Flannelgraph Theology

I grew up going to Sunday school pretty much every week of my young life. Our teachers told us amazing stories from the Bible, nicely illustrated with flannel characters, all of them ending with a nice moral such as, “If you have faith like David had, you can slay any giant in your own life too!” Or, “So, kids, if you’re obedient like Noah, God will protect you from all the bad stuff in your life.”

Not only did those teachers miss the point of the stories (God is always the hero!), but they never taught us that the Bible is one big story.

In fact, it is the Story of God. It’s not a collection of unrelated moralistic tales, nor is it a history lesson. The Bible tells a living and active story that is still unfolding—and we are characters in this story!

Imagine you are trying to put together a large, 10,000-piece jigsaw puzzle.

A lot of time and work would go into getting to the point where you could actually see the picture that the artist intended. But think about how difficult your task would be if you did not have the lid to the box that the puzzle came in. You would have no way to tell what exactly you were trying to piece together.

“Is this a part of the sky or a reflection of the lake? Is this animal fur or a piece of a tree?”

For many of us, this is how we have learned the Bible. It mirrors the process we’ve engaged in to grow in our faith and understanding of who God is and what he is doing. We have heard sermon after sermon, and done one book study after another without really knowing what the big picture of this whole “Christianity thing” really is. Every once in a while, we’ll fit a couple of pieces together and rejoice. And some of us have been around church and the Bible long enough to sort of have all of the “edge pieces” put together, the basic framework of the Bible, but we still do not really know the Bible as one big story. We are not super clear on who exactly God is, what he has done, who we are in light of this, and how we should live.

We do not know the Story of God.

I want to encourage you to move beyond a chapter and verse, flannel graph theology and grab some friends and start going through the Story of God as a community…remember, our goal is not biblical literacy, its gospel fluency, and the next best time to dive deeper is now.

How to Share Your Faith in a Non-creepy Way

If you’re like most people I know, you probably don’t share your faith all that often. It can feel creepy or just plain awkward, and there’s always that fear of rejection.

People say to me: “I think my friends may be more open to what I’m learning about God, but I really don’t know how to articulate what I believe...” OR “I rarely talk to friends or co-workers about my faith because I don’t want them to feel like I’m cramming it down their throats...” (Whatever that means?)

Here’s a cool way to share your faith that has never been weird or received poorly by others when I’ve done it like this.  (more…)

Surprise! You Are the Missionary In Your Neighborhood

There are all kinds of people with varying beliefs living around us. Some of them we notice and some of them we never see. But I can guarantee you one thing for sure. There is a missionary living in your neighborhood.

Growing up as part of the church, there was huge map in the lobby where we worshipped on Sundays–a map of the world with pins all over it. Each pin corresponding to an 8×10 picture next to the map. (more…)

How the Gospel Changes Our Motivation and Desires Pt.2

How do we motivate people to develop a lifestyle of discipleship and mission beyond a weekly meeting? Learning how the Gospel changes our motivation is key.

In this episode, Caesar continues his talk on Gospel Motivation and why what we truly believe will become evident by the work of our hands and the patterns of our lives.

gospel changes motiviation

(more…)

How the Gospel Changes Our Motivation and Desires Pt.1

After a hard year of changes for Christians and the Church, it seems easier than ever to slip into complacency. Are we going to start another new thing? How do we stay motivated and motivate others to desire a lifestyle of discipleship and mission beyond a weekly meeting?

In this episode, we talk about how Gospel Motivation changes the way you lead your church, community group, and family toward life on mission with God… and what happens when you don’t.

gospel motivation and desire

(more…)

Hearing God With a Head Full of Voices

Are we hearing impaired when it comes to the voice of God? Could it be that what we believe and have labeled as relational, emotional, and spiritual problems are actually ‘hearing’ problems? 

In this episode, Caesar shows us how to turn down the negative voices in our heads, dial in the authentic divine Voice, and listen intently. The voices you believe will determine the life you experience!

hearing god

(more…)

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