The Art of Neighboring
Excerpts from Marcus Brotherton, “On Being Neighborly.” “The majority of issues that our community is facing would be eliminated or drastically reduced if we could just figure out a way to become a community of great neighbors.” – Bob Frie, mayor of Arvada, Colorado 1. Being a good neighbor begins with a positive, proactive mindset. “The solutions to the problems in our neighborhoods aren’t ultimately found in the government, police, schools, or in getting more people to go to church,” Runyon and Pathak wrote in their book....
read moreSBC Disaster Relief
After the Nashville flood in May, 2010, the church we had planted held a benefit concert at our coffee shop. We asked for very specific donations – laundry detergent, bleach, rubber gloves, diapers, baby formula, bottled water – to help with the relief efforts after coordinating with those who had boots on the ground. I will never forget a man showing up with a flat bed trailer full of junk. Not the type of junk you may see lying around Sanford and Son’s lot, but used household kick knacks, furniture, and pots and pans. This...
read moreCan A Business Loose Its License For Being “Too Kind”
I have met Jamie Zumwalt twice. The first time we were both speaking at a missions conference. The second, we shared lunch while she was in town speaking at a local church. The Zumwalt’s own a coffee shop named Joe’s Addiction. They describe the business as “more than a coffee shop, it is a community. Many who hang out at Joe’s are committed to doing life together, walking together and serving the surrounding community.” Some of the things that make Joe’s more than a coffee shop are: Joe’s hosts a Food Pantry...
read moreWe’re not Completely Crazy
A friend sent me the link to the video embedded below saying “you’ll love this.” I have given her the award for Understatement of the Year, 2013. Yes, we do love that across the pond, there is a family on a similar journey. The Frays state their vision as: “[We] lead a community of people at Kahaila Coffee on Brick Lane in East London. We have a heart to impact the global and local community around us with Kingdom values. Not to mention creating a cool space to share our a passion for art, music, and good...
read moreThe Supremacy of Christ
Video from John Piper’s message “The Supremacy of Christ- Part 2″ set to a beautiful symphonic rhythm.
read moreDoes God Care Where You Work?
Excerpts from Relevant Magazine I wasn’t a barista for long, but in hindsight, I can see that it was in the coffee shop where I learned what work truly means. It was there that I learned the value of everyday integrity, excellence, responsibility and a work ethic oriented to serving Christ in all things. It took me this entry-level experience to learn that any work, done in excellence, for the glory of God, is in fact meaningful. It also taught me that my job title does not solely define who I am. In this sense, I can truly say my stint as a...
read moreWorkplace Mission
Andy Campbell writes in: Vocation as Parish: The Missional Possibilities of Inhabiting Your Workplace: When I hear someone talk about being more “missional” or “incarnational” in my faith, I wonder where I’m supposed get all that time to hang out with people and build relationships with my neighbors. I don’t have a job that is ministry related, affording me the flexibility to hang out in coffee shops or on my neighbor’s porch. I spend nearly half my waking hours each week working, sometimes dreaming about how to create more opportunities to...
read moreNeighborday Photos
Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures. So, I just stole these from others on Facebook. Thank you again to everyone who made all this possible.
read moreArgenta Neighborday 4/20
The goal of Neighborday is simple: To make human contact with our neighbors. The explosion of online “social” networking has only made it easier to avoid face-to-face contact in the real world. Today, our definition of community is changing. A majority of American adults don’t know their neighbors by name though most are on Facebook. American children play more online than play outside. And while the internet age, has brought unprecedented access to information, networks, and commerce, it’s unclear if it has brought us...
read moreGod, Work, and The Church
With this motion graphic slideshow, Rob Murray draws from pop culture, experts in the field, and great books about faith and work to flesh out a theology of work. source
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