Devotional

A Test of the Spirit’s Presence

~ Mike Schwiebert ~ 2 Comments

Truth is a big deal.

It is all too common, in my experience, for church people to hide behind carefully constructed phrases and partial revelations. Under the guise of grace, we withhold truth—which means we choose darkness and Satan’s M.O which ultimately nullifies our goodwill.

Truthfulness requires us to speak-all. To shade meaning is to literally bring the darkness of the enemy into our words.

This should not be.

Those of us who work behind the scenes have a role to play in this. We are not passive conduits passing on information without responsibility. There is no heavenly sanctioned Nuremberg defense that will let us off the hook if we use deceptive methods to communicate the Gospel. Indeed, it is impossible to do so. We cannot serve two masters. We cannot use the enemies tactics to advance the Kingdom of God.

Keep thinking! Continue reading.

Wherefore art thou, World Vision?

~ Mike Schwiebert ~ 4 Comments

On March 24, World Vision President, Richard Stearns announced in a Christianity Today article that World Vision would be hiring Gay Christians in Same-Sex Marriages.
On March 26, Christianity Today posted, World Visions Reverses decisions to Hire Christians in Same-Sex Marriages.

Wow. Two days. To say the interwebs blew up would put it mildly. Here comes some generalizations:
Many conservatives saw the first decision as further proof that the world is headed to hell in a hand basket.
Many progressives, while supporting the initial decision, were frustrated with conservatives reaction and continued hate speech.

Keep thinking! Continue reading.

Addicted to Novelty

~ Mike Schwiebert ~ 1 Comment

We’ve all seen them – lives destroyed by addiction. Promising young people burnt out like matchsticks. Ensnared loved ones exchanging their families for another fix.
It’s a harsh reality and not something I mention flippantly. It’s grievous, in the full weight of the word.

Yet that’s the image in my mind as I ponder a growing dependency in our ministries: addiction to novelty. Addiction is a monster. Just to be clear, addiction is defined as becoming physically and mentally dependent on something so that you cannot stop without incurring adverse effects. And that is our present condition in many churches: if we don’t keep juicing up, cranking up the experiences, we could lose everything we’ve worked so hard to build. What a shame where true (on many levels).

Keep thinking! Continue reading…

On Creating Space

~ Mike Schwiebert ~ 2 Comments
Rocky Face Mountain Recreation Area
Hiddenite, NC

What do you do to unplug?
How do you stay connected with yourself and your Creator?

One of the greatest, simple pleasures of my life is walking.

If I am not walking, then I am not writing, because I have not completed my thought process.

And even though I enjoy getting out into the wild, for me, creating breathing room is much more about finding inside space than outside space. I walk until I am still. I walk until I can rest. I walk until I find myself in His presence. I am at home in wood or neighborhood and am often found walking in either place.

My hope is to whet your appetite with some personal photos accompanied by some of my favorite excerpts from Thoreau’s Walking. Make the time – create the room – to work on your inside space and find rest in God’s presence.

Unplug from the gadgets and busyness and reconnect with Life.

Keep thinking! Continue reading …

Think Free

~ Mike Schwiebert ~ 3 Comments

ClassroomIt may seem outside my purview on a site dedicated to Technically Thinking that I would post an article exploring education. But this is a blog about thinking, so I believe I can squeeze it in.

Without even realizing it, the church has copied the world’s system when it comes to how we do what we do and how we think about it. We organize and structure ourselves like businesses organize. We educate disciples like the public school system educates factory workers. I say it is past time to break free from these molds and myths and think free. Let me explain.

Recently I read a fantastic article on kottke.org titled, “Yeah, I’m Free Thinking.”
Kottke.org is an eclectic collection of links to articles and videos and all things internet; anything Jason Kottke finds interesting. This particular article is about education.

Education is undergoing a global, seismic shift. Indeed, I would contend that all the 7 major spheres of society (or 7 cultural mountains) are undergoing a similar ground-shaking transformation. On a global scale.

Keep thinking! Continue reading.