Writing
Essays and working ideas from more than fifteen years of writing about faith, leadership, discipleship, the church, family, and life in Austin.
Start here
A few essays that introduce the questions and convictions behind this site.
- The Organizing Principle of the Church
- Leadership and Administration
- What Is a Missional Community? — Definition
- Transitioning Your Church to Missional Communities
For sustained explorations of a topic, browse the Selected Series.
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Missional community · Leadership · Christianity · Church · Personal · Austin Stone · Discipleship · Theology
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Discipleship | Part 4
Other posts in the series: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 Process Continued Demonstration As individuals are involved in my life and ministry, they are able to see how I am engaging in these disciplines myself,…
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Calling | TheResurgence
I thought about posting an excerpt the following post, but it’s short and you should just read the whole thing. The Confusing Language of “Calling,” Part 1 | TheResurgence This goes in line with what I…
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Discipleship | Part 3
Other posts in the series: Part 1, Part 2 In this post, I’m going to focus on the process of discipleship. That is, over time, what does the relationship look like in stages. This is the…
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Pray for the Fatherless on Father’s Day
My wife and I have been going through foster care training through Arrow Child and Family Ministries, and Father’s Day has given me such an awareness of the fatherless today. I am praying that God would…
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Hyperlinks – 6.20.09
Just a few quick links of sites I am currently benefitting from: Church Crunch – John Saddington consistently delivers great content on technology and church. What’s Best Next – Great tips on productivity with a biblical…
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Discipleship | Part 2
As I mentioned in the first post, Matthew 28:18-20 presents a succinct calling to discipleship, and forms the basis of my methodology. In this post, I’m going to give the overview of how I pursue discipleship…
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Tough Questions
There is a huge difference between knowing an answer from scripture and applying it pastorally to peoples lives. The past few weeks, I have been wrestling with God’s word over the issue of remarriage, as I…
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Fighting for the Flock | TheResurgence
I loved this quote from JD Greear, and pray that I continue to have the courage to fight for Jesus’ most prized investment… A Good Shepherd Fights A good shepherd takes on the wolves that threaten…
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Discipleship | Part 1
As I mentioned previously, I had the opportunity to speak on a panel at The Austin Stone’s Summer Conference called “The Kingdom is at Hand”, and the panel was a breakout for the practice of discipleship…
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Discipleship | The Austin Stone Summer Conference
I’m on a panel called “Making Disciples in the Church” for The Austin Stone’s Summer Conference. Below are the questions I’m being asked (phrased from the point of a facilitator). Section 1 How did you start…
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Today is Baby Day!
Today, by God’s grace we will be welcoming Hudson Noah Engstrom (AKA The Deuce) into the world! You can find our updates here. Please pray for our family today!
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Today Was a Great Day
Every once in awhile, you have an absolutely outstanding day, and God’s faithfulness is overwhelming. Today was one of them. Here’s the rundown: Donuts with my wife and son Sermon prep Meeting discussing future vision of…