Archives 2022
I want to make you all aware of some changes coming to Wineskins. Over the last few months I have been praying for God's direction and it has become abundantly clear that it is time for me to transition out of my role running Wineskins. It is a long story and it is all very positive!
The initial impulse for a Restoration Movement that resulted in churches of Christ came out of a world of religious division. If the problem was division and the goal was unity, the approach was to achieving that unity was to shed tradition and get back to the basics of the Bible. The idea was that if we all go back to the way things were in the New Testament church then we would find unity.
Much ink has been spilt over the subject of hermeneutics. Most often, however, these discussions focus upon the method of interpretation. In this article I will focus upon the necessarily prior thing: the interpreter. Specifically, I intend to show that the spiritual formation and virtue (or lack thereof) of the interpreter is more determinative than any particular interpretive method.
When I first started in the world of ministry many years ago, one of the pieces of advice I received most often was to communicate, communicate, communicate. And then, if I felt like I had done a good job of communicating, I should do it some more. In other words, it would be impossible for me to over-communicate.
I’ve heard it. You’ve heard it. We’ve all heard it. People don’t want to be part of an Evangelical church. They are bothered by what they see online, and embarrassed at the behavior of some Evangelical leaders. They’ve had enough. They want out. In response to this, people occasionally ask me a simple question: Are we an Evangelical church? Though I hate to get into semantics, I usually respond with a discussion of word meanings: I guess it depends what you mean by Evangelical.
“My name is Alyssa, and I’m a PhD candidate completing a dissertation about representations of religious fanaticism in nineteenth-century British Gothic literature. When this is how you introduce yourself, you get used to a lot of responses. Typically, people mention books they think I’d like, make a joke about grammar, or tell me about their college English courses. But at churches, there has sometimes been a different response: that of distaste.
What do you do when church attendance shrinks, consolidation follows, and the meeting house and parsonage is left empty? A small Arkansas church moved their location from a remote part of their farming community to a main highway and used the empty parsonage and the old church building to house women seeking freedom from addictions.
The Choice I come now to this tenuous junctureWhere I must choose to believe.My breast-fed faithIs weakeningMy presumed and presumptuous tenetsAre eroding like river-run flagstone,Sloughing off like micaIn smoky-transparent sheetsI see no end to this hurting.I feel no confirmation of this hopeI have clutched for these long years;Nor do I require any giftings As brideprice for the unionOf my faith to You.
I want to hear your personal testimony. I do. Honestly. I want to hear how God moved in your life and called you to follow Jesus, how you accepted, how you converted, how you now walk in the light. And yours too. And yours. And you, over there sipping the latte. And you in the back of the class. And you with the weird hair. And you with the six kids reading this at baseball practice and dance recitals. I want to hear them all.
Many years ago I read this during my quiet time and it led me on a journey. Here it is: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Eph. 6:12, NIV)
Last year at this time we were preaching from Acts called “Walking in the Way.” I covered the man at the Beautiful Gate (3.1-10) and then moved through the pericope on Solomon's Portico (3.11-26). This is followed by the arrest of Peter and John in chapter 4. It is a story that merits reflection.
This month we are going a different route. Instead of a set theme we are opening the floor to writers sharing on whatever topic they would like. I am looking forward to hearing from a variety of topics and writers this month! See you in the comments.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when it comes to discipling your own children. 1 - Start before they are born. Get in a routine of reading scripture to them, praying over them, etc. You cannot start too early!
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). - Mark 15:22 They called that place; The Skull; And how true— Here love is stripped; Of all its softness, all Its warmth: Skinned alive, And reduced to A grinning death's head
“Thank you, God, for dwelling in thick darkness.”[1] As I listened to my 8-year old daughter pray those words a few weeks ago at dinner, I was moved by the way she spoke to God. The way her words were not simply a dinnertime prayer but a personal and deep conversation where she praised, entreated, interceded, and confessed to God. Where she expressed so much of who God is to her.
In a month of considering how God uses generations for His purposes I am drawn to an easily overlooked verse in Acts 2. We often focus on 2:38 to talk about baptism but what about 2:39? Here is what it says, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call." God cares about generations as well as the nations.
When we are trying to understand a passage in the Bible, the assumptions we bring to the text are our starting point. Beginning from them, we draw other conclusions. This is neither good nor bad. It is just inevitable.
It has become extremely popular to have specific ministries for specific ages. It makes sense on one level...I will even say it "works" depending on how it is done. People who are in the same stage of life can easily relate to each other. It isn't a stretch to spend time with people who are going through the same thing you are going through.
In my context, I’ve experienced and been familiar with both the old and new generation. I don’t feel either “old school” or “new school” (if there can be such labels) because I feel like my DNA/history as a Christian contains both. In my heart and life, I have to decide what it means to follow Jesus with the culture, scripture interpretation, and practice of faith I’ve inherited negotiating between the old and the new generation. What should remain of the old and what needs to become wholly new?
Most churches adopted an age segregated approach to ministry starting several decades ago. We siloed our young people and then our young adults into age-graded ministries. While much good was done through that approach it also had some unintended consequences that are worth exploring.
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January Theme – All Things New By Matt Dabbs
Six Things I Pray for Churches of Christ in 2022 By Bobby Valentine
If Anyone Is In Christ They are New Creation: 2 Corinthians 5:17 in Context By Matt Dabbs
My Two Biggest Surprises in 2021 in Christian Media By Kent Blake
What the Beatles Teach Us About Leadership By Bob Turner
My Book Recommendations for 2021: Superlatives in Christian Media By Kent Blake
Poetry Column: January 2022 By Latayne Scott
Seeking more Sensory Services: Abandoning the Auditorium for the Sanctuary By Craig Cottongim
Me: What’s the Point? Why Am I Here? Isaiah the Prophet: Here’s 3 Reasons You Exist By Duncan Campbell
The One True Church (Doesn’t Guilt or Hurt Others) By Paula Harrington
The Parable of New Wineskins By Matt Dabbs
January・Vol 24・No 1
February・Vol 24・No 2
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February Theme – Genesis By Matt Dabbs
Leaving Nashville, Rebuilding Detroit By Bob Turner
The Tree of Life: A Reflective Perspective By Al Maxey
A Gift or a Bargain? By Jim Woodell
“Must Have” Resources on Genesis By Matt Dabbs
Empowering Leaders for Vibrant Churches By Grady King
Super Bowl Sunday By Paula Harrington
February 2022 Poetry Column By Latayne Scott
Genesis, Jesus and New Creation-God Brings the Cosmos Full Circle By Matt Dabbs
ACU Summit 2022: Seeking Hope, Finding Joy By David Kneip
In the Beginning: God’s Original Plan for Marriage By Gary Burge
It’s Not What You’ve Always Thought: Reconsidering 1 Cor 14:34 By Gary Burge
The Slimmest of Evidence By Gary Burge
Why Genesis Should Matter to Christians By Matt Dabbs
March・Vol 24・No 3
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March theme – Moving to the Margins By Matt Dabbs
A Fullness of Joy By Jennifer Schroeder
When a Minister Leaves: Maximizing the Interim Season By Doug Peters
The Illusion of Perfection in the Restoration Movement By Matt Dabbs
Rehearsal for the Big Performance By Latayne Scott
A Church of The Margins Rather than a Church to the Margins By Matt Dabbs
Making a Statement? By Bob Turner
Affluence as a Barrier to the Gospel By Matt Dabbs
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Making Disciples of the Nations By Matt Dabbs
Key Principles in Making Disciples #1 – Jesus’ Method By Matt Dabbs
In View of God’s Mercy By Richard Beadle
Key Principles in Making Disciples #2 – It Starts With Incarnation By Matt Dabbs
How Do You Find Someone to Disciple? By Matt Dabbs
What is the Goal Of Discipleship? By Matt Dabbs
April 2022 Poetry Column By Latayne Scott
What to Teach a New Disciple About Prayer By Matt Dabbs
Disciple Making: Baptizing and Teaching By John Mark Hicks
Resources for Making Disciples Cross-Culturally By Alan Howell
Want to Make Disciples who Make Disciples? It Has to Be Simple! By Matt Dabbs
Is God Building Up or Tearing Down? By Dan Bouchelle
Why Obedience Still Matters – Adventures of a Recovering Legalist By Matt Dabbs
April・Vol 24・No 4
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May Theme – Appreciation By Matt Dabbs
30th Anniversary of Wineskins! By Matt Dabbs
Choose Gratitude Over Chaos By Matt Dabbs
May 2022 Poetry Column By Latayne Scott
That Time I Ignored Lynn Anderson’s Advice By Craig Cottongim
How Technology Helped Kill Appreciation By Matt Dabbs
A Song of Confidence By Jennifer Schroeder
The Grace of Gratitude By Matt Dabbs
“Appreciation” Is Not in the Bible By Matt Dabbs
In Memory of Lynn Anderson – “He Smelled Like Sheep” By Grady King
May・Vol 24・No 5
Lynn Anderson is home. Thursday, May 12, a shepherd who “Smelled like Sheep” went home to the Good Shepherd. He was 85. “A shepherd in someone God hungry people want to be like.” - Lynn Anderson
Our theme this month is focused on a term that is not found in the Bible. Go to your Bible app and search various translations for appreciation - you are going to come up pretty short. Just because a specific word isn't in the Bible doesn't mean the concept isn't there either. The Bible is full of calls for us to appreciate each other.
We are in a real struggle to have gratitude today. The louder voice is the voice of the critic. Criticism is more expedient because it takes far less time and energy to point out problems than it does to actually make something better. The food at the restaurant isn't just right - can we show grace?
My boys have recently acquired an Alexa Dot for their bedroom to listen to music and podcasts, and with this introduction of technology comes the really loud playing of music on repeat. Their most recent constant is “Whom Shall I Fear.” They turn the Alexa volume all the way up and sing at the top of their lungs.
As the rate of technological advancement increases, our ability to appreciate what we have is more easily diminished. Let's use phones as an example. They remained virtually unchanged for nearly 100 years until the cordless phone came out...then the bag/mobile phone. Those were the biggest innovations in generations and nothing came after them for quite some time.
Somewhere at home there are pictures of Lynn and me, photos from the days before Social media or cell photos, they are lost in some box. I've listened to Lynn all across the country, from St. Louis after his release of They Smell like Sheep to Lipscomb's Summer Celebration, but my fondest memories of Lynn are from the days of the Tulsa Soul winning workshop.
… devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. - 1 Timothy 4:13
There is such power in the; Word; Spoken, it slits; Open hearts; Read, it rips; And uproots our defenses
Some people thrive on chaos. They stoke drama...they poke and pick at things until something blows up. Why do people do that? Power. The drama has a certain attraction to it. It puts you in control. And people like to be in control. When you can keep everyone else on their heals, you get the advantage.
Wineskins started as a print publication May 1992 when Rubel Shelly, Mike Cope and Phillip Morrison launched out to create a magazine within the Restoration Movement that tackled hard questions with humility.
There is an appreciation deficit in our culture today. There is, instead, a critical eye that is constantly looking for problems. Are we addicted to drama, upheaval and chaos? One of the antidotes to the popular cultural ethos of being upset is appreciation.
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June Theme – Will We See Movements? By Matt Dabbs
Will There Be a Movement? By Scott Johnson
The Kill Switch in Sectarian Church of Christ DNA By Matt Dabbs
Churches Have a Choice to Make By Matt Dabbs
Embracing Our Role as Prophets, Priests and Pastors By Bryan Fojtasek
Church Movements Require the Work of the Holy Spirit By Matt Dabbs
Simple is Reproducible By Matt Dabbs
Let’s Go on a Prayer Walk By Matt Dabbs
June・Vol 24・No 6
Prayer walking is one of the most eye-opening practices I have experienced as a Christian. I had never heard of this or considered it until a few years ago when we planted a church. All those years, I had driven past my neighbors and driven through the neighborhoods in order to "get to church." All of a sudden, it became clear that all of those homes included people who needed Jesus and we needed to find a way to be out and among the people who live near us.
If you want something to reproduce it has to be simple. Complex approaches aren't as easily reproducible as simple approaches. If your approach to making disciples requires a PhD to pull it off then the number of capable and qualified people who can carry it forward is diminished.
Our churches don't need more strategy... our churches need more Spirit. Now, you might be saying - you don't know my church. We need a strategy! I am would say, "You are probably right!" But strategy alone isn't sufficient.
In the Bible, leadership is never one-dimensional. In both the Old and New Testaments, God provided different kinds of leaders to serve different functions. In the Old Testament we see patriarchs, prophets, priests, judges and kings. In the New Testament there are apostles, pastors, evangelists, prophets, teachers, shepherd-elders, deacons, and overseers. While there is some overlap between these various roles, they each have a specific purpose.
Imagine every evening your family sat at the dinning room table for a business meeting. The parents pull out the finances and assess all the decisions that had been made that day to help the family be "successful." Timmy is in trouble because he keeps leaving the light on in the bathroom.
Human beings have an incredibly amount of diversity in our appearance, tied to variations in our DNA. I am out of my depth here but I think I understand the gist of how it works. There are various mutations in genes that are completely harmless. Other mutations cause significant problems. Still other mutations in our genes make survival impossible.
I became part of the Churches of Christ for three reasons. The first was our knowledge of and devotion to Scripture. The second was that we are a "unity movement" or at least started that way. The third reason? To somehow partner with God to heal our divided congregations and world.
I hear story after story about what God is doing around the world and by around the world, a lot of it is in Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It is truly astounding the amount of growth that is happening in those places and we need to be incredibly grateful that it is taking place.
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July Theme – Marriage & Family By Matt Dabbs
How to Disciple Children By Matt Dabbs
Why Aren’t Churches Including Single People? By Jim Miller
Why Are We In Our Predicament? Hosea on the Failure of the Theologians By Bobby Valentine
Unfolding Life By Ed Gray
July 2022 Poetry Column By Latayne Scott
Churches and Marriage Ministry By Trey Morgan
Great Marriages Don’t Happen By Accident By Trey Morgan
July・Vol 24・No 7
There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a marriage. Yet many of those marriage problems can be avoided by simple marriage maintenance. We maintain our houses, our cars, our children (new clothes and doctor visits) and our health, but we often neglect the most important earthly relationship we have … our marriage.
Marriages and families are struggling. That’s not anything you don’t already know. The bad thing is that so many in our world are looking in the wrong place for answers. They are looking; it’s just that the church isn’t doing a very good job at providing the answers.
Do this in remembrance of me. - 1 Corinthians 11:24 Why is it that I can only anchor my thoughts? To what is real. By tying my mind to the jarring reality. Of a nail's impact. On flesh.
My wife and I recently spent a Friday date night at home watching the latest Downton Abbey movie. She did not expect to cry. Thanks to Rhonda’s interest through the years, we watched all the seasons and the prior movie. Without that context, I would have no appreciation for all the characters, personalities and storylines that unfolded during “A New Era.”
This is a meditation upon encountering the Prophet Hosea. Today is Day 200 of the Year 2022. There are 165 days left in this year. Every year I read through the Bible. To go through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the Middle Testament (Apocrypha) and the New Testament, I average about three and a half pages a day, which translates to about 15 to 20 minutes at lunch every day.
After 20 years of marriage and 22 years as a (layperson) singles minister I have a few observations. Ministers: Please use this information to improve outreach and support of the unmarried people. Singles: Please use this to strengthen your walk with God.
Save the world, lose your kids. So many of us want to make a difference in the world but we struggle at home where it is most important.How do we help our children grow into strong, mature disciples of Jesus? First, we start with the best definition of Christian maturity that I am aware of from Curtis Sergeant.
In the month of July we will have some special articles highlighting marriage and family. Several experts have been tapped to bring us articles that will enrich our marriage and parenting as well as point us to resources that can help us turn the corner to a better marriage!
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July Theme – Marriage & Family By Matt Dabbs
How to Disciple Children By Matt Dabbs
Why Aren’t Churches Including Single People? By Jim Miller
Why Are We In Our Predicament? Hosea on the Failure of the Theologians By Bobby Valentine
Unfolding Life By Ed Gray
July 2022 Poetry Column By Latayne Scott
Churches and Marriage Ministry By Trey Morgan
Great Marriages Don’t Happen By Accident By Trey Morgan
July・Vol 24・No 7
There are a lot of things that can go wrong in a marriage. Yet many of those marriage problems can be avoided by simple marriage maintenance. We maintain our houses, our cars, our children (new clothes and doctor visits) and our health, but we often neglect the most important earthly relationship we have … our marriage.
Marriages and families are struggling. That’s not anything you don’t already know. The bad thing is that so many in our world are looking in the wrong place for answers. They are looking; it’s just that the church isn’t doing a very good job at providing the answers.
Do this in remembrance of me. - 1 Corinthians 11:24 Why is it that I can only anchor my thoughts? To what is real. By tying my mind to the jarring reality. Of a nail's impact. On flesh.
My wife and I recently spent a Friday date night at home watching the latest Downton Abbey movie. She did not expect to cry. Thanks to Rhonda’s interest through the years, we watched all the seasons and the prior movie. Without that context, I would have no appreciation for all the characters, personalities and storylines that unfolded during “A New Era.”
This is a meditation upon encountering the Prophet Hosea. Today is Day 200 of the Year 2022. There are 165 days left in this year. Every year I read through the Bible. To go through the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), the Middle Testament (Apocrypha) and the New Testament, I average about three and a half pages a day, which translates to about 15 to 20 minutes at lunch every day.
After 20 years of marriage and 22 years as a (layperson) singles minister I have a few observations. Ministers: Please use this information to improve outreach and support of the unmarried people. Singles: Please use this to strengthen your walk with God.
Save the world, lose your kids. So many of us want to make a difference in the world but we struggle at home where it is most important.How do we help our children grow into strong, mature disciples of Jesus? First, we start with the best definition of Christian maturity that I am aware of from Curtis Sergeant.
In the month of July we will have some special articles highlighting marriage and family. Several experts have been tapped to bring us articles that will enrich our marriage and parenting as well as point us to resources that can help us turn the corner to a better marriage!
What if the Restoration Movement actually set us up for the next leg for "church" in America? I am going to give you three reasons why I believe the underlying foundation of Churches of Christ can set us up to thrive in the coming years but it won't be easy (it wasn't easy for Jesus or the early church either).