http://www.churchthink.com Our MP3 audio challenge combining interviews, roundtables, and teaching events feature Ben Pasley and friends working to build the family of Jesus. Podcasts are three times a month, half-hour max. Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:25:03 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Just another WordPress weblogOur MP3 audio challenge combining interviews, roundtables, and teaching events feature Ben Pasley and friends working to build the family of Jesus. Podcasts are three times a month, half-hour max. Ben Pasley no Ben Pasley ben@benpasley.com ben@benpasley.com (Ben Pasley) 2006 Challenging podcast from churchthink.com church, foundations, apostle, apostolic, ben pasley, robin pasley, churchthink, enter the worship circle, worship circle, relevant, emergent, church planting http://www.churchthink.com/images/worshipcircle_churchthink144.jpg http://www.churchthink.com http://www.churchthink.com/2010/01/27/you-are-invited-to-a-retreat/ http://www.churchthink.com/2010/01/27/you-are-invited-to-a-retreat/#comments Thu, 28 Jan 2010 00:02:57 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=546 http://www.churchthink.com/2010/01/27/you-are-invited-to-a-retreat/feed/ 0 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/12/08/the-spiritually-far-sighted/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/12/08/the-spiritually-far-sighted/#comments Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:18:53 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=523 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/12/08/the-spiritually-far-sighted/feed/ 2 church,pastoring,people of God,relationship,responsibility,vision Are You Spiritually Far-Sighted? - It was back in 2005 that I started tapping on my computer screen and yelling at it because it was blurring in and out of focus. I would lean in and sometimes it would appear clearer, Are You Spiritually Far-Sighted? It was back in 2005 that I started tapping on my computer screen and yelling at it because it was blurring in and out of focus. I would lean in and sometimes it would appear clearer, I would restart my computer and sometimes it would look better.  "Blink^##(#& monitors," I would say in hopes that harsh words would make them wise up.  Really, how could two new monitors have gone bad so quickly.  So, obviously, I sold them on eBay and went out and bought some nicer ones, bigger ones, and justified it easily when my wife questioned the expense. When I got them home I couldn't believe it. Same problem!  What was going on? My wife comes in during one of my fits and makes the statement filled with all wisdom and insight, "You need to get your eyes checked." Sure enough.  It was my eyes.  I have worn reading glass ever since so I can appreciate the details of what is near to me.  In my relatively very young old age I have already suffered the holding of the menu in the restaurant out further and further over time until eventually I asked someone else to hold it so I could read it because, "I forgot my reading glasses."  More recently I have even decided to try multi-focal contacts which are a mind boggling mix of near and distant prescriptions applied with weird science into your contacts, but I haven't fallen in love with that yet, at all. The near-sighted can see what is near, but have a trouble with what is farther away.  The far-sighted only see what is distant with any clarity, and everything close up is blurry and not available to them.  So it is with the spiritually far-sighted.  I am sure someone can make an outstanding observation on spiritual near-seers, but it was the concept of far-sightedness that captured Gary, Mark, Clint and I the other night as we spent time together in the man-cave. We were speaking of the problems we have when we are always focused on "it."  "It" is the magical thing that when it happens we will feel content and satisfied with our journey.  The type A overachiever is especially obsessed with it, but even the type B follower can still be completely captured by the it that may one day come as the result of the right blessing, the right team, or the right timing. My experience with men is that "it" is often a crippling mental problem that has been suffered since childhood during the days when needing to escape, improve, or experience something greater than present circumstance was so needful that it was a seed planted in the heart and eventually grew up to become a tree in the life of the adult.  "It" as we all know is always "over there." Over there implies that it is not over here.  The it is never right here to be touched and seen in the near-view but is permanently resident in the distant view.  I will now, without justifying a single thought, or going to much trouble to define these things, state some ideas I have about the pursuit of "it" and the malady we have now tapped as "spiritual far-sightedness." 1.  It (and I am now going to drop the use of quotes around this word as I think you have the idea) is always way over there partly because it frees us from any real responsibility in the here and now.  After all, it is where I am going, but I am not there yet, and I can't be held responsible for what it implies, or even what it entails to get there. Fate is at work here, and so don't make me pay for what fate may not allow. 2.  It, if it were right here, would remind me and everyone else that I have definite and specific responsibilities in it.  As a matter of fact, I could take the credit for it, and enjoy the accolades.  Of course, I would have to take responsibility for its failures as well, but never mind that, it is still way over there and no such responsibilities are anywhere close, just yet. 3.  Concerning how I feel about myself as a spiritually far-sighted person, well, I would have to say that I am just not there yet. Ben Pasley no http://www.churchthink.com/2009/12/02/tom-and-the-goldfish-bowl-released/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/12/02/tom-and-the-goldfish-bowl-released/#comments Wed, 02 Dec 2009 13:33:20 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=539 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/12/02/tom-and-the-goldfish-bowl-released/feed/ 0 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/11/21/book-release-is-coming-soon/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/11/21/book-release-is-coming-soon/#comments Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:17:42 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=518 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/11/21/book-release-is-coming-soon/feed/ 1 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/11/11/introduction-to-the-next-season/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/11/11/introduction-to-the-next-season/#comments Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:02:43 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=507 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/11/11/introduction-to-the-next-season/feed/ 0 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/10/15/introduction-to-family-tools/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/10/15/introduction-to-family-tools/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:23:03 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=468 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/10/15/introduction-to-family-tools/feed/ 2 community,family,kingdom,relationship,tools Another podcast excerpted from the very first Churchthink retreat ever.  Here David Wilton and Ben Pasley introduce the idea of moving past the ideas of "church planting" or "community" and introduce the idea that what we really need are the practical ... Another podcast excerpted from the very first Churchthink retreat ever.  Here David Wilton and Ben Pasley introduce the idea of moving past the ideas of "church planting" or "community" and introduce the idea that what we really need are the practical relational tools to build family between us!  Awesome.  It's a long one at 45 minutes. Ben Pasley no 44:42 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/10/01/forgiveness-and-healthy-expectations-2/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/10/01/forgiveness-and-healthy-expectations-2/#comments Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:11:06 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=458 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/10/01/forgiveness-and-healthy-expectations-2/feed/ 0 expectations,family,forgiveness BONUS! I found this wonderful recording of a real conversation with real people that covers some of the key stuff in the article! Yes! This is part 2 of 2 where Robin and I lead our very first Churchthink at none other than David and Ally Wilton's h... BONUS! I found this wonderful recording of a real conversation with real people that covers some of the key stuff in the article! Yes! This is part 2 of 2 where Robin and I lead our very first Churchthink at none other than David and Ally Wilton's house last fall. This first part deals mostly with learning to express healthy expectations of one another and building familial language. Ben Pasley no 24:43 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/09/17/forgiveness-and-healthy-expectations/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/09/17/forgiveness-and-healthy-expectations/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:02:25 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=452 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/09/17/forgiveness-and-healthy-expectations/feed/ 0 expectations,family,forgiveness OK, David Wilton and I tried to record a conversation on our last article posted here which is titled Being A Reconciler, but it was super long and filled with aweful explosions for the iPhone which was in my butt pocket. OK, David Wilton and I tried to record a conversation on our last article posted here (http://www.churchthink.com/?p=440) which is titled Being A Reconciler, but it was super long and filled with aweful explosions for the iPhone which was in my butt pocket. I have learned this lesson before, but this time it was fatal.  BONUS!  I found this wonderful recording of a real conversation with real people that covers some of the key stuff in the article!  Yes!  This is part 1 of 2 where Robin and I lead our very first Churchthink at none other than David and Ally Wilton's house last fall.  This first part deals mostly with exercising forgiveness. Ben Pasley no 29:59 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/08/27/being-a-reconciler/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/08/27/being-a-reconciler/#comments Thu, 27 Aug 2009 20:47:56 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=440 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/08/27/being-a-reconciler/feed/ 1 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/07/25/kingdom-forgiveness-podcast-2-of-2/ http://www.churchthink.com/2009/07/25/kingdom-forgiveness-podcast-2-of-2/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 05:48:00 +0000 admin http://www.churchthink.com/?p=434 http://www.churchthink.com/2009/07/25/kingdom-forgiveness-podcast-2-of-2/feed/ 0 binding and loosing,bitterness,forgiveness,kingdom,reconciliation Wow, that took a while to post. July was crazy. Holly and Ben come back together to complete the discussion on the article Kingdom Forgiveness in just under an hour. Enjoy. Wow, that took a while to post. July was crazy. Holly and Ben come back together to complete the discussion on the article Kingdom Forgiveness (http://www.churchthink.com/archives/414) in just under an hour. Enjoy. Ben Pasley no 54:54