The Trellis and the Vine is a metaphor the authors use to introduce a mind-shift in ministry that they insist will change everything.
All in Discipleship
I Can’t Believe I Said That! When a Shepherd Mentors
He took me seriously, in spite of my immaturity—showing me how to react to criticism, how to absorb hostility, how to be a listener. What humility looks like.
The Parable of the Birds
“So whether you swim deep, soar high, run fast, or sing beautifully, or not at all—each of you has what it is that makes birds unique and makes birds one.”
Finding Our Identity
We want to stake a claim to our own identity—far enough away from the mainstream to be an individual, but not so far that we are alone. We want to be our own man or woman, and yet we also want to belong.
Learning to Die Well
We put great emphasis on how to live for Jesus. We talk about treating people well, making behavioral decisions that follow Jesus, and serving people the way the Good Samaritan did.
Word Problems
So what should we do? The same thing Jesus always tells us to do. Maybe if we apply the greatest commandments to our words, there will be fewer word problems.
Marked with the Spirit
The gift of the promised Holy Spirit may mean many things for the Christian life, but for those newly initiated into Christian discipleship it means one thing. It means you’ve been marked with God’s tattoo.
The Power of Blood
There is something unique about female humanity that puts them in solidarity with Christ. The blood of women has life-giving power, so too the blood that poured from Jesus’s side bore new creation.
Are You Joking?
When you finally come to know the message you intend to preach, then you can freely build on that message and give the gospel handles so people can carry it home with them.
Healthy Responses for Church Leaders: Being Well vs. Not Being Sick
"Focus on STRENGTH not weakness” is a response not only for the physical systems of the human body, but also complex emotional systems—like churches and families.
Negativity Bias, Charitable Interactions, and Learning to See the Best in Others
Our brains weigh us down with negative assumptions that ensure we fall short of the merciful, charitable attitudes we would like to manifest toward others.
Smallness and Significance
There is something about the beach that reminds me of who I am and who God is; this keeps me focused on the God who empowers me to minister to others. The beach reminds me of my smallness.
Four Errors Do Not Make a Home Run
We have a great privilege and responsibility to speak God's words into the lives of those who trust us to give them true guidance.
The Hardest Command
No one ever asked Jesus which was the hardest command, but had they done so, I feel confident it would be to love your enemies as you love yourself.
Fluffy Hair Prayer
“I’m ready for God to use me in a very different way, and I have no idea what that will be.” That seems like an appropriate prayer for all of us as we fluff up our hair.
Gratitude as a Leadership Practice
Perhaps, as leaders, we could be more intentional about the practice of gratitude and allow our gratitude toward God to shape the ways in which we lead.
The Universe's Wonders
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.”
Arrived ... Or in Process?
I think that we will never fully arrive at Christian maturity. We are all in process. And I think that is really good news.