Dallas Cowboys & Discipleship

The Dallas Cowboys have a wide receiver on their team by the name of Dez Bryant. Mr. Bryant has recently run into some issues away from the football field, which has caused his NFL team to do something I found not only interesting but perhaps something the Church could learn from. You can read more specifics here.

I appreciated hearing the Cowboys say they cared about Mr. Bryant as a player and a person. They even mentioned their desire to help him and his family. The key, they said, would be accountability. They recognized it was not fair to expect Mr. Bryant to do it on his own, so they stepped in to offer support. This is a commitment of time, energy, and resources on behalf of his team.

It seems as though it might not be much different when it comes to discipleship. The Church cannot expect individuals to “do discipleship” on their own without being willing to commit time, energy, and resources. If an NFL team can do it, why can’t we?

Everyone's a Critic...Really?

There is a difference between being critical and being negative. Thinking critically is an important part of Wesleyan theology as we encourage people to use reason when thinking about things as part of Our Theological Task. I'm guessing when asking people to think critically, we're not asking them to complain or hate on everything.

This goes beyond theology and into every aspect of life; politics, books, movies, work, education, church, etc. Critical thinking is more than simply saying something is "good" or "bad," that you like it or don't. Critical thinking answers the question of why you like something or not.

So tell us, how do you give critical feedback without being negative? Do you receive critical feedback well?

Social Media Is Not Going Away

Scriptural Leadership 'Hangout'

I've been wanting to start an online study using a Google+ Hangout for some time now but have been struggling to pick a topic. With the conclusion of Willow Creek Association's Global Leadership Summit (and some help from @indypenny) I found some inspiration for a discussion topic. We are going to spend a couple weeks talking about what the Bible has to teach us about leadership. Plan on "hanging out" with us on Thursday nights @8:30pm EST starting Thursday, August 16th.

Interested in being a part of the conversation? I hope so. Here's what you'll need:

1. A Google+ Account (a Gmail account works as well, you will simply have to join Google+). Register for one here.
2. Visit the Sunrise Google+ Page and look for the 'Hangout' in the timeline.
3. Speakers to listen.
4. A microphone if you want to speak, but not required.
5. A webcam if you want to be seen, but not required. 
6. A keyboard if you want to join in the conversation.

Any questions? Just let me know.