In this E-pistle

The Missional Christian

Pomp and Circumstance — An Unremarkable Child 

The Missional Church is a popular term from the last decade or so and it describes an important shift in understanding and practice whereby mission is no longer understood as a particular program in the ministry mix of a congregation, but as a congregation’s way of life. The Missional Church understands every inch of ground outside its doors to be the mission field. It takes Missional Christians to make a missional church. That is, mission is something we all do everyday, not something some of our friends at the church may do sometimes. So work, school, home and neighborhood become the places where each one of us is sent by God to bear witness to his love in word and deed. “You will know them by their fruits,” Jesus told his disciples who were wondering what is the mark of true and false disciples.

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The Best Mom in the World:  Recently I officiated at a small family memorial service.  There was no obituary and the name of the woman we were remembering doesn't matter in the telling of the story.  Like all lives, hers had its ups and downs and maybe a few more downs than most.

Listed among the deceased's survivors was a daughter who had not known her mom for much of her life.  There had been a too-early birth and the baby had been adopted, a kind and generous decision of which no one knows the details anymore. 

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You may already be familiar with E6:4, our website’s homegrown and very good parenting blog. This month’s E6:4 did not make The Branches due to electronic transmittal problems, but it is well worth reading. Click here for the Branches post: The Culture of Cool I also thought that this short reflection on the Virginia Tech tragedy was helpful: Dealing with Anger 

I’ll take “God” for $100, Alex: We’ve begun our annual Confirmation Class for our eight grade students. Missy and I co-teach the course, and it is always a highlight of the year.

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