I saw an ad today inviting leaders, content creators, and influencers to learn how to make their faith go viral. What if we instead focus on helping Jesus’ faith and ethics go viral? … More Viral Jesus For an Infected Church
Here’s a peace by Kurt Willems on a topic that I’m passionate about. What does it mean to be a Jesus-centered church? What are the alternatives? … More Jesus-Centered?
The past year revealed many Christians being animated by the wrong “spirit” and buying into lies and misinformation rather than the truth. Here’s some wisdom from Jesus for the New Year. … More ‘Spirit’ and ‘Truth’ for a New Year
Throughout the Gospels, Jesus drew huge crowds. There was an irresistible enigma to him. He is the ultimate charismatic teacher and leader. What is it about Jesus’ teaching and his style of teaching that was so attractive? … More Wise Teaching
Wise politics are incarnational. World-based politics is inherently divisive. It creates an us-against-them mentality. The very idea of a political party breeds separation. A gospel ethic goes to those with whom they disagree and sacrifices for their well-being. … More Wise Politics
Wisdom in general can be defined as “life within limits” and that is true of material possessions as well. The Bible presents another sort of Goldilocks situation when it comes to money—both riches and poverty pose spiritual dangers. But there is a wealth target that is just right. … More Wise Church Economies
For the past 12 years I have called my blog Daily Illumination. I am expanding and broadening my online ministry platform, and today would like to introduce a new theme I am trying out. Introducing “Kingdom Harbor.” … More Welcome to Kingdom Harbor!
I’m excited to share a series of chapter summaries by my fellow doctoral graduates from the book we published together called Wise Church: Forming A Wisdom Culture in Your Local Church. Today’s chapter is “What is Wisdom?” … More What Is Wisdom?
“We’re living in this moment where we think of pastors as these guys or gals leading religious organizations, preaching on a Sunday for one-hour, but for most of history they’ve been spiritual guides walking with people in a more personal way.” … More MainStreet in the News
If people could open up my mind and peek into my thought-world, they’d find an amusement park full of wild ideas rising and falling like rollercoasters, a hyper-colored circus full of spiritual insights roaming like elephants a under the big tent, and outside the box ministry visions shooting across my mind like clowns out of a cannon. … More A Mustard Seed Future For the Church
My thesis flows out of the sobering realization that sermon-centric pastoral ministry is inadequate to the task of bandaging hearts, healing wounds, and forming souls at the deeper levels. Dynamic preaching may grow a church, but alone it will not grow disciples. … More Leader, Preacher, or Curate of Souls?
I often feel like I am treading water in a sea of strong and savvy senior pastors, watching them stand proudly at the helm of their mighty cruise ships, while I barely keep afloat while clinging desperately to a piece of driftwood—ancient driftwood that may contain the secret to our true pastoral calling. … More The Island of Misfit Pastors
My fancy bound dissertation came in the mail this week! In the coming days, I want to share several excerpts from the introduction and concluding sections of my thesis. … More The Good Pastor
We so easily become bound by a common social status or style of music rather than by Jesus’ word, table, or cross because in a free market the customer, rather than Christ, is king. … More MLK on Pandering to Religious Consumers
What do you think of these six leadership qualities? Which is lacking most among leaders today? Which is the hardest for you? … More What do you think?
Having thousands of people attending your church, whether it be in person or online, doesn’t indicate that you have a healthy church. It means you have a popular church. The number of views on your Facebook video don’t always translate into hearts being changed. … More Church, Don’t Go Back to Normal
I love words. I especially love when God stoops down and kisses us through another’s words. The Word becomes flesh again and makes His presence known through a thoughtful card from a friend, or an encouraging chat over coffee, or a personal letter from a pastor. … More The Impress of a Friend’s Hand Upon His Letter
I’m in the final laps of my doctoral dissertation. Here’s a piece I wrote along the way reflecting on Fred Rogers in relation to my thesis on recovering wisdom culture and the place of the “sage” in ministry today. … More Mister Rogers Among the Sages
God’s Word to us doesn’t always have shiny wrapping and a big red bow attached. God’s Word isn’t always warm and fuzzy. God’s Word sometimes needs to hit us like a ton of bricks. When we open our Bibles we stumble into an old library full of stories of holy confrontations and sacred summons. … More The Word is Dynamite
Dear Church, It pains and sickens me to post this photo, but this is where we find our nation at this moment. The worst part of Wednesday, in my opinion, was all the people carrying Jesus signs and crosses and dragging Jesus’ name into this display of hatred and evil. Last Wednesday morning, I headed … More Correct, Rebuke and Encourage
“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow” (Tozer). … More When the Spirit Builds the Church
The Book of Jonah is a Sunday school favorite, yet hidden beneath its cartoon like drama lies a very scathing socio-religious warning—a warning aimed at the people who would claim to be on “God’s side.” … More Shipwrecked 2: Jonah and the Despised Other
“O Gracious and Loving God, the ancients believed that writing is a sacred gift from you. Send me the gift of words so that I can say what must be said in a way that will cause as little pain as possible. Inspire me with your wisdom and guide my hand as I write.” ― EDWARD HAYS … More Wielding Words with Wisdom
While some people’s midlife crisis leads them to buy a motorcycle or start running marathons, my midlife crisis led me to stop chasing the fading glow of Sunday. … More Chasing the Fading Glow
“Give me liberty, or give me death!” said Patrick Henry in a famous speech in 1775 that helped ignite the American Revolution and the founding of this nation. Now in 2020, with a nation divided by ideologies and the masses unable to engage in a good natured civil dialogue, I want to yell from the rooftops a new rally cry: “Give us nuance, or give us death!” … More Give Us Nuance, or Give Us Death!
Jeremy L. Berg 