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.
Talking about Faith and Mental Illness
If your church wants to talk about mental health, I’d suggest nine things you ought to know.
A Difficult Conversation
As I watch my daughters grow in their relationship with Christ and start to discover their gifts as empowered by the Father, I am worried.
Simple Children’s Ministry: Thinking Intergenerationally
When children and adults spend time together in worship and fellowship, we get to know each other, learn from each other, and grow together.
On Getting Dressed
The dichotomies present in one outfit feel suffocating. How is she supposed to look attractive but not too attractive, fashionable but not young?
Rhythm
Daffodils push up through snow and icicles drip from tiny, chartreuse tree leaves.
Green grass burns in heat while lantanas flourish.
Celebration and Suffering: Psalm 22
To appreciate what hope means, we need a word of wisdom about our human condition that is more ancient than our American culture in the 21st century.
Do We Miss the Opportunities Right in Front of Us?
How one church in Memphis is working to reach their Hispanic neighbors.
Mission Evidences from the Field: What Do Healthy Growing Churches Look Like?
What are the characteristics of newly planted churches that are thriving?
Lessons from a Landlord
I contend that there is almost nothing better suited to the task of revealing and developing character than having rental properties
Waiting for Easter
I wonder what Jesus’s followers did in the long hours between the death and resurrection. It was only a couple of days, but it likely felt like an eternity.
Building Walls, but Opening the Gates of Joy
Ministry requires us to build some walls in order to survive. But one of the walls we must build is that of joy.
Do This in Remembrance of Me
Sharing communion each week calls us back to the path we chose when we committed our lives to Jesus.
Preachers, It’s Not about You (But It Kind of Is…)
We must be careful about moving from “anyone can preach” to “it doesn’t matter who is in the pulpit.”
Why Every Church Should Read Jude
Seldom read, the book of Jude explores themes of grace and holiness, which are difficult for us to hold in the same hand.
The Uniform of the Enemy, the Heart of a Friend
After Jesus speaks to the people about loving their enemies and doing good to those who hate them, the first person we encounter is a centurion.
Seeing Sticks Underwater
In a blink the beaver can see what we cannot. These high tech goggles allow him to swim toward what is hidden beneath the surface.
Elders, Anointing, and Healing
Happy believers sing. Those in trouble pray. And those who are sick call the elders to anoint them with oil and pray for them.
Running on Fumes: Soul Care for Spiritual Leaders
Too often spiritual leaders spend so much time helping others that they neglect their own spiritual growth and renewal.
Church according to Jesus
Many of Jesus’s most obvious teachings are ignored. His teaching on conflict in the church is straightforward, profound, bold, and … never really followed.