by Jason Joyner | Jan 7, 2008 | Biblical worldview, Blog, Christianity, culture, ministry, missions
I wanted to introduce a topic that I learned in my time in Youth With A Mission. After the shootings at YWAM Arvada, I was keeping an eye out on the net to see what was being discussed about the mission organization in the wake of the event. Most of the coverage was positive, although I did come across negative publicity, which was bound to happen. No organization is perfect, and YWAM has its warts. However, one of the criticisms was that YWAM tended to produce people that were insular and didn’t want to go out of what YWAM was doing.
YWAM is a pretty dynamic, if loose, organization, and it can be very attractive to stay with a group that seems more intense and going than the local church. I’ve seen folks that have done this very thing. Yet this is antithetical to YWAM’s purpose, as evidenced by their teaching on the “Seven Spheres of Influence.”
I wanted to introduce this topic because it plays into themes that this blog has touched on. Basically, all of life is under the watchful gaze of God (in Latin it is called “Coram Deo”). I’ve talked about this regarding creativity and art, but really no part of life is separate from God, especially for us as Christians. If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, whatever we do can be used to advance the Kingdom of God. (Of course there are limits. I won’t be promoting Christian erotica anytime soon.)
After a time YWAM decided that there was a greater role for Christians than just being in specific, called, identifiable ministry. You know, being called “Rev/Pastor/Father/Bishop/Deacon/etc.” A Christian businessman could use his influence in his field, mentoring people in Kingdom principles to train a moral workforce in finance or whatever the field may be. There was a great untapped potential for discipleship and transforming not just lives, but entire cultures. If enough Christians entered these “spheres of influence,” then a whole nation could be discipled.
I know this idea is not unique to YWAM, but the idea was one of the reasons they founded their University of the Nations to train people in a Biblical worldview of all fields of industry and work. I applaud all others who forge ahead in this way – I think it has the potential to radically change the world.
I’ll break down this idea more, and spell out the Seven Spheres, in further posts this week.
by Jason Joyner | Jan 7, 2008 | Biblical worldview, Blog, Christianity, culture, ministry, missions
I wanted to introduce a topic that I learned in my time in Youth With A Mission. After the shootings at YWAM Arvada, I was keeping an eye out on the net to see what was being discussed about the mission organization in the wake of the event. Most of the coverage was positive, although I did come across negative publicity, which was bound to happen. No organization is perfect, and YWAM has its warts. However, one of the criticisms was that YWAM tended to produce people that were insular and didn’t want to go out of what YWAM was doing.
YWAM is a pretty dynamic, if loose, organization, and it can be very attractive to stay with a group that seems more intense and going than the local church. I’ve seen folks that have done this very thing. Yet this is antithetical to YWAM’s purpose, as evidenced by their teaching on the “Seven Spheres of Influence.”
I wanted to introduce this topic because it plays into themes that this blog has touched on. Basically, all of life is under the watchful gaze of God (in Latin it is called “Coram Deo”). I’ve talked about this regarding creativity and art, but really no part of life is separate from God, especially for us as Christians. If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, whatever we do can be used to advance the Kingdom of God. (Of course there are limits. I won’t be promoting Christian erotica anytime soon.)
After a time YWAM decided that there was a greater role for Christians than just being in specific, called, identifiable ministry. You know, being called “Rev/Pastor/Father/Bishop/Deacon/etc.” A Christian businessman could use his influence in his field, mentoring people in Kingdom principles to train a moral workforce in finance or whatever the field may be. There was a great untapped potential for discipleship and transforming not just lives, but entire cultures. If enough Christians entered these “spheres of influence,” then a whole nation could be discipled.
I know this idea is not unique to YWAM, but the idea was one of the reasons they founded their University of the Nations to train people in a Biblical worldview of all fields of industry and work. I applaud all others who forge ahead in this way – I think it has the potential to radically change the world.
I’ll break down this idea more, and spell out the Seven Spheres, in further posts this week.
by Jason Joyner | Jan 3, 2008 | Blog, blogging, internet
Blargh.
That’s the first word I uttered this morning. You see, I had a whole eleven days off of work, because it shuts down for non-essential personnel over the holidays. I know that people out there (Mark…) are saying that there’s no WAY I should be complaining. However, I have to wake up at 5:00 am to catch a bus at 5:30 am to ride an hour to work. When you’ve been used to getting up at 8:30 am and going to bed at 11:00 pm over the holidays, “Blargh” is exactly the response that is appropriate.
Plus, it is my blog, so I can whine if I want. Anyone have some nice cheese?
I had a point here somewhere…
ANYWAY, I just wanted to discuss a little bit of change around here. Since my work has me prisoner away for almost 12 hours Monday through Thursday, I would try to do all my blogging during lunch or before the work day officially started. It served me well all year.
Except for the fact that I got in trouble.
It seems that the government frowns on using the internet on their time, and my computer got picked up on a random scan. I will confess to being a net addict, and I know I abused the “check your email at lunch” provision. So I am duly chastised. Unfortunately this changes how I’ll do my blog.
This is actually a good thing, because I really do use the net too much. (This may come as a shock to many of you out there that this can happen) The nice thing about using it at work is that I tended to stay away from the computer on work nights and focus on my family. I don’t intend to change this for the most part. This means that my blogging will shift from Mon – Thurs on average to Thurs – Sun. Or somesuch.
I still plan on being part of blog tours, but I hope my blogging friends will forgive me if I’m not “around” as much. I do count so many of y’all as true friends, and I will miss hanging out on the web as much. I think this may be a God thing though. If that works out, I’ll report on it more later.
See you around!
by Jason Joyner | Jan 3, 2008 | Blog, blogging, internet
Blargh.
That’s the first word I uttered this morning. You see, I had a whole eleven days off of work, because it shuts down for non-essential personnel over the holidays. I know that people out there (Mark…) are saying that there’s no WAY I should be complaining. However, I have to wake up at 5:00 am to catch a bus at 5:30 am to ride an hour to work. When you’ve been used to getting up at 8:30 am and going to bed at 11:00 pm over the holidays, “Blargh” is exactly the response that is appropriate.
Plus, it is my blog, so I can whine if I want. Anyone have some nice cheese?
I had a point here somewhere…
ANYWAY, I just wanted to discuss a little bit of change around here. Since my work has me prisoner away for almost 12 hours Monday through Thursday, I would try to do all my blogging during lunch or before the work day officially started. It served me well all year.
Except for the fact that I got in trouble.
It seems that the government frowns on using the internet on their time, and my computer got picked up on a random scan. I will confess to being a net addict, and I know I abused the “check your email at lunch” provision. So I am duly chastised. Unfortunately this changes how I’ll do my blog.
This is actually a good thing, because I really do use the net too much. (This may come as a shock to many of you out there that this can happen) The nice thing about using it at work is that I tended to stay away from the computer on work nights and focus on my family. I don’t intend to change this for the most part. This means that my blogging will shift from Mon – Thurs on average to Thurs – Sun. Or somesuch.
I still plan on being part of blog tours, but I hope my blogging friends will forgive me if I’m not “around” as much. I do count so many of y’all as true friends, and I will miss hanging out on the web as much. I think this may be a God thing though. If that works out, I’ll report on it more later.
See you around!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 31, 2007 | Blog, books, fantasy, favorites, fiction, reading
Ah, the time of year where we are all allowed to climb up on our individual pedestals and pontificate on our favorite movies/books/albums/etc. for the year.
OK, so I’m a little cynical about this. But – not cynical enough to avoid participating in such an event. Heh.
Without further ado, I give you my favorite books for 2007:
5. Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson. Book 2 of the Black or White Chronicles continues an amazing tale of spiritual warfare from Mississippi. He continues a great beginning with a strong second effort.
4. Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead. Another second in a series. I enjoyed the start of the King Raven trilogy with Hood, but the voice for Scarlet was just perfect. No one does historical fiction quite like Lawhead.
3. Fearless by Robin Parrish. Hmm. As I write this post, I see I had a weakness for sequels this year. Anyway, I gushed plenty about the amazing suspense in Fearless. I’m still waiting for a copy of the next book to proofread for Mr. Parrish, so I don’t have to wait until July ’08. Still waiting… (Oh, and this book inspired this essay by me – shameless self-promotion)
2. Try Dying by James Scott Bell. Ha! It isn’t a sequel. Mr. Bell is a prolific writer, but I had only read a How-to book on fiction by him. Well, this taut legal thriller caught my interest in both his writing and the legal thriller genre in general. I definitely will check out more of his work.
1. Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson. I read this book early in 2007, and it stayed my favorite book throughout the whole year. This was a book that had me crying at one point, and a couple chapters later I was laughing out loud. The description, the characterization, the setting, and the plot all caught me in a strong way. It was an amazing first book for Mr. Anderson, and it started the Black or White Chronicles off on very firm footing. If you haven’t read it yet, you are certainly missing out. Just a note: I received an email from the author recently asking for prayer, as his latest book is being considered by a publisher. I hope it is the fourth book of B or W, as it was intended as a 6 book arc.
A few honorable mentions:
Snitch by Rene Gutteridge – still the best comedic writer I’ve come across. Fun characters with whimsy and a catchy read.
The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock – a bold start for the very enjoyable Legend of the Guardian King fantasy series. This Christy award winner is a must read for fantasy fans.
In High Places by Tom Morrisey – a touching book from a man who knows his adventure.
To Dance in the Desert by Kathleen Popa – a literary women’s fiction book that drew in this action and mayhem man. Great first book!
—
Anyone else have a great read this year they’d like to mention? I’m always up for hearing about books (affording to buy them is a different story…)
Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 31, 2007 | Blog, books, fantasy, favorites, fiction, reading
Ah, the time of year where we are all allowed to climb up on our individual pedestals and pontificate on our favorite movies/books/albums/etc. for the year.
OK, so I’m a little cynical about this. But – not cynical enough to avoid participating in such an event. Heh.
Without further ado, I give you my favorite books for 2007:
5. Wedgewood Grey by John Aubrey Anderson. Book 2 of the Black or White Chronicles continues an amazing tale of spiritual warfare from Mississippi. He continues a great beginning with a strong second effort.
4. Scarlet by Stephen Lawhead. Another second in a series. I enjoyed the start of the King Raven trilogy with Hood, but the voice for Scarlet was just perfect. No one does historical fiction quite like Lawhead.
3. Fearless by Robin Parrish. Hmm. As I write this post, I see I had a weakness for sequels this year. Anyway, I gushed plenty about the amazing suspense in Fearless. I’m still waiting for a copy of the next book to proofread for Mr. Parrish, so I don’t have to wait until July ’08. Still waiting… (Oh, and this book inspired this essay by me – shameless self-promotion)
2. Try Dying by James Scott Bell. Ha! It isn’t a sequel. Mr. Bell is a prolific writer, but I had only read a How-to book on fiction by him. Well, this taut legal thriller caught my interest in both his writing and the legal thriller genre in general. I definitely will check out more of his work.
1. Abiding Darkness by John Aubrey Anderson. I read this book early in 2007, and it stayed my favorite book throughout the whole year. This was a book that had me crying at one point, and a couple chapters later I was laughing out loud. The description, the characterization, the setting, and the plot all caught me in a strong way. It was an amazing first book for Mr. Anderson, and it started the Black or White Chronicles off on very firm footing. If you haven’t read it yet, you are certainly missing out. Just a note: I received an email from the author recently asking for prayer, as his latest book is being considered by a publisher. I hope it is the fourth book of B or W, as it was intended as a 6 book arc.
A few honorable mentions:
Snitch by Rene Gutteridge – still the best comedic writer I’ve come across. Fun characters with whimsy and a catchy read.
The Light of Eidon by Karen Hancock – a bold start for the very enjoyable Legend of the Guardian King fantasy series. This Christy award winner is a must read for fantasy fans.
In High Places by Tom Morrisey – a touching book from a man who knows his adventure.
To Dance in the Desert by Kathleen Popa – a literary women’s fiction book that drew in this action and mayhem man. Great first book!
—
Anyone else have a great read this year they’d like to mention? I’m always up for hearing about books (affording to buy them is a different story…)
Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 27, 2007 | Blog, life
Wow. That was fast. Did you see it? That was Christmas, come and gone so fast.
Having three little boys, I see the holiday through their eyes in a lot of ways, I think. I’m excited for them to open their presents, as we’d planned for several months what we’d get them. The snow isn’t always fun to shovel, but taking the boys sledding and watching them romp around in it helps change my perspective on the white stuff. They all love eggnog and rum cake, all things that we get during the Christmas season. Overall, kids are great for keeping one from getting Scrooge-y with all of the baggage that goes along with this time of year.
As an adult, I think (at least I *hope*) I have enough maturity to be able to see things from their perspective. The hard part is working on the boys to see some things from MY perspective. My greatest desire in life is to have my boys become strong and healthy men of God, reproducing life and advancing the Kingdom wherever they are. This is so hard because you don’t know if you’re on the right track until it is too late to change course. If they’re grown and off somewhere else, then it is out of my control.
Of course, I know Who is in control. I know He will be faithful. I just want my boys to know the love and grace and purpose I have in Jesus. Christmas creates one of the best ways for showing them the true meaning of life. We read Luke 2 first thing on Christmas morning. My wife makes sure the kids know what December 25th is really about through songs, singing “Happy Birthday Jesus” and other things.
So if I had a Christmas wish, it would be for my boys to know the love that propelled the Son of God from heaven to a manger, and to share that love around them wherever they go. Thankfully, I’ve got great kids, and they are on their way to fulfilling their father’s wish.
I hope everyone who stops by here had a wonderful Christmas full of blessing!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 27, 2007 | Blog, life
Wow. That was fast. Did you see it? That was Christmas, come and gone so fast.
Having three little boys, I see the holiday through their eyes in a lot of ways, I think. I’m excited for them to open their presents, as we’d planned for several months what we’d get them. The snow isn’t always fun to shovel, but taking the boys sledding and watching them romp around in it helps change my perspective on the white stuff. They all love eggnog and rum cake, all things that we get during the Christmas season. Overall, kids are great for keeping one from getting Scrooge-y with all of the baggage that goes along with this time of year.
As an adult, I think (at least I *hope*) I have enough maturity to be able to see things from their perspective. The hard part is working on the boys to see some things from MY perspective. My greatest desire in life is to have my boys become strong and healthy men of God, reproducing life and advancing the Kingdom wherever they are. This is so hard because you don’t know if you’re on the right track until it is too late to change course. If they’re grown and off somewhere else, then it is out of my control.
Of course, I know Who is in control. I know He will be faithful. I just want my boys to know the love and grace and purpose I have in Jesus. Christmas creates one of the best ways for showing them the true meaning of life. We read Luke 2 first thing on Christmas morning. My wife makes sure the kids know what December 25th is really about through songs, singing “Happy Birthday Jesus” and other things.
So if I had a Christmas wish, it would be for my boys to know the love that propelled the Son of God from heaven to a manger, and to share that love around them wherever they go. Thankfully, I’ve got great kids, and they are on their way to fulfilling their father’s wish.
I hope everyone who stops by here had a wonderful Christmas full of blessing!
by Jason Joyner | Dec 19, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, sci-fi
Greetings Science Fiction fans! This month’s Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy blog tour is focusing squarely on the sci-fi aspect of our moniker. The highlight is the website Wayfarer’s Journal, a resource for short science fiction that isn’t afraid of the spiritual.
I went to check the site out this weekend, and it was unfortunately having some difficulties and I wasn’t able to access it. The site is fully up and running right now, but between holiday events and my work I have been severely limited with internet access. I’m afraid I don’t have much to contribute, only to point out that there are many others in this tour listed below, and I encourage you to check them out to see what they have to say about Wayfarer’s, and to visit the site yourselves. I hope to peruse it over the weekend, and I’ll try to post a little belated review myself.
Blessings to all of my CSFF tourmates! Have a wonderful Christmas season, and may you all experience the joy and wonder the star of Bethlehem foretold!
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
by Jason Joyner | Dec 19, 2007 | Blog, CSFF, sci-fi
Greetings Science Fiction fans! This month’s Christian Sci-fi and Fantasy blog tour is focusing squarely on the sci-fi aspect of our moniker. The highlight is the website Wayfarer’s Journal, a resource for short science fiction that isn’t afraid of the spiritual.
I went to check the site out this weekend, and it was unfortunately having some difficulties and I wasn’t able to access it. The site is fully up and running right now, but between holiday events and my work I have been severely limited with internet access. I’m afraid I don’t have much to contribute, only to point out that there are many others in this tour listed below, and I encourage you to check them out to see what they have to say about Wayfarer’s, and to visit the site yourselves. I hope to peruse it over the weekend, and I’ll try to post a little belated review myself.
Blessings to all of my CSFF tourmates! Have a wonderful Christmas season, and may you all experience the joy and wonder the star of Bethlehem foretold!
Brandon Barr
Jim Black
Justin Boyer
Grace Bridges
Amy Browning
Jackie Castle
Carol Bruce Collett
Valerie Comer
CSFF Blog Tour
D. G. D. Davidson
Chris Deanne
Jeff Draper
April Erwin
Marcus Goodyear
Andrea Graham
Jill Hart
Katie Hart
Michael Heald
Kait
Carol Keen
Mike Lynch
Margaret
Rachel Marks
Melissa Meeks
Rebecca LuElla Miller
Mirtika or Mir’s Here
John W. Otte
John Ottinger
Rachelle
Steve Rice
Cheryl Russel
Ashley Rutherford
Hanna Sandvig
James Somers
Steve Trower
Speculative Faith
Jason Waguespac
Laura Williams
Timothy Wise
