The Twelve Minor Prophets remind us that today’s hot trends sometimes become tomorrow’s embarrassing discards, while seemingly obscure or insignificant things can assume great importance in the future.
All tagged prophets
The Twelve Minor Prophets for Today’s Church (Part 4): Narrating the Past
The main lesson of the past is not to overvalue the past. Distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, mercy and cruelty, hope and despair. Without that ability to see clearly the stakes and the stakeholders of the moment, we all perish. With it, we live.
The Twelve Minor Prophets and Today’s Church (Part 3): The Prophets as Models
Zechariah is probably not commenting on the literal immortality of one group of people or extinction of others. He means instead that the prophetic word and therefore the witness of the prophets’ lives continues to exert a powerful influence. They spoke in ways that others must reckon with.
The Twelve Minor Prophets and Today’s Church (Part 2): Worship
Worship centers on God—God’s character as the source of all mercy and love and justice, God’s infinity, God’s majesty and mystery. In contemplating God, we see our own sin, our need for redemption and protection, as well as the possibilities of profound spiritual growth.
The Twelve Minor Prophets and Today’s Church (Part 1)
Why should we listen to these prophets? We could start with the obvious: these texts were part of the Bible of Jesus and the apostles. Who would we be to reject the words our Lord took to heart?
Rest: The Sacred Pause After the Rebuild
You don’t need to prove that you’re healed. You don’t need to rush into another assignment. You need only to sit at the feet of the One who carried you through it all and hear Him whisper, “Well done.”
Speaking Truth to Power
In ministry, there are times when we have to speak truth to power. We see amazing examples of this throughout Scripture: Nathan confronting David on his sin with a story, the three telling Nebuchadnezzar they wouldn’t bow down, Jesus conversing with Pilate…. But we must do so knowing that we don’t always know what the outcome will be.
From Prophet to Priest
Can we learn to stand WITH the people of God, even when they stand AGAINST us? Can we bring ourselves to ask God to forgive the Church, even when we have been rejected by it? Can we refuse to let go of the Church, even when it desperately wants to let go of us?
We Need Priests, Not Prophets
What if the work in front of us is not to inspire more individuals to be prophets? What if the task ahead of us is actually priestly work – to attend to the rituals, texts, and structures that gather and define the people of God?
The Prophetic Imagination
The prophetic imagination reminds that hope is a gift when we decenter our own perspective, trust God, and take our place within the Christian community that stands before God and waits.
What Then Should We Do?
Where does John the Baptist fit among Bing Crosby on the radio, children on a stage, and Charlie Brown memories?
Reflection Roundup: Crisis Prioritizes Care
How might we feel sorry in ways that reveal the flood-to-cross character of God, and reflect this to the world around us?
Prison Isn’t Exactly a Confidence Booster
My prayer for all of us in ministry, is that we, just like John the Baptist, are only motivated by the desire to point to Jesus. That’s our job.
Snapchat Prophets
Christian teenagers have a message from the Lord for the church, and they have truth bursting from their souls about morality that it would behoove the church to hear.
Technicolor Prophecies for Troubled Times
An open pulpit is a means of grace God has always used to reach a diverse group of people.
Raising Up Prophets
There are plenty of epiphanies in this season called Epiphany, plenty of “aha” moments when God breaks into everyday life and reveals that he is up to something that will change everything forever.
A Different Style of Prophetic Preaching
I have noticed a trend toward equating "prophetic preaching" with a confrontational, rough and tough style of delivery.