Issue 73 - From the Editor

fill-in editor, Matt Reffie

Dear Friends in the Faith,

Project Arctos is growing! In this season we welcome our newest team member, Evelyn, who has done the layout and design work for this edition, and will be advancing our social media and adding her background in marketing to help us reach even more readers in print and online. We also welcome the first-born of our long-serving editor, Jonathan, and his wife (and our previous layout designer), Julia, who recently gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! As Jonathan and Julia take a break from ministry to be with the baby, the rest of the team is stepping up to fill in, with myself (Matt) and Brandon filling in as guest editors. (We’re seeking more guest editors for 2024, so if you’ve ever considered working on a Christian magazine, please reach out!)

In this edition, Expectations Revisited, our writers take a closer look at how we go about Church and the Christian life, in ways that are historically reflective, introspective, constructive, sometimes critical, and sometimes whimsical.

In Dream Church, I invite you to dream with me: what does your most ideal expression of local Church look like? From the sermon and music style to the shape and functions of the building space, if you could reshape the experience in some way, what would be different? How would it be better? While our answers may be different, our dreaming together may just serve as inspiration for the next great wave of revival.

Similarly, in Jesus Revolution, Pt. II, Rev. Jonathan Faulkner picks up from his Pt. I movie review (in Edition 72) and brings the realities of this past revival movement into modern comparison. In what ways might we be repeating the mistakes of the past? And in what ways might we lean into similar opportunities for fellowship and revival today?

Then Rev. Clement Wen invites us into an often missed yet vital Christian practice, in Why We Need Both a ‘Holy Ruthlessness’ and a ‘Holy Laziness’, where we’re challenged to embrace a practice of protecting our time and energy within our service to the Kingdom, and life in general. Do you sometimes struggle with juggling too much? Do you have practices that regularly bring you refreshing and rest?

Lastly, in Measurements of a Holy City, Brandon Morgan brings a reflection from a recent Project Arctos workshop on communication skills, where believers young and old surprised us with their eagerness to be vulnerable and continue to grow in the faith together. Do your own expectations for Christianity, and life in general, sometimes get in the way of receiving the good God has for us? (And who doesn’t need an intergenerational workshop on healthy communication!?)

As always, throughout these selections, we invite you to engage them within your own ongoing conversation with God. If you agree, disagree, or have something to add, please engage us in conversation as well. You can easily connect with us via email (hello@projectarctos.com) or social media. And if you find the voices shared here useful, please pass them on to others.

Many thanks,

Matt and the Project Arctos team

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Issue 73