Jay Ward is a Redemption Group Leader at Mars Hill’s Downtown Seattle campus and played the role of Pontius Pilate in the Good Friday film. Hear him tell part of his story of redemption and forgiveness and introduce his album Truth & Salvation.
My Interview with Debbie Chavez
May 30th, 2011 by mike wilkersonBack in February, I was interviewed by Debbie Chavez on her radio program. We discussed the vision behind the Redemption book and walked through some of the books highlights, chapter by chapter. Click here to listen.
My Interview with Russ Shaw
May 23rd, 2011 by mike wilkersonI was interviewed recently by Russ Shaw, a podcaster over at ASI247.org. We discussed the Redemption book, Redemption Groups and the vision behind it all. You can listen or download the interview here.
Redemption Group Storytelling Tips
February 3rd, 2011 by mike wilkersonFrom the March 2010 Redemption Group Immersion in Seattle, tips on telling your story in a Redemption Group and responding to others’ stories.
Two Interviews: Mark Driscoll and Desiring God
January 31st, 2011 by mike wilkersonI recently was interviewed by Desiring God for their blog and Mark Driscoll for The Resurgence blog. Here are links to those interviews and the questions I answered.
- What events in your life and ministry led to the writing of this book?
- What are some friends and influences who helped to shape your thinking for Redemption?
- What are you hoping the book does both for individuals and churches/ministries?
- How is the approach you are taking in the book different than other Christian teaching on life change?
- How has God worked in your life as you’ve taught this content and written this book?
- Who is this book written for?
- Your book addresses both the sins we commit and the suffering we encounter in life—addictions and abuses. How are these two themes connected?
- The outline of your book follows the outline of the Book of Exodus. Why have you ordered it that way?
- Why did you write this book? What, if anything, does it offer that is not already out there?
- What do you hope people will learn about God from this book?
Leading a Redemption Group Like an Artist
January 20th, 2011 by mike wilkersonOne of the privileges of shepherding a Redemption Groups ministry is that I get to sit in on many different groups as a supervisor and see lots of different ways leaders lead. There’s certainly more than one way to do it, and I’m delighted when I see new and surprising ways to do it well. There are also not-so-great ways of leading.
I think the differences between doing it well and doing it not-so-well are more art than science, even though I do think there are some fundamental principles that form the solid foundation that every skillful leader builds upon.
By way of analogy, there’s a huge difference between an amateur artist in a high school art class, determined to prove his originality and flaunt his self-expression, and a professional artist whose work hangs in a fine art gallery. One is awkward, the other is refined.
Ironically, the amateur is more likely to produce an imitation work—despite his determination to be original—and the professional is more likely produce something original with perhaps less preoccupation with originality. The professional has probably spent more time learning the tools of the trade, the science of light, color, shape and texture, and appreciating other artists’ work.
In the end, some works of art just work; others don’t. And it isn’t by chance that the professional tends to know what works.
Recently, I watched “professionals” lead a Redemption Group. The structure of the discussion was simple; the fundamentals were tight. In fact, it was so simple, it caught me by surprise.
The co-leaders prompted discussion simply by asking participants to share what impacted them from the reading. And the group responded. Entry gates opened. Pursuits ensued. Tears, comfort, encouragement, sin and gospel all tumbled out from all around the room. It just worked. One co-leader worked from spiritual gifts resulting in a more patient, methodical approach while the other worked from spiritual gifts resulting in more edge and spontaneity. The harmony between them was simply beautiful—a Spirit-led work of art.
Insight Is Not Change
December 9th, 2010 by mike wilkersonI love to hear people say “I never saw it that way before” after a Redemption Group. Never saw their hearts with such clarity, never saw their sin with such conviction, never saw the gospel with such hope. That’s great insight—but it’s not change.
Recently, as I reviewed Paul Tripp’s book Instruments in the Redeemer’s Hands for the umpteenth time as I prepared to highlight some key ideas in a training time, I stumbled onto an idea that grabbed me in a fresh way. Tripp says:
“Most of us are tempted to think that change has taken place before it actually has. We confuse growth in knowledge and insight with genuine life change. But insight is not change and knowledge should not be confused with practical, active, biblical wisdom.” Instruments, pg. 242.
Redemption Groups seem to be particularly effective at insight—shedding new light, opening blind eyes. But that’s really just the start of walking in a new direction. It’s that walking—by the Spirit, in the community that is his gift to us—that bears the fruit of change over time.
So I’ve been encouraged recently to hear how various pastors have been creatively connecting the off ramp of their Redemption Groups to the on ramps of their Community Groups, promoting long term change from the heart. These wise pastors recognize that Redemption Groups, as helpful as they are, must be tied in to a larger vision of community and discipleship.
Passover: God’s Best at Your Worst
August 19th, 2010 by mike wilkersonFrom the March 2010 Redemption Group Immersion in Seattle, Pastor Justin Holcomb teaches how God gave his best—the precious blood of his son, our Passover Lamb—to rescue us from our worst sin, suffering and self-righteousness.