tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-1344290 2009-10-15T16:18:53-07:00 For tomorrow's church and its leaders. TypePad typepad/aaronloy/a_ragamuffins_bloghttp://feedburner.google.com tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a5ea65e7970b 2009-10-15T16:18:53-07:00 2009-10-15T16:49:47-07:00

One of the things we do pretty regularly as part of the protege program is prepare and deliver 5 minute talks. (These are uniquely challenging because of how focused having just five minutes forces you to be!) The talks also give us a chance to put into practice some of the things we've been learning and give each other feedback on what we're doing well and where we need to grow in our communication (a big part of the program)....

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/10/mosaic-on-communication.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a5e6bd14970b 2009-10-14T16:37:09-07:00 2009-10-14T16:37:09-07:00

I am currently reading David Kinnaman's UnChristian for one of my classes and really enjoying it. I know most of us probably didn't need a book to tell us how poorly the Christian community is perceived by the wider culture (and often rightfully so, in my personal opinion), but I've been pleasantly surprised and personally challenged. That's not to mention that it has my mind spinning about our ecclesiology - taking all of this information into account, how should the...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/10/unchristian.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a5cf448f970b 2009-10-08T15:30:19-07:00 2009-10-08T15:35:47-07:00

Hey friends, I wanted to make you aware of a couple of free resources from Mosaic. The first is a brand new resource we are using in our communities called "Breathe." Breathe is a very simple and very practical response to the need we saw to help people get into the scriptures and to begin to respond to it with their lives. The booklet consists of 25 favorite passages of Mosaic leaders - ones they have found to be transformational...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/10/a-couple-mosaic-resources.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a5b6fa9c970b 2009-10-02T13:55:20-07:00 2009-10-02T13:57:04-07:00

My good friend Steve Saccone released his first book just a couple weeks ago: Relational Intelligence: How Leaders Can Expand Their Influence Through a New Way of Being Smart. He has some great things to say in this book and although I'm not quite all the way through it yet, I'd definitely recommend it for anyone who desires to grow in their capacity to lead others. Mosaic will be doing a relational intelligence series this next month based on Steve's...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/10/relational-intelligence.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a5c52ea4970c 2009-09-15T14:12:37-07:00 2009-09-15T14:24:04-07:00

Perhaps no other factor plays a more central role in shaping a church’s ethos than how it measures spiritual maturity. As an inherently spiritual community, the church’s gauge for spiritual maturity essentially defines success for its congregation. In other words, the church’s measuring stick identifies the goal that everyone ought to be shooting for. Is the ultimate aim to accumulate a wealth of theological knowledge? To be passionate about humanitarian issues? To be an outspoken republican? To become a central...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/09/measuring-spiritual-maturity.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a5662813970b 2009-09-11T23:57:24-07:00 2009-09-16T09:41:49-07:00

This past week the proteges and I had to create a piece of art in response to the questions "What moves you?" and "What do you desire?" It was fun. Some did spoken word pieces, some created videos, some wrote songs and some of us created photography pieces. The poster below was my piece. All of the photos are of Lincoln, NE and can be found here. Admittedly, the real work of my piece had little to do with my...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/09/what-moves-you.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a53e5288970b 2009-09-02T14:31:30-07:00 2009-09-02T14:32:54-07:00

Creating a culture where people can belong before they believe is a practical application of our first core value: Mission is why the church exists. At first glance this might not seem like a big deal. After all, many Christians would nod their head in agreement with this statement. The mind of the seasoned Christ follower might even jump to relevant passages like the Great Commission in Matthew 28 or Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9. However, it is in...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/09/belong-before-believe-pt-2.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a53b87ae970b 2009-09-01T00:01:12-07:00 2009-09-01T09:10:05-07:00

Mosaic puts great emphasis on being a community where people can belong long before they believe. This is really just a reflection of our value for those who don’t normally associate themselves with church. Have you ever walked into an environment and felt totally out of place? I remember a rather memorable evening spent at a local gay bar. A friend of ours was performing that night and we decided to get a crew together to come out and support...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/09/belong-before-believe.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330120a4d3c8d3970b 2009-08-08T16:26:12-07:00 2009-08-08T16:26:12-07:00

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/08/create-something.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf883301157256beee970b 2009-08-03T18:19:08-07:00 2009-08-03T21:50:06-07:00

This last week I was a part of an experience put on by various Mosaic artisans called the Crave Lounge. It was beautiful. We lounged, we shared, we reflected, we dreamt and we jumped off of trampolines (see below). I walked away from the experience and thought, you know, just about any church could pull off an experience like this, but few actually do. You see, I think the thing that really sets Mosaic apart from so many faith communities...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/08/crave.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330115715a05ab970c 2009-08-01T18:34:16-07:00 2009-08-01T18:34:57-07:00

You ever think back to something you did and wonder to yourself, What was I thinking?! Perhaps it was your first ministry gig or one of the first times you were trusted with significant responsibility and you did something of such epic stupidity that it still makes your face hot to think about it? When I was in my early twenties, I was hired as the part time worship pastor for a church plant in Lincoln, NE. I had previously...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/08/epic-mistakes-in-ministry.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833011572425cb0970b 2009-07-28T17:28:13-07:00 2009-07-28T17:36:30-07:00

I saw an interview with Mark Driscoll a while back in which he predicted that over the next decade denominations will be replaced by informal networks, such as his Acts 29. I remember thinking, "Wow, that is a rather extreme conclusion to come to." But now years later, here I am preparing to plant a church and wrestling with the question, Is there any good reason to align with a denomination? Now I'll admit that I've sort of been around...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/07/are-denominations-dead-in-the-water.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330115722f40b9970b 2009-07-25T11:06:38-07:00 2009-07-25T11:07:15-07:00

If I get a Q & A session with God after this life is over, one of the first things I am going to ask him is why every church seems to come with its very own crazy tambourine lady. Is is it part of some cosmic equation? A bet between the powers that be? Or just a cruel joke?

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/07/questions-for-god.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf88330115713a9800970c 2009-07-24T08:20:09-07:00 2009-07-24T08:19:08-07:00

This is the 3rd and final installment of my notes from last week's church planting class at Fuller Seminary with various leaders from Mosaic. Octavio Martinez: I am at a place where I just don’t care what people think of me unless they’re a non-believer. I love my Christian brothers and sisters. But I just don’t care if they are worried that I am slipping from the faith, not focused enough on soul formation, or praying for me (or my...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/07/church-planting-w-erwin-mcmanus-co-pt-3-.html tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e0098acbcf8833011571318856970c 2009-07-22T23:19:43-07:00 2009-07-22T23:16:54-07:00

This is 'part 2' of my notes from last week's church planting class at Fuller Seminary with various leaders from Mosaic. Erwin McManus: You cannot inspire passion when you start from a narcissistic core. It can’t be about your need to feel important, your need to be valued, your need to lead, etc. It has to be about what this tribe needs. Passion and excitement are different. Lots of communicators can generate excitement. It is all about the moment, like...

Aaron Loy http://aaronloy.typepad.com/a_ragamuffins_blog/2009/07/church-planting-w-erwin-mcmanus-co-pt-2-.html