benpasley.com sort of the town square in a town called ben

15Apr/10Off

TOM and the Goldfish Bowl, Part 1

THE WATER, THE FISH, AND THE LITTLE HOUSE

Society for the Ethical Treatment of Goldfish

Henry stood, motionless, in front of the wall of fish choices. It was early in the morning—at least by his standards—and his  ability to make a quick choice was stunted.

No coffee yet.

The fish tanks were stacked high and wide on the display wall, bubbling and humming and constantly moving.

They say this lowers your blood pressure, he thought.

He blurred his eyes at the wall to diminish all of the fish motion and he focused on the price tags alone.

Cheap is good; cheapest is best, he chanted to himself.

22Apr/09Off

Concert Conversation on Kingdom Family

A bit unusual for the Churchthink podcast, but we thought this was closely related to the theme of our last article post called Inviting the Apostle which we decided not to record in its present format.  Enjoy!

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28Dec/08Off

Kingdom Politics, Podcast 2 of 2

Ben and Robin sit down together, read and discuss the most recent Churchthink article. This article focuses on how sons who belong to the Kingdom of their Father are to engage the philosophies and politics of this world...Part 2 of 2.  About 38 minutes long, 35mb, stereo, as usual, 128K MP3.

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11Dec/08Off

Kingdom Politics, Podcast 1 of 2

Ben and Robin sit down together, read and discuss the most recent Churchthink article.  This article focuses on how sons who belong to the Kingdom of their Father are to engage the philosophies and politics of this world...

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2Dec/08Off

Kingdom Politics

Our Approach is Radically Different
Yes, there could have been a better title, but it is the phrase that stuck on the refrigerator door of my mind and I can’t shake it off. I have been thinking on the subject of sonship and politics. Sonship is a term we use to identify our relationship with God as our Father, and the width and breadth of that joyful life. (We never use this term in a gender-specific way, but in a way that reveals our place in the Family.) Politics is our perception of the process of government’s decision-making and the philosophies guiding those decisions. This is not an article--to nip a weak idea in the bud--that will give you ammunition to win an argument, or put someone in a prejudiced category based on your own political ideas. Sons approach politics radically different, and we are going to take the time to discover how and why.

22Oct/08Off

The Kingdom and the Church, Part 2 of 2

Ben sits down with good friend Chris Austin in this two part series on discovering the beautiful differences in, and the powerful revelations of the Church and the Kingdom of God.  Part 2 of 2.

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8Oct/08Off

The Kingdom and the Church, Part 1 of 2

Ben sits down with good friend Chris Austin in this two part series on discovering the beautiful differences in, and the powerful revelations of the Church and the Kingdom of God.  Part 1 of 2.

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24Sep/08Off

The Kingdom and the Church

Two sets of two words
Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom.  He formally announced its arrival, and he spends His ministry years from beginning to end defining its nature.

On the other hand, Jesus claimed the Church as His own.  He made it clear that it was His people and that He was absolutely in charge of it from top to bottom, but his action toward the Church was different than his engagement with the coming of the Kingdom.

These two words:  claiming and proclaiming have very distinct meanings and I am using them to promote a simple truth by their relationship to these two very different words:  Church and Kingdom.  Let’s spend some time on this together so we can get a better grip on the claiming of the Church and the proclaiming of the Kingdom.  I think if we can see the beauty and the differences in these two distinct ideas that it will help us mature in a million ways.

First, I would like to jump to the present, and look into how we treat the Church and the Kingdom in our journey with Jesus.

12May/08Off

Intro to the Kingdom of God

This is a wonderful introduction to the Kingdom of God. It is brief and provoking without being very detailed or teachy. Ben recommends an excellent book on the Kindgom, and then introduces Tim Thornton who, in a casual setting, is encouraging his friends to embrace what is God is doing among them--what God is doing in the Kingdom. Part to this is recorded in studio, and the meat of it is live at a family gathering in Tim and Laurie's home...

This Churchthink MP3 is 17 minutes long and about 16mb.

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10Apr/08Off

Round table from Peru, Part 3

Round Table discussion with Doug, Mitch, and Ben, and tiny bit of Robin on building the Church instead of just planting one, understanding the role of the apostle not just the Greek definition, and learning how to make transitions so we can mature in the Lord. This is the third of a three part series.

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