ken wilson online

I came home from London to see a feature article in the Ann Arbor Observer on the Vineyard Church of Ann Arbor.  The writer, Jim Leonard, is a well known and highly regarded writer here in Ann Arbor and I found him thoughtful, curious, and conscientious.  His article captured so much of what we’re trying to do here in Ann Arbor.  Plus which, he mentioned the fact that I wear socks with my sandals, so this may be the tipping point when my fashion innovation really takes off.  There was one incorrect quote that I’ll be able to correct in the next issue of the Observer and it was on a sensitive topic. Read the rest of this entry »

What an experience,  being with these evangelical-charismatic Church of England  believers, mostly young–early twenties–in central London for a few days.  To be lifted out of one’s own context and set down in another’s, having so much in common with these people, and yet, the twist of a different context.  Fascinating.  The first thing you notice is the complete absence of a dominant religious right in their field of vision.  We’re defined by what we’re differentiating ourselves from, at least in part. Read the rest of this entry »

Here at this Anglican church, St. Mary’s in Central London, that is. (The book is in soft-cover here, and released sooner than in the States.) Been doing their Refresh conference and speaking at their church service on Sunday. Fitting, I suppose–my mother having been a life-long Episcopalian who probably never quite got my Jesus freak from of Christian faith, but loved me anyway as mothers do. Anyway, the unconditional love word. Any way to find a way to love, that’s anyway love. Read the rest of this entry »

So the blogger from the UK who offered first impressions of the book–must have been a galley copy–referred to in my post yesterday writes back and says I’ve misrepresented his post. Naturally, I re-read the post. And yes, he’s got a point.

It’s the lizard brain at work once again. Mine, that is. This limbic system placed atop the lizard brain that’s looking at the world through the lens of threat, dodge and dart. You conflate criticisms–hearing a current mild one on top of a previous harsh one from another source–and your brain plays tricks on you. Read the rest of this entry »

Oh. I forgot about this part. You write a book and you’re holed away in your thoughts, and you show your drafts to your wife and your friends, and people rave. Or if they find something that needs tweaking, they offer warm hearted suggestions. But then the thing gets out there, and people tee off. At first you think, “that just goes with the territory.” Actually, first you think, “I hope the thing draws enough attention to get some criticism–good for sales!” But then, you’ve got the Internet and email which we all know promotes candor, speaking one’s mind, brutal honesty, minus relationship. So I got my first “what a load of crap” blog review. [Though check out the bloggers comment–thinks I misread it, and I think he’s right. Sensitive writer syndrome strikes yours truly!] Read the rest of this entry »

We did a “man on the street” video interview thing in downtown Ann Arbor. Just wandered around with a video camera asking people if they would mind sharing their perspectives on faith in America. What, in particular, did they think of American Christianity? Most people were eager to say, and what they had to say was, well, damning. A hard word. Tempted to soften it. Who wants to hear that about one’s faith? Not many of us. Read the rest of this entry »

So I wrote this book to be released by Thomas Nelson by the end of May. It’s called Jesus Brand Spirituality: He Wants His Religion Back. I decided to write it as non-defensively as possible. Such a counter-intuitive posture for a pastor to assume. Every week give or take, you’re out there saying something, and of course, you get feedback, much of it positive, but also, of course, you get negative feedback, usually by way of email which comes at you cold–heartless words somehow. Even when when the words are written with a warm heart, something about the medium seems to strip the words bare. Read the rest of this entry »

Community has been a concern of mine for decades. My wife and I have lived communally with others, having had over 60 single people living in our home over the course of twenty years….our third child born when we had eight single people living with our family, just to give you an idea. But what is it that holds a community together? That’s an important question not easily answered. For many years, I thought community was formed around common conceptions, common perspectives. That answer was inadequate and misleading and unhelpful. Read the rest of this entry »

There is a grinding inner world behind our eyes and between our ears.  Our thoughts being grist for some mill whose operator we only seem to be.  The thoughts themselves are often wrapped in anxiety, born along by fear, an unnamed and therefor wild dread, or thoughts that seem to suck the beauty out of life into the wormhole of boredom.  And this is why we pray and why we avoid prayer.  We seek to pray because of this, to escape it, or move beyond it; but when prayer simply leads us deeper into this grinding world, we avoid it.  Ecstasy is what we seek, to stand outside of all this, or within it, to peer beyond it. Read the rest of this entry »