Many years ago I sat down with a group of Biola University professors and fellow graduate students over lunch to hear Dr. Jim Houston from Regent College (Vancouver, BC) give a brief lecture. In his early seventies at the time, this small, Scottish man, with half a century of experience in the academic settings of […]
When I heard that best-selling author and Christian counselor Larry Crabb had passed away last week, I got to some remembering. I recall seeing in the summer of 1989, a video series based on Crabb’s book Inside Out, in which he argued, if we are going to take seriously Jesus Christ, then we need to move […]
I pin my hopes to quiet processes and small circles, in which vital and transforming events take place. Rufus Jones (1863-1948) VP3’s The Journey is a person-centered process. It sets the table for the development of people, not the mastery of the material. This does not mean that the wisdom of the content is unimportant. Rather, it […]
As we come alongside others, we are invited by God to become living reminders of this startling reality––their story is unique and it matters deeply to God and us. I have been reminded recently that meaningful conversation with another must be rooted in a sense of wonder or reverence for the person. Few things are worse […]
I have been in a few conversations recently that have reminded me of the critical importance of paying attention to the way adults learn and grow. From day one this attention to engaging adult learners has always been a distinctive feature of VantagePoint3’s efforts to help men and women deepen and develop in Jesus’ name. […]
God desires to make disciples, not just converts; what do mature disciples look like? Do you and those around you have any personal expectation of maturing in Christ beyond the first steps in their faith? Christian maturity is not a pipe dream. There is a tangible reality when we encounter it. Some people do learn […]
I have been thinking a good bit this afternoon about “the why” of mentoring and spiritual friendship in the Christian life. And as I let my mind go with this question once again, I found myself circling back to an essay I read years ago by Annie Dillard entitled “An Expedition to the Pole” (not […]
At its simplest, VP3’s The Journey is a meaningful walk with a group of people guided by three primary questions: Who is God? Who am I? What does God want to do through me? I have been reminded recently of how powerful this process can be, helping men and women wake up to the depth […]