It must be said from the outset that the “protagonistés” (main character) of this parable is the father who embodies God’s forgiving love for sinners.
All tagged family
Beloved Child
I can’t help but wonder how we would each be shaped and formed by the idea of our prayers all beginning with us sitting in the long and loving gaze of the triune God. The idea that God delights in our being and the piece of Himself that He has placed in all of us.
Barriers or Bridges?
I was reminded in this encounter of how adaptable chaplains have to be on a daily basis. We show up for the crises but also the liminal space of the unknown. And where others see barriers, we often see an opportunity to build a bridge.
Moving Toward a Place of Completeness
What does it look like to move from exclusion to representation to inclusion? It was a hard question to wrestle with because it meant that we had to acknowledge all of the ways that we were falling short.
How Do You Have a Strong Marriage?
It’s common knowledge that marriage is a risky business. If you’re strictly looking at it from a success rate, you might have better results investing in real estate. Sadly, too many modern marriages just don’t survive. Yet, even with high divorce rates, cohabitation soaring, and marriage rates falling, people are still taking the risk. And for most, I daresay, they don’t go into marriage expecting it to end. They, instead, are drawn to the hope of a love story that will have a happy ending.
Redeemed, Ephesians 1:7-8a
How great and enduring should our gratitude be? It should be immeasurable and eternal. And how can we show it? By remaining at His feet, serving His cause, confessing before the world that He was “wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, and by his stripes we are healed.”
Building Bridges with Our Communities: Ideas for the Holidays
One idea to reach the community is through outreach events, or “bridge events.” These events are designed to invite neighbors, colleagues, and community members, giving them a chance to come through our doors. The fall and winter seasons are great times to plan some of these events.
Adopted, Ephesians 1:5-6
God adopted the unadoptable—you and me. He did not care for our defects and disabilities. He just wanted to make us members of His family, to be our Father again, to make us His beloved children again.
Communication Lessons from my Dad
It strikes me that any one of these communication qualities that I listed is a game-changer for the people around us. There are the rare people, like my dad, who have many admirable communication habits, but if you have any one of these and are maybe working on another, then you are in a strong position to show Jesus to others.
Show Me Your Glory
One of the most common desires I heard from so many people really came down to the same request from God: we wanted His presence.
Named
God says that we are his children. We are no longer orphans or nameless. We do belong. If you are one of his children, God has given you his name.
Heaven in the Here and Now: A Holiday Reflection
No matter what feelings the holidays bring up for you, I pray you have a moment where time stands still, and the love of heaven descends upon you.
New Testament Haustafeln
God’s ideal of family relationships is mutual subjection without any kind of discrimination as expressed in Ephesians 5:21, exercising it from the perspective of the new creation that Christ has inaugurated.
We Buried a Bible in our Foundation
As spiritual leaders, it is important that we stay firmly grounded. After all, we do not want our people being led by someone who is blown sideways by every sly or crafty doctrine that comes along.
Summit: Living Word
ACU is in its 116th year of Summit, and this spring’s edition focuses on the living word of God and the impact it has on our churches, our ministries, and our lives.
Trunk or Treat, Jesus, and the Easter Santa Hunt
In short, decide what matters to your church. Then do what it takes to further that approach.
Collateral Faith: Influencing Main Characters
Sometimes as we are facing difficult things, our manner in doing so impacts more people than we know. We must live faithfully.
Companions for the Journey: Elizabeth Ann Seton
Imagine that you are happily married at age twenty. What would you do if, by age thirty, you became widowed and penniless, and a parent to a dozen children?
Free Black Mamas 2022
It’s that time of the year when I, along with the Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, work to liberate as many Black mothers out of jail as we can for Mother’s Day.
Family Prayers
I don’t want the message of this post to be only that we pray, but also about what it means to genuinely connect with God as a family.