We’re enjoying a nice, relaxing time at Towering Pines Resort near Crosslake, Minnesota. The entire Oslin clan is up here — our 1, 3 and 4 year-old niece and nephews providing most of the entertainment. 85 degrees and sunny. Lawn chairs, beach towels, a couple books and soda. Does it get any better? Oh, and … More Memorial Day Weekend at Towering Pines
One of the moments that marks one’s journey are the “cleaning out the office” experiences on the last day at a job. I’m 30 and this is the first real office I’ve cleaned out. Some are less fortunate and have cleaned out the office (or cubicle) dozens of times, each time leaving a person more … More The “Clean Out Your Office” Experience
The Danger of the Day to Day Paul had direct orders to bring the gospel to the Gentile world. Aside from a short period of preparation in Arabia, Paul didn’t waste time in getting at it. I, on the other hand, had absolutely no direction for my future. Sure, I was investing years of study … More Divine Summons 8
2 The Trials & Triumphs of Tentmaking But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those … More Divine Summons 7
This is my version of the story after years of reflecting back upon that night in the dining center with my new Bible. I have not tried to embellish it or exaggerate the claims. Though, truth be told, you might get a very different story if you asked someone who was close to me during … More Divine Summons 6
Hearts Burning & Worldview Turning I was no different than the two disciples on the road to Emmaus as I walked across the Bethel campus through the cool spring rain to the dining center toting my new Bible. My future was filled with uncertainty. The story I had been living in — one of my … More Divine Summons 5
A Cliffhanger And It’s Sequel Take a survey sometime of Bible reading Christians and ask them if they’ve spent more time reading the Gospels or the Book of Acts. The answer is will always be the Gospels. And it’s not even a close contest. But why is this? I think the answer is quite obviously … More Divine Summons 4
1 In My Former Book In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave … More Divine Summons 3
The night has come and gone. Our last night of Fusion youth group. For nearly 3 years this has been home. This has been the field God has given us to cultivate. These have been the hearts and minds God has given us to nurture and grow, challenge and lead. What a wonderful season of … More Fusion Finale Snapshots
A Story of Stories My story begins somewhere in the middle of this human struggle to trust my life to God while maintaining control of my own destiny. I was steadily plodding along in my second year of college at Bethel University (then Bethel College). I was doing my best to write my own story, … More Divine Summons 2
This Wednesday is a sad day. We celebrate our last official night of Fusion youth group together before Keri and I prepare to move on. For nearly 3 years these teenagers have been our gift from God and the focus of our Kingdom ministry. In honor of Fusion, here’s a couple snapshots of the kind … More Last Night of Fusion
“I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago” (Psalm 77:11).
We gain the confidence to face an uncertain future by remembering the faithfulness of God in the past. We are entering a season of uncertainty. Keri and I are preparing to close another chapter in our life of ministry together, and begin a new chapter soon.
Yet, our current chapter at Faith Covenant Church came unexpectedly and all too suddenly for me. When we arrived at Faith in the fall of 2007 I wasn’t ready to close the book on the previous chapter of ministry in Mound. We were seeing a genuine movement of God explode in my hometown, as The Revolution ministry I planted was steadily gaining steam. … More Divine Summons: Introduction
Coffeehouse Live at Ground Zero The next outreach event would be similarly geared towards drawing the local musicians in the school. Many decided they wanted to take the stage after seeing the first Battle of the Bands. But I wondered if we could cast the invitation even wider than just musicians. We decided to inaugurate … More Divine Summons 30
So, I rarely have dreams — or ones that I remember anyway. But this morning I woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare where I was being chased by a vicious wolf who eventually caught me and began eating my arms off. Is there some deeper significance here? Why would I dream of … More Wolf Attack
While dark clouds are a foreboding sight, they’re not always bad. Our own dark cloud is settling on our life as May approaches and Keri and I prepare to leave our current church and ministry in a few weeks. The dark cloud represents the following: The sadness of leaving our beloved church family and dear students. … More Our Dark Cloud: A Personal Update
Prepare For Battle My conversation with Bryan Royle in the park had convinced me that the best way to draw a crowd and get the attention the students in town was to host a Battle of the Bands. I immediately began planning the big night. This is when the Kingdom mustard seed began to grow. … More Divine Summons 27
Chapter 6 Let’s Make Some Noise “Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater. . . The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know … More Divine Summons 26
The Aftermath That first Battle of the Bands event was great success and a major breakthrough for the Revolution. I felt even more like apostle Paul now, as I went back to my daily grind of juggling three jobs plus pioneering an groundbreaking ministry. At school the following week I was met with a buzz … More Divine Summons 29
Welcome to Ground Zero The night arrived and I was giddy with anticipation and quite nervous as well. I had never planned an event of this caliber. I had spent a couple months networking with local churches and leaders, arranging for sound equipment, chasing flighty teenagers around trying to get the bands to commit and … More Divine Summons 28
A Less Eventful Upper Room Experience You would laugh if you saw what our first youth group gathering looked like. On an unusually warm Indian summer night in September, our “youth group” huddled together for the first time in our own upper room, much like the first followers of Jesus did in Acts 1. It … More Divine Summons 20
Revolutionary Christianity The early Jesus movement was a revolutionary force for good. Though it didn’t spread across the Roman empire without stirring up a good deal of trouble (as we saw above). Consider Paul’s visit to Thessalonica described in Acts 17. When the Jesus-movement came to town the whole city knew about it; but they … More Divine Summons 19
A Sleepy Church or Sleeping Giant? Bethel Methodist Church is a small, aging congregation struggling to grow and bring in younger families and youth. Sunday attendance would average just around 100. It’s glory days were well over a decade behind them. Gray hairs filled the pews and youth and children were scant. Pastor was probably … More Divine Summons 18
Partners in the Work of the Gospel Anyone who has been involved with church ministry knows that ecumenical efforts are difficult to pull off. While local churches in smaller communities like to talk about mutual respect for and general partnership with neighboring churches in serving the community, rarely do you see them coming together for … More Divine Summons 25
I Have Many People in this City Once again God spoke most clearly to me through the story of Acts. I recalled the story of Paul’s time in Corinth where he too run up against obstacles and began to doubt himself and his mission. For all we know, Paul may have gone on his own … More Divine Summons 24
Loneliness is a Bitter Friend My story so far has been one of significant loneliness. The two years of college (2000-2002) following my deep inward shift of faith from my encounter with the Book of Acts were the loneliest of my life. There is a loneliness far worse than the lack of friends. It’s the … More Divine Summons 23
Kingdom Harbor 