tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-122598662008-05-04T12:09:02.829-05:00Mike BishopBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-86370503203589339172008-05-03T12:57:00.006-05:002008-05-03T15:05:39.013-05:00

Previously I have written on this blog and elsewhere about the influence of AA on our local community, The Well. Both the steps (as a means for spiritual transformation) and traditions (as a means for keeping ourselves centered on that transformation) have been extremely helpful for imagining what a Jesus-led underground movement looks like in Jupiter, Florida. But what about supporting a

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-79749579466069861432008-04-29T08:15:00.001-05:002008-04-29T08:19:50.730-05:00

There are more interesting posts in this thread, which Aaron Klinefelter has graciously tagged here. Kevin Rains brings up something important that I'd like to play off in his post, I'm 'Bi' and Proud: "A community of allies is key to sustainability: I remember talking to Chris Marshall about all this many, many years ago as we were both transitioning into new, non-paid-ministry positions. He

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-79127068664204555072008-04-25T08:01:00.002-05:002008-04-25T08:11:07.658-05:00

The conversation I posted about on Wednesday continues. Here's some snippets from the posts I've been reading: "What if ministry was defined as beginning and ending with the relationships that already exist in our lives? Of course, we would begin new relationships - some intentionally so - but they are not a means to an end. We take on the role of friend as opposed to director, parent or

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-67709964302617238182008-04-23T21:20:00.004-05:002008-04-23T21:27:43.849-05:00

Jason and Chris had two great posts today: This Hurts Church, Money, and the Future One of the questions that I think needs to be raised in our church culture is not "Are we being successful?" but rather, "Is what we are doing sustainable?" What I mean by sustainable is not if we can advance our ideas about church so that we are influential to the next generation. Sustainable means that we

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-10123686136472922112008-04-11T22:12:00.008-05:002008-04-12T09:46:03.944-05:00

Not that he needs my endorsement, but I shameless admit to being an N.T. Wright fanboy. Here's a little associative exercise... Apple Geek : Knows what Steve Jobs had for breakfast N.T. Wright Fanboy : Slips into a British accent when talking theology Okay, I'm not that bad, but his work has been pretty huge for me over the past several years. In the same way that The Challenge of Jesus shook

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-21426922943331116442008-04-11T22:08:00.003-05:002008-04-11T22:11:20.836-05:00

"When God saves people in this life, by working through his Spirit to bring them to faith and by leading them to follow Jesus in discipleship, prayer, holiness, hope, and love, such people are designed - it isn't too strong a word - to be a sign and foretaste of what God wants to do for the entire cosmos. What's more, such people are not just to be a sign and foretaste of that ultimate salvation

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-66687301771724048092008-04-07T06:55:00.002-05:002008-04-07T06:59:01.124-05:00

"As long as we see salvation in terms of going to heaven when we die, the main work of the church is bound to be seen in terms of saving souls for that future. But when we see salvation, as the New Testament sees it, in terms of God's promised new heavens and new earth and of our promised resurrection to share in that new and gloriously embodied reality - what I have called life after life after

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-46228755435455694282008-03-28T14:13:00.000-05:002008-03-28T14:14:52.077-05:00

A Victim Treats His Mugger Right

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-72697942172950687022008-03-23T11:20:00.007-05:002008-03-26T05:58:23.563-05:00

Sorry for the delay, but I keep finding it difficult to sit down and write anything these days. I appreciate the comments from the last post and I have received a few others from friends face-to-face. Naturally, both phrases - "alternative to church" and "alternative church" demand a little bit of context in order for the idea in my head to make any sense. For the past seven years, our

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-34074510774727063502008-03-16T08:20:00.003-05:002008-03-16T08:39:04.339-05:00

While in Peru, I had this thought regarding our faith community: "What if we thought of ourselves less as an alternative to church and more as an alternative church?" Do you see the distinction? It may appear subtle at first, but I think it potentially could mean a significant shift to our ethos. More on this later.

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-6813631285526008982008-03-02T23:15:00.006-05:002008-03-03T07:26:07.861-05:00

It's our last week here in Arequipa (we leave for Lima on Wednesday and then back home on Saturday), so I thought I'd download some of the lessons learned here over the past four weeks...in no particular order of course: 1. DSL in Peru is a rip-off. 2. However, if you don't mind downloading the episodes overnight, Lost is fun to watch in hi-def on a wide-screen laptop. 3. I have a great new

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-1043207067200714982008-02-27T17:11:00.003-05:002008-02-27T17:26:27.331-05:00

I've updated our flickr page with a bunch of photos from the past few days. Yesterday we visited the Santa Catalina Monastery here in Arequipa which was a fascinating (albeit a little strange in parts - some of the icons were a little spooky for the kids) experience. The architecture was amazing and I was able to take some beautiful shots (see below for two examples). Today we actually had sun

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-11307140821667916562008-02-24T11:56:00.004-05:002008-02-24T12:28:28.200-05:00

Yesterday was perhaps the most enjoyable day of the trip so far. We not only had some good time as a family, but were able to see God at work among the people here - both the Williams' and the Styron's and those the Father has gathered around them. Recently, they have befriended a pastor named Josephine and his wife Julie. Josephine was recently booted from his denomination and has been

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-31646846882107333952008-02-20T21:45:00.003-05:002008-02-20T22:03:36.497-05:00

Dinner at our favorite restaurant (wonderful steak - beef, alpaca and ostrich, a glass of wine, cheese fondue, and salad for a family of five)...$34 Two lattes, a piece of chocolate cake, and a water (no gas) at a coffee shop right off the main downtown plaza...$9 Cab ride to and from our house...$2.50 Having a night out with my family in a beautiful, ancient, South American city...Priceless

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-63260927927159833482008-02-15T09:07:00.001-05:002008-02-15T09:07:30.449-05:00

The conference here in Arequipa started yesterday and goes through Saturday. My session starts in an hour. How many church conference speakers do you know are running AutoCAD and sizing ductwork less than an hour before they are teaching? Just thought I'd say that.

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-28132271847453298962008-02-13T10:00:00.000-05:002008-02-13T10:15:46.865-05:00

There is a lot going on and I'm afraid I'm not doing a very good job blogging about our trip so far. We've been here for 10 days (it seems a lot longer), and our bodies are still adjusting. My stomach's a little off, the kids are constantly tired, and we miss all our friends. It has been a good time though...certainly the adventure we bargained for. Amber is giving more of the play-by-play on

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-15546803234471928752008-02-06T22:15:00.000-05:002008-02-06T22:20:40.348-05:00

I've updated our flickr page with trip photos tonight, which I will be doing on a regular basis...

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-38243616115401284332008-02-05T08:16:00.000-05:002008-02-05T08:39:35.138-05:00

It's day three in Arequipa and the Bishops are adjusting to a new home for the next five weeks. The flight here was relatively easy for taking the redeye with three small kids. They all slept most of the way to Lima, although Chloe and Jackson were enthraled for a while with the personal entertainment systems (new 767...pretty sweet plane). When we got to Arequipa, the Styrons

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-18771497808660210652008-01-26T07:08:00.000-05:002008-01-26T07:48:30.768-05:00

Next Saturday we will be packing up the family truckster and heading down to Miami to catch the red-eye to Lima. It's hard to believe that the trip is right on top of us. There is quite a bit of frantic activity going on, which is also why I haven't been blogging much. We are slammed at work, and still have quite a few small preparation tasks to complete around the house before we leave. But

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-19162389643926934732008-01-26T06:49:00.000-05:002008-01-26T07:07:26.324-05:00

I was in New York this week for work and our hotel was not too far from the Apple Store. So, I wondered over there in the sub-freezing temperatures (I grew up in Florida...so anyway). This is what I saw: I couldn't help but draw some religious and cultural parallels. What better way, than with haiku:

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-21973814904299648472008-01-09T20:39:00.000-05:002008-01-09T22:35:43.180-05:00

Lately I've been thinking about the progression that occurs in people as they are exposed to the message of God's kingdom. First, there is a period of detox - they ask a lot of questions, are often angry or become even a little proud for a while, and begin to learn how to relax in the Father's provision and care. This is true for people who have been in or out of the church, but the process takes

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-46332316046505454502008-01-05T15:46:00.000-05:002008-01-05T16:18:50.513-05:00

Back in my original post about our trip to Peru, I mentioned that this whole idea was very much experimental. We were not completely convinced that we could pull off a trip like this and not go seriously into the red, something that was troubling given some recent financial difficulties. Without a church with a missions budget, denomination, or missions organization supporting us, we brainstormed

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-34915557533252610752008-01-01T19:38:00.000-05:002008-01-01T20:36:09.229-05:00

I'm still recovering from our killer New Year's party last night we hosted at the house last night. Fun was had by all, of course. I grilled something close to 40 pounds of assorted meats, which is no exaggeration. My buddy Chris bought a ton of fireworks which the teenage boys dispensed with for the neighborhood to enjoy, or not...but...the party is over and we leave for Peru in 34 days.

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-8660013749310956152007-12-21T09:20:00.000-05:002007-12-21T11:32:34.464-05:00

We did lectio last night on Luke 2:1-20, and it was interesting to see how much God was speaking to us about the shepards' prominence in the Christmas story. There is much to be said about this, but I'm literally writing this on the fly in the middle of madness at work on the last day before Christmas vacation. What God showed me through our discussion and mediation time was how the proclamation

Mike Bishoptag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12259866.post-88899324568031342542007-12-05T20:14:00.000-05:002007-12-06T08:02:14.653-05:00

I have questioned the legitimacy of things like vision statements for churches in the past, but if our church had to have one, it would be something like this: "We follow the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were." The neat thing about this statement is that I stole it from someplace very familiar, yet often overlooked. More than likely, given the

Mike Bishop