Hello friends and blogosphere! I’m back and with a completely revamped website! Have a look around. It seems like a lifetime ago that I was actively engaged in writing and interacting with the greater blogosphere. Indeed, it was a different life. So much has changed. I have not actively blogged for about 3 years. Since … More Hi Readers! I’m Back.
A couple weeks ago my sermon got pretty personal. I shared honestly about my feeling distant from God, a bit “cold” in my faith, and in need of rekindling. I shared how I retreated from my routine to a sacred place in my life — an old oak tree back in the woods at Bethel … More Under the Oak
Cabin fever anyone? Wanna get away from it all this summer? Imagine the phone rings and it’s Jesus himself saying, “Are you tired? Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.” (Matt 11 MSG). Who would refuse such an offer? Well, the offer is there! … More SUMMER SERIES: Cabin with Jesus
Here’s a glimpse of our wonderful celebration of our first Easter in our new building!
“The Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Psalm 118:23). They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So I won’t try to describe the product of the past seven years of ministry, prayer, obedience to God, relentlessly chasing after a God-given vision and holding fast to a dream for … More Grand Opening Update: “The LORD has done this…”
*From a recently published article MainStreet Covenant Church will soon open a new center in the Stonegate Plaza in Mound. Hometown Pastor Jeremy Berg is quick to make clear, “This is not a church building; it’s a community gathering place — a cafe, live music venue, book club hub, public meeting space, after school youth … More Church 2.0: A New MainStreet Location for New Impact
Last night was groundbreaking (again) for Mound Westonka youth. Oh, they don’t know it yet. But there is another mustard seed movement afoot. Small, invisible at the moment. MainStreet Church is determined to join God in the power of the Holy Spirit to launch another ‘youth movement’ for Jesus. It’s called The Alley based on … More Revolutionary Teens in Mound
Enjoy this growing collage of news headlines from our past years of local ministry in Mound. I’m very proud of these articles — not because I want my own name lifted up but because far too many churches are irrelevant to the broader community today. MainStreet’s burning passion is to bring the life-transforming message and … More Making Local Headlines for Jesus
Tim was an outspoken atheist who vowed he would “never go into a church again.” But he became a regular participant at our live, local teen music spotlights in Mound during his last two years of high school. Many good conversations about faith and life grew out of our interactions at these music events. Kim … More A Church in the Marketplace
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
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!
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!
“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)
After a full two years since Keri and I began this church planting journey with God, we celebrated the official launch, or Grand Opening, of MainStreet Covenant Church this Sunday at The Gillespie Center. What a joyful, energetic, Spirit-filled celebration it was. We had 180 people attend, and had to use the overflow parking lot … More A Church Is Born!
That night Paul had a dream: A Macedonian stood on the far shore and called across the sea, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” The dream gave Paul his map. We went to work at once getting things ready to cross over to Macedonia. All the pieces had come together. We knew now for … More Rekindling the Legacy of E.A. Skogsbergh on Lake Minnetonka
Here’s a blast from the past. This article published in the local Mound Paper — The Laker — describes the philosophy behind the Revolution teen ministry I launched and led (2005-07). We hope MainStreet launches strong so we can re-launch a dynamic youth ministry like Revolution able to reach local teens for Christ. -JB Words … More A Look Back: Revolution 2006
Dear MainStreet friends, On the eve of Thanksgiving 2011, Keri and I have much to be thankful for. The past year has been perhaps the most difficult and most satisfying year of our lives. One year ago, I was unemployed and scrambling to raise seed money to start planting MainStreet. We had just found out … More A Thanksgiving Letter
Kingdom Harbor 