Reading Recap for the Week of Feb. 22

What a shame that often the people who need the church the most are the ones who feel the least welcome. Check out Karen’s reflections on being bi-polar in the church.

Over at Tribal Church, Lisa reflects on being the representative for her generation on various focus groups and the need to have young adults actively involved in leadership.

The New York Times has an interesting article on the importance of play and National Public Radio also focused in on the important life skills children learn through play. Have we limited our children by pre-programming their every move? And what does that say about worship and Bible study as we know it?

Relevant Magazine lists five of the up and coming Indy musical artists. And I’m proud to say I have two CDs by number 5 (What Made Milwaukee Famous) because I had the privilege of hearing them when I was in Seattle last spring.

What can we learn from the home church movement? And how can we make worship more “organic”?

Bishop Willimon writes a letter to the Mainline Church. (Beware this letter stings!) And John Ortenberg writes a letter to Seeker Churches.

You know me, I love to make the oldline new. If you will stick with me, I shall give you a future, new wineskins, and all that. I am Lord of Life, not death. I shall move you from mordant decline to life. I've still got plans for you. You'll be smaller, but small can be good. Ask the Mennonites. You will no longer be in charge of the nation, if you ever were. Remember, the national church thing was your idea of church, not mine. Get back to the basics like worship, service, and witness. Don't mourn the downsizing of your bureaucracy. You were once good at mission. Now that much of North America has never heard of me, it's about time to start thinking of yourselves as missionaries.

Taylor Burton-Edwards continues to call the United Methodist Church to return to its mDNA (missional DNA) by setting standards of accountability for clergy and lay.

At Relevant Magazine, John Scott reminds us of our responsibility to visit the prisons and gives some great ways for those in the church to support those who are incarcerated.

On Monday, I fly out to San Diego for the National Pastors Convention, where I will hear from Dan Kimble about They Like Jesus But Not The Church, as well as Phyllis Tickle, NT Wright, Shane Claibourne, Erwin McManus, Calvin Miller, John Ortberg, and Jim Wallis! I hope to blog each day on what I hear.