I’m in Detroit as I write this. preparing to speak at a conference on Wednesday (today if you are reading this on October 20). A friend and I are going to talk about how social media (things like Facebook and Twitter, communication media that invite conversations) can help break down the walls of church.

We’ve spent a couple hours tonight talking, partly about our presentation and partly about the topic of our conversation. Both of us struggle with aspects of church. Both of us struggle from inside the walls. We work with and in churches. We each attend a local church. We know the weaknesses, the silliness, the pettiness. I can’t speak for Michael, but I end up providing regular illustrations of those weaknesses and sillinesses and pettinesses myself.

But I’m still inside.

I understand being outside. I understand being so annoyed with the organized part of organized religion that you want nothing to do with it.

But show up Saturday night for our small group. We’ll eat some supper that someone brings. We’ll talk about the week or nothing or both while we eat. We will laugh and tease. And then we’ll pull the sofas into a circle and we’ll talk about some questions that come from the previous week’s sermon. We will talk about what we don’t understand. We’ll try to figure out how the answers to those questions show up in the Bible.

This week, we’ll be talking about leading like Jesus led. We’ll look at Philippians 2, where Paul talks about the incredible humility of Jesus. And we’ll be trying to understand what that humility looks like. In our lives. Together.

I don’t know what to suggest if you can’t make it. I’m guessing we have the only 14 people who want to talk honestly about following Jesus.

Right?

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If you want to watch Michael Buckingham and I speak at 10:50 ET at the 140 Characters Conference, here’s the link.