Jeff's Blog

The Organic Church Movement – Reinvigorating the Church or Simply Going Rogue?

Jeff Dwiggins — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:50:55 +0000

Church is changing these days. The dress code is changing; the music is changing; the messages are changing; for those of us who love coffee, the beverages available have already changed; and the expressions of church life are changing. Would the God of creativity and diversity have it any other way? With all this change going on in and around church, we have to ask ourselves how much change or what kind of change is good. There’s a few groups out there that want us to do more than merely “re-imagine church,” they would like to see its full expression and structure change as well. Is that a good thing?

To that end, Mike Warren, my ex-rommate from our Volunteer days at the University of Tennessee, and I have written critiques of the Organic Church Movement (OCM). Please click here to read Mike's critique. My critique is as follows ...

Imagine a local church tailored

Take Refuge in the Lord

Jeff Dwiggins — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:22:21 +0000

Take refuge in the Lord ... Trust Him

Thursday’s Colloquy session was spiritually invigorating as well as challenging. Things got off to a decidedly Biblical start with some Bible reading drawn from Psalm 35:27, Joshua 1:7. Deut. 29:9, and Deut. 2-6, 8, 11-13. “Be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law and turn not from it to the right hand or the left.” Mike Schmid helped tie this into Psalm 11: When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?" ... For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face” (Ps. 11:1,7)

Space Shuttle Dream

I shared details of a dream I had recently where the space shuttle crashed into the earth, and I woke up in a cold sweat. Click here for more info on that dream. David Wilkerson recently published his own urgent message related to a dream he had. I still can’t believe Scott had a similar dream to the one I had with crashing space shuttle and all.

Dream Ends in Disaster

Jeff Dwiggins — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 02:29:08 +0000

A couple of days ago I had one of those dreams that left me sweating, tired, stressed out and a little bit freaked out. When Job was questioning God’s continuing trials, he said this, “When I say that my bed shall comfort me, my couch will ease my complain, Then you scare me with dreams and terrify me with visions, so that my soul chooses strangling and death rather than my body.” (Job 7: 13-15). This dream had that terrifying tinge to it and more ... you know the ones where you wake up with a deep, abiding spiritual sensation and this feeling that God was in that dream somehow.

I dreamed that I was in Cape Canaveral, Florida, watching the space shuttle lift off, as my family and I have done many times having lived in Florida for 12 years, and Melbourne for seven of those. A space shuttle launch is a beautiful thing to behold, and very loud too. It's a sight that never gets old. There was a gentleman behind me that keep telling me not to take my eyes off the shuttle. "Something's not right." It was almost annoying. The weather was gorgeous ... just a few puffy cumulus clouds.

Advent Conspiracy

Jeff Dwiggins — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 02:11:51 +0000

The story of Christ's birth is a story of Promise, Hope, and Revolutionary Love. So what happened? What was once a time to celebrate the birth of a savior has somehow turned into a season of stress, traffic jams, and shopping lists. And when it's all over, many of us are left with presents to return, looming debt that will take months to pay off, and this empty feeling of missed purpose. Is this what we really want out of Christmas?

What if Christmas became a world-changing event again?

The Advent Conspiracy is a grassroots movement with more than 1,000 churches in 17 countries participating as co-conspirators- with projects as varied as drilling a water well for those who lack access to clean water or simply encouraging congregations to think of meaningful acts of kindness as meaningful gift options to replace traditional gifts.

Last year, through Advent Conspiracy, $3 Million was raised for relief projects which included providing clean water and medical attention in communities around the world.

This year, Advent Conspiracy anticipates that individuals and churches will match last year’s commitment to charitable gifts and will make a lasting impact in communities around the world. For more information about Advent Conspiracy, please visit: www.adventconspiracy.org

Be Thankful!

Jeff Dwiggins — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 15:49:20 +0000

Thanksgiving is such an awesome day. It's a wonderful time to give thanks to God, count our blessings and pray for one another. Just read the words of Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Thanksgiving Proclamation:

"I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union."

So what are you thankful for this holiday season? Isn't the list endless?

On Liberty - A Defense of our Individual Sovereignty

Jeff Dwiggins — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:16:54 +0000

19th Century English philosopher John Stuart Mill wrote the classic On Liberty in 1859. Mill championed the sovereignty of the individual over the "tyranny of the majority." Mill shows society as wielding great power as an unelected majority, often exerting control through morality and etiquette. This book has gripped me in recent days. It underscores the importance of the Bill of Rights which serves as a buffer, checkmating the government from trampling upon our own civil liberties.

Do you feel that as the government continues to grow exceedingly larger by the day, exerting more and more control over the private sector, that perhaps our own civil liberties could be under fire next? It can be argued convincingly that they are already under fire. When preference and opinion is made into law, our personal freedoms are threatened. Clearly, statements such as these require more explanation. The following is a summary commentary of the introduction to On Liberty.

Billy Graham's Prayer for the Nation

Jeff Dwiggins — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:07:22 +0000

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, 'The Rest of the Story,' and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired. With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called 'One nation under God.'

'Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,'

Election Post Mortem and Christian Response

Jeff Dwiggins — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 02:08:19 +0000

Last Thursday is a great example of just how far our little Colloquy Society has come. I certainly look forward to the depth of these discussions and various perspectives we toss around. For the record, we had great discussions about the loneliness wound many men face, the benefits of keeping the company of other Christian men, the dangers of isolationism, and practical ways we can build friendships.

From there we moved on to a passionate discussion over the merits of the Sheets/Bickle proclamation on the recent election, how far political activism can or cannot take us, God’s judgments in the affairs of men, where our country is today both spiritually and politically, and how we can best address the spiritual malaise of society. I appreciate everyone’s points of view in these discussions. It got me thinking.

Musing on Colloquy, Debate, American Solutions, Rays

Jeff Dwiggins — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 04:45:17 +0000

Colloquy produced a record turnout of six in our last gathering. Topics discussed included Mike’s viewing of the film I.O.U.S.A. regarding our national debt, which stands to increase given the bailout plan. Imagine getting into more debt to resolve a problem caused by too much debt. It’s like telling a kid who’s sick from eating too much ice cream to eat more ice cream in order to feel better. Insane! The great thing about this group is the diversity of personalities, viewpoints, and experiences. It is always interesting to see how certain topics will spin when taken from different vantage points. It was also great having Hopper and Norm with us. I look forward to the next meeting.

Regarding the bailout, I am happy to see that round one failed. This is one area that I must disagree with Mr. Gingrich, who happens to be one of the few clear voices in this political mess. I normally agree with Gingrich, but I do not think we should approve of a bad plan or an average plan, because it’s “the best we can get or hope for” given the Paulson leadership. How about we just get rid of Mr. Paulson … and then Mr. Dodd … and then Mr. Frank. Perhaps we will need to pass some sort of plan, but why rush into

Brayden, Politics, Todd Bentley & Video Venue Churches

Jeff Dwiggins — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 17:25:18 +0000

I guess you could say that I’ve been a little busy lately. Perhaps that is an understatement. My wife, Regina, gave birth to our fourth child and second son, Brayden, on August 27^th. We’re not exactly getting much sleep these days. Incidentally, childbirth is such a miracle. In the midst of a culture and society where the sanctity of life is not always appreciated and respected, I am in awe when I look at our kids and see the beauty of God’s brilliant design upon their lives. We are truly blessed.

Reflections in general

I was fortunate to have six days off beginning the day Brayden was born. It gave me a chance to reflect on some current events, both secular and sacred. I thought often of the role of faith in politics. I observed the outcomes of the debate at Saddleback Church between Obama and McCain. I studied some of the resurgence of Christian apologetics within the church. I read and reflected upon on email I received from God TV in August that Todd and Shonnah Bentley had separated. How should we view the Lakeland Revival in light of this? This sparked further meditation upon the role of the “one man show” in Christianity, how pastors equip leaders within their congregations, discipleship in general and the importance of character. I’ll try to address these issues one by one.