“Early in the morning Joshua and all the Israelites set out from Shittim and went to the Jordan, where they camped before crossing over. After three days the officers went throughout the camp giving orders to the people” (Josh. 3:1-2). MainStreet Church is standing on the bank of the Jordan these days and gazing across at the Promised Land of … More Crossing Jordan 1 – Camping by the River
Seven years ago God first gave me the vision of a church in Mound that shines the light of Christ beyond the sanctuary walls “in the marketplace daily with all who happen to be there” (Acts 17:17). Thanks to the faithful and generous people God has brought around MainStreet, this dream is about to become a … More Special Announcement: A New MainStreet Home!
I turn 33 today. Something shifted in me this past year. I feel older. I feel the weight of leadership on my shoulders. I feel stronger, thicker skinned. I feel the proud, protective instincts of fatherhood surging through my veins. There’s a little blue-eyed blonde tike tugging on my leg with the non-stop “dada dada … More Birthday Reflection – 33 Years
FYI: Some of my regular readers of DI also listen to some of my sermons. We fell behind and finally posted the past month’s messages for you to check out. Listen here.
Pastor Steven hits the nail on the head and strikes a loud chord for all of us at MainStreet about to move one step closer toward our dream for ministry in Mound. -JB By Rev. Steven Larson, Senior Pastor of Redeemer Covenant Church in Brooklyn Park, MN Phillips Brooks wrote, “Do not pray for easy … More It’s time to dream! (by Steven Larson)
MainStreet is preparing to launch a new youth ministry in Mound to reach Westonka youth for Christ. MainStreet Church is about bringing the light and love of Christ beyond the church walls and into the marketplace — i.e., Main St. Our foundational verse is Acts 17:17 where Paul conducted his ministry “in the marketplace daily … More Welcome to The Alley!
A long time dream for Mound is getting closer to being realized. My original call to ministry was more specifically a call to bring a fresh approach to youth ministry to my home town of Mound. Most of you know that I spent a couple years leading a grassroots youth movement called Revolution in Mound … More Westonka Youth Ministry – COMING SOON!
I’m extremely blessed!
From Scot McKnight at Jesus Creed: The “most influential work of popular theology published this century…” What is it? I disagree with Ross Douthat’s answer (in his book Bad Religion) to this question because I don’t think that book has been influential even if it has been wildly popular. The issue here is how to define “influential.” By … More America’s Premier Heresy
Here’s the chaos I married into….and I’m so glad I did. :)
A great reminder — and the idea behind MainStreet Merge Forums. -JB by Cathleen Falsani 05-31-2012 Ah, the life of the church. So many arguments, so little time. The list of subjects about which the saints disagree is seemingly endless, encompassing both the profound and the woefully mundane. The ordination of women. The proper role of religion … More Delivery Us From Smugness (by Cathleen Falsani)
Here’s a reposting of a message I gave to the Confirmation class in 2009. 22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to … More Confirmation Message: Walk the Plank!
This Friday we launch a key new initiative in keeping with our MainStreet vision. MainStreet is founded on the conviction that the church needs to engage unchurched people beyond the walls of the sanctuary. Many people today are not interested in coming to worship on Sunday, but are open to conversation about spiritual topics. They … More NEW! Merge Forums in Mound!
Jesus lived his entire life completely swept up in the rhythms of The Father’s Song. Remember that in the very beginning, before the creation of the world, all that existed was the eternal dance of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit enjoying pure, self-giving, mutual joy and love between their three eternally distinct persons. … More FATHER’S SONG (13): Dancing Together As One (Paul & NT Letters)
As the OT comes to a close, God’s plan to bring a tone-deaf and clumsy footed people back into the harmonious rhythms of The Father’s Song seems a giant failure. If only these notes on a page could become music in one’s ear. If only someone could learn to play each note perfectly, perhaps the … More FATHER’S SONG (12): More Than Sheet Music (Jesus)
There is the right song for every situation. There is music for every mood. And everyone’s musical library should include a good collection of quality break-up songs. Country music provides plenty of options for this category. My go-to-guy for heart-wrenching, gut-punching break-up songs is without question Chris Isaak. I bought Chris Isaak’s Forever Blue album … More FATHER’S SONG (11): Country Break-Up Songs (Prophets)
“One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the … More I Have Many People in this city (Acts 18)
“People are like stained glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.” -Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Swiss-American psychiatrist and author
If you want a powerful image of what it looks like to living in tune with The Father’s Song and in perfect step with the Spirit, watch an episode of Dancing With the Stars. The dancers must be in perfect step with one another; but even more importantly they must be intimately familiar with the … More FATHER’S SONG (10): Elevator Music (Solomon)
I have over 2,000 songs in my iTunes library. I also have a much smaller “Playlist” of all my favorites: songs that make me smile and move me to dancing, songs that evoke significant memories, songs I’ve shared with special friends, songs that comfort me and songs that move me to tears. Skimming through another … More FATHER’S SONG (9): Israel’s iPod (Psalms)
One divine melody permeates the grand narrative of redemptive history. In this series, Jeremy is guiding us through the biblical narrative–from Genesis to Revelation–with “ears to hear” the penetrating God-beat keeping everything in sync. The winner of the second season of the ancient Near Eastern version of American Idol was the electrifying, rags-to-riches shepherd boy … More FATHER’S SONG (8): David Sings the National Anthem
Kingdom Harbor 