My Friend Doug Paul Has Moved

My good friend (so good he was my best man and I his!) Doug Paul (not this Doug Paul, the original sounding voice actor) has been a part of a church plant called Eikon for the past few years and has been blogging about the church's journey.  He has moved his blog.  I think it looks quite nice!


Also, if you are interested in the way of discipleship that his church is following, check out 3DM.  Very rooted, spirit-filled and innovative stuff happening through this.  Alan Hirsch, who has some great work on missional church work,  recommends 3DM with this youtube video.


This video does a good job of explaining why they are doing what they are doing the way they are doing it.

Back in the swing...

So, it's been too long since my last post. 8 months, actually. Much has happened in life...many new thoughts, some new friends, a crisis or two, some faith-challenging and growing experiences. But my friend Doug (of Eikon fame) has encouraged me to get back into the blogging world.

Since I am taking off a semester at NTS and don't have to be on Moodle (a free version of BlackBoard) this spring time, I should have some space for adding thoughts to this wonderful thing deemed the blogosphere.

In my time away I have spent too much time listening to music on Pandora. Yeah, it's been around a while, but once I figured out how to design my own station, I was set.

I've also enjoyed downloading free indie music singles from Stranger Dance. My sister in law showed me where to get a free download of Devotcha's How it Ends, once there I got turned on to the music of The Dodo's, Bibio, MGMT, Passion Pit, J. Tillman, and more. Good stuff for studying...very chill...folkish...

Some good posts from good friends

So my friend Doug who is a part of the Eikon community in Richmond has been on a posting frenzy of late, and in the middle of it all has posted some of his perspective on how younger evangelicals are affecting the evangelical landscape. Quality thoughts on politics and theology...

Check out his thoughts:
Post 1
Post 2
Post 3

My other friend (I only have two) Brian Hull has put up some insightful thoughts on Youth and Scripture.

Check out his thoughts on how to help today's youth engage and encounter God in scripture:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

What I'm Reading...

So I have the annoying habit of reading many books at the same time. I find I treat my books like my relationships...I just hate ending them. So for fun, I thought I'd put the books that I'm reading on here.***

So, I'm reading Jewish Spirituality: A Brief Intro for Christians by Lawrence Kushner. I've read this book in the past while I was perusing at the Messiah College Library. I relied heavily on the chapter on Teshuva (Jewish concept of return) for a prodigal son sermon I gave several years ago. The book is very accessible and can actually be read in one sitting, but is best processed over time. And I'm enjoying it again.

The Next book I am enjoying is The Shaping of Things to Come. This book was actually given to me by Doug, and I'm greatly enjoying it. I'll put some more thoughts from this book on this blog for a bit of discussion. Primarily the book hopes to get it's readers to see the world as a place God wants to shape through them, using the culture that they find themselves in.

God was in this Place & I, i did not know. This book is beside my bedside. Another Lawrence Kushner book, this one explores a variety of approaches to explain the time when Jacob dreams of the ladder and realizes that God was with him, even in the middle of nowhere.

Colossians Remixed. This book was recommended by Doug and also by Byron Borger. And Byron is actually mentioned in the forward. How fun is that? Well, I haven't gotten very far in this book, at all. I enjoyed the intro and have only begun the first chapter. But I already like the book, because it's written by a husband and wife team. Now that's cool. I'd love to do that someday.

I, Francis. I've wanted to read this book for quite some time. Ever since I have read the quotes in A Prayer Guide For Ministers and Other Servants. This is a unique approach to telling St. Francis' story. Carlo attempts to tell the story through first person narrative. It's quite fascinating. At times Francis is incredibly captivating and other times he's annoyingly emotional. But that's what makes it a good read.

Raising Your Child to Love God. This book was loaned to me by my Uncle Dan when I first got married. He thought it'd be a good read for being a youth pastor. It so happens that I forgot to give it back to him when I last saw him, but it's providential, because I am enjoying it. It's got great practical things on how to be a godly father and family.

***I linked all of these to Amazon, but if you're local, you can get them from Hearts and Minds.

Welcome to Doug Paul

So, my friend Doug Paul, has officially joined the blogosphere as a blog contributor. No more just reading other people's stuff. No more anonymous commenting. Doug is the real deal now.



Actually, I really appreciate Doug and look forward to what he has to offer. He's a good friend (so good that he was my best man!) and I really think a lot of him.

If you get a minute, check him out!

An Invitation to Discuss

So, a friend of mine, Doug Paul (not this guy), has suggested that we read a book together to stretch our thinking and encourage our spirits. And we have chosen A Community Called Atonement (as you can see) by Scot McKnight. If you (the 12 that read this blog) would like to join the discussion, we're going to do it right here on this blog starting on Feb. 25.

The format is simple. I will post a simple entry every Monday from which we will run a discussion through the comment section. Very similar to what we did on the Christianity Rediscovered book by Vincent Donovan.

So, if you'd like...purchase the book from Amazon or your local bookseller (like Hearts and Minds in York, PA)...and join in!

Grace and Peace.

Hi Douglas Gregory Paul

You rock!