jesus Table' again. One way to do this might be to gather your core team, remind them of the anointing that comes upon those serving on the frontlines of the gospel like dinner churches do, and then pray for a fresh anointing upon each of them. And if you are comfortable with this approach, you might even have the group lay hands on each person one-at-a-time, asking for a fresh anointing to descend upon each of you. What do you think?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Free To Thrive

Aug 17, 2021.There have been seasons in ministry when I felt I was running unabated and unhindered from anything. I love those times. But then there have been seasons when I felt every step was opposed and every effort was blunted. While I realize there are seasons of planting and seasons of harvest, there always seems to be something else going on.#JesusStories: John 8 records Jesus in a marathon teaching time in the temple area. As he spoke, many Jews believed and embraced the forthcoming Kingdom of God. To those new believers He then turned and said, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free....And if the Son has set you free, you are free indeed" (Vs. 32, 36). Jesus was giving these newby's a foundational insight about their new lives in Christ. Jesus' words are certainly true to this very day, and they affect not only our spiritual walk, but our ministries as well. In our personal lives when we become tempted by greed, envy, lust, or any other influence of darkness there is always a lie at the root; the money that greed promises usually turns to dust, and if it does come about, it is wholly unsatisfying. And such are the outcomes with the other temptations as well.Similarly, when our ministries become weighted down, there is often a lie at the center of that encumbrance. For me, it is usually an inner voice that suggests that I must 'double-time it now'. But that is a lie, because the greater the ministry challenge, the more it requires a greater anointing to be upon me. And greater anointing always comes from the spiritual pattern: "I must decrease so He will increase", and "His power is made perfect in my weakness." So, when I follow that subtle voice of 'double-timing it' I am going in the exact opposite direction of where divine power is actually found, and I end up exhausted and disillusioned. But, I am so thankful that the Lord doesn't leave me there; during these broken moments The Spirit is faithful to whisper the truth to me...to embrace my weakness; to intentionally decrease; to humble myself. And predictably my spirit revives, and my ministry becomes empowered again. And suddenly I'm free to advance the Gospel again; the truth has set me free.How about you? What subtle voice tends to undercut your ministry momentum? Perhaps it's time to face that voice, call it out as a liar, and then call on the Lord to speak truth to you about your ministry. And in the name of Jesus, may your ministry become FREE TO THRIVE again!#DinnerChurchQuotes:

"Sharing fellowship is still on Jesus’ mind today, and he brings more to the table than you do. Jesus still visits earth at suppertime." (Conrad Gempf)

"60 years ago, the average dinnertime was 90 minutes; today it is less than 12 minutes." (Leonard Sweet)

#PracticalStuff: With covid mitigations still affecting so many, some have pivoted to drive-thru's and many have felt forced to shut down altogether. Going into this Fall, if your area is still disallowing indoor gatherings, might you consider the sidewalk version of Dinner Church? Numerous Dinner Churches across the country have moved their buffet tables outside under canopy tents, still have their musicians doing worship music (unplugged), and have their people gather in small eating circles. Then the pastor goes from circle-to-circle giving the Jesus Story of the evening and praying over each group before moving to the next. Might that sidewalk approach work for you?  Covid is not a deal breaker. After all, how many times did Jesus gather people outdoors to eat together and Kingdom talk?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Losing Traction

Aug. 10, 2021.Watching your church lose its momentum is an awful feeling. It was 2004 when this happened to us. That year our church dropped in attendance by a dramatic 14%, and that metric would continue for several more years. It was sickening. Sunday after Sunday I could see our people looking around at the empty seats more than they were looking at the stage. I could literally feel the ministry turbines slowing week by week, even though I as the pastor had never taken my foot off of the gas pedal. We immediatley employed numerous leadership ideas to re-energize the congregation, all of which were consider best-practices at the time. But none of them had any effect. What was occurring was a mystery, and as the pastor I knew I was out of my depth.The BBQ That God Showed Up: Our eldest daughter graduated from college, and following commencement Melodee and I hosted a BBQ at our house to honor her. It was a wonderful time with BBQ chicken, friends, laughter, and celebration. That afternoon I had been able to escape the frustration of my waning church and enjoy our daughters success. However, near the end of the party as I was barbecuing the last of the chicken, one of our daughters professors, Steve Chandler, came and stood beside me. He started to talk about the need for reframed vision at certain junctures in our ministerial life. The more he talked the more my heart burned within me; I knew God was talking to me. Steve must have sensed it, because he turned and asked, "Do you need new eyes for your church, Verlon?" But what I heard in that moment was God saying, "Verlon, you need new eyes for your church!" So on that back deck Steve and I talked through a plan to get me my "new eyes". Within the hour, I knew I was to give the next season of my life researching the missional future for my urban church. Twelve weeks later I entered a graduate program that started ripping off more scales from my eyes than I ever realized possible, and by Christmastime an entirely new lane of ministry was already becoming visible. While it would take years for me and our church to learn to navigate that new lane, it all began on a back deck amidst the sound of sizzling chicken.Your BBQ Moment: Perhaps your heart is burning as you read my story. Have you lost your ministry traction? Do you need to find 'new eyes' to understand and lead your church? This is the exact reason why the Lord has placed seminaries and graduate programs in his body - to give leaders new eyes, new tools, new lanes, and new callings for their churches. These is not insignificant moments in the life of a minister, nor the churches they serve.A Shameless Invite: The fact that you are reading this blog means there is a desire in you to investigate the ReMissioning path of the Church. That being said, would you take a few moments to look at the DINNER CHURCH SCHOOL of LEADERSHIP? This is a nine-month graduate-level program designed for busy leaders: Virtual Live Lectures on Wednesday Evenings, practical assignments to be woven into your ministry context, and practitioner-based reading assignments. The cost is $300/mo ($150/mo to audit), and begins September 8th. For more Information and Registration: DinnerChurch.Com/DCSLI'd love to spend these months with you unpacking some deep church history that is rebirthing in our day in the most interesting of ways. AND THEN...I'd love to witness what The Spirit tells you to do with it. Because this I know...our Lord is not the least bit interested in you spending another minute of your ministry losing traction.Blessings and Boldness,Verlon

The Big Front Door

July 20, 2021.Every human culture is like a pair of glasses; it allows us to see certain things while at the same time blinding us to other things. This is true of family cultures, ethnic cultures, regional cultures, national cultures, and of course church cultures. In other words, you and I are completely blind to many things because of the cultural circles we inhabit. Here's one...#JesusStories: In Matt 26 Jesus told a parable about Sheep and Goats. In this story Jesus likened the sheep to those who were paying attention to His priorities by taking care of the poor and the oppressed, and the goats were those who did not. This is a painful parable for much of the American Church due to our primary focus upon the middle-to-upper-class peoples. Our way of doing church assumes the two-thirds of the population who can pay for it. We never set out to be 'elitists', but for economic reasons we have ended up very close to that identifier. The most interesting part of this parable however, is that the sheep did not even know why Jesus considered them so attentive to Him; nor did the goats know why Jesus considered them so inattentive. The sheep thoughtlessly and naturally went to help those with the greatest need, and ended up being in the exact place where Jesus was attending. The goats on the other hand had no such instinct, and were completely blind to the places and peoples where Heaven was most focused. I am sad to admit there were seasons in my ministry when I was so busy doing church for the well-dressed and beautiful people that I was blind to the potent entry points of the Inbreaking Kingdom. Lesson learned. And it was this 'sheep & goats' story that helped me find the BIG FRONT DOOR that swings between heaven and earth.#DinnerChurchQuotes: New church planting requires going to places on the margins, not the affluent places where churches already exist. -David Fitch#PracticalStuff: One of the greatest leadership questions for any team to consider: 'Who in our town already knows they need help?' This question comes from Jesus himself who said that he had not come for those who think they are righteous, but for those who know they are sinners (in other words - 'know their life is off track'). Would you consider leading your DC leadership team in a meditation/conversation on Mark 2:17 (NLT)? And then ask where the people live in your city who might feel their life is 'off track'? And then perhaps call your team to do a prayer-walk in that area to hear what the Spirit might say?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon

Readiness

July 13, 2021.We are always in the kettle. In other words, there are negative elements going on in our lives that affects us like the frog that won't jump out of the kettle so long as it is being heated one degree at a time. This highlights the need for the spiritual discipline of 'readiness'.#JesusStories: Matthew 24 captures Jesus talking about the end times with his disciples. It is a bit confusing because some of Jesus' warnings seem to refer to the destruction 0f the temple that would occur in forty years, and other parts  seem to refer to days during or beyond our lifetime. But the central theme of the chapter is unavoidable: "Always be ready! You do not know when the Son of Man will come" (Vs. 44). But this is a difficult task for humankind who are prone to the 'frog in the kettle' factor. We feel a need to normalize things to create stasis for the sake of inward peace. And yet, contrary to that instinct Jesus warns us to STAY READY!Today, there is another factor to consider. Many in the body of Christ have taken a simplistic view of the Kingdom of Heaven - as though it is only about believers being ready to going there when our number is called. Interestingly, the gospels talk less about going to Heaven and more about the Kingdom of Heaven inbreaking here on the earth. I was raised in a denomination that was strong on 'stay ready' message - for you don't know when Jesus will come back and take us to Heaven. We seldom talked about Jesus showing up with inbreaking plans to be delivered here on earth and us being ready to help him do that. I would propose that the readiness most supported by the fulness of Jesus' stories would be a readiness for whenever Jesus shows up - whether it is Kingdom plans coming this way or Kingdom moments gathering us upward. A worthy soldier is ready to follow their Commander whether 'wait' or 'go' or 'here' or 'there'. As solders under the Commander of the Armies of Heaven, what is our state of readiness? And are we re-readying ourselves day-after-day? #DinnerChurchQuotes: Great leaders enjoy remarkable resiliency. They bounce back quickly after rest, ready to get at it again. -Reggie McNeal#PracticalStuff: This Summer we have started encouraging Dinner Churches around the nation to add a prayer-walk team to their weekly gatherings. This is based on the conviction that Jesus hasn't just given us rooms full of secular friends, He has also given to us the ability to breathe life into entire neighborhoods. This is especially true once we understand the historic prayer-walk. The verses directed to Abraham, Joshua, and Moses were practiced by Jesus, the disciples and the First Church. They all understood the heritage of the people of God - that the Lord would give them the ability to influence 'every place they put their foot'. And that historic heritage is what informs our prayer-walks. So I invite you to begin walking the inbreaking plans of Jesus into your neighborhood step-by-step and week-by-week. Holding this theology accurately means that when we step in, the spirit of darkness steps back (James 4:7). In this way we can literally change the atmosphere of entire neighborhoods. A weekly commitment to this historic prayer-walk should cause a decrease in crime and an increase in the quality of life for everyone who lives there. I have a book on this topic coming out in September entitled: A Trowel and a Sword. It is being produced with a companion video so you can use it as a training tool for your team and your prayer-walkers. What do you think about expanding the influence of your Jesus Table beyond your room?Blessings & Boldness,Verlon