Living for the kingdom of God is the antithesis of living selfishly. It means being rich “toward God,” that is, investing in the kingdom of God, “enjoying this world, as though we had no enjoyment, for the form of this world is passing away’.
The Fullest Possible Joy
The road to the fullest possible joy is a path of obedience containing opportunities to follow that are contrary to human nature and turns opposite of which people often imagine themselves taking.
Building Bridges with Our Communities: Spring Bridge Events
As you are planning events for the spring, general seasonal-themed events or ones focusing on local interests or holidays are good to consider. Bridge events create community on multiple levels: within our own churches by giving an opportunity for new members to get to know people as well as building bridges between our congregation and the community.
Finding God in Unexpected Places: A Healthcare Chaplain’s Reflection
In the hustle of hospital corridors, amidst the beeping of monitors and the steady flow of patients and staff, chaplains often encounter God in ways that defy conventional expectations. As microcosms of human diversity, hospitals present unique opportunities to witness God. Here, individuals face their most vulnerable selves, whether due to illness, loss, or fear. In these moments, God is encountered in profound, unfiltered ways. It is not always within the walls of a church or in the company of believers that we most powerfully experience the divine. Instead, God’s presence often reveals itself in the faces and lives of those we least expect—those who may never speak the language of faith yet embody the very heart of divine compassion. These encounters reveal that the image of God—the imago Dei—dwells in everyone (Genesis 1:26-27).
The Master’s Touch
Victor’s room looks out on a small courtyard. From his bed, he can see other buildings and a sliver of sky – just enough to be able to tell whether it’s clear or cloudy, rainy or fair. This limited view is as much as he has seen of the outside world since he was admitted to the hospital for a surgical operation that was supposed to be routine but instead was followed by serious complications.
Encountering God at the Gate of Heaven
My father is a professional artist, and when I was five years old, our local church commissioned him to paint a mural of St. John of God. John was born in Portugal in 1495 and was a soldier before he had a personal encounter with God. After this radical encounter, he believed his vocation was to serve the sick and poor, and he was often found cleaning the wounds of lepers. My father's painting depicted the leper whose feet St. John was washing, as the leper miraculously transformed into Christ. That powerful image impacted me as a child, has remained with me, and has become a part of my pastoral identity as a hospital chaplain.
Wrestling with Jacob
We live in a time and a culture that seems especially tempted to see the unfairness and brutality of human existence as good reason to let go of God. And if we are honest, there are probably times when it feels like holding on is pointless, when we wonder if our struggle to keep our faith is even worth it. And to that experience, this story offers us a gift: May we be as stubborn as Jacob: refusing to let go, until we get a blessing.
The McDonalds Gospel
We never really grow the Kingdom of God. God does that. However, burying the Kingdom not only hides it from others, but from ourselves. Consequently, we stunt our own spiritual formation out of fear of not growing the Kingdom, but when we boldly go into our world with the good news of a Kingdom built on love and grace with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone, growth will take place.
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.
12 Top Articles
Because Jesus had his 12 disciples and sent them out two by two, we’re going to do that with our Mosaic Top Articles too. Here are 12 articles we’ve selected that we hope re-reading them (or reading them for the first time) will inspire you and continue to guide you into leadership in the Kingdom of God.
The Power of Choice
It helps to have a clear idea of the outcome you desire or what you hope to achieve. Once that is established, you need to list all of the options at your disposal, even the ones you think are bad, even the ones that you believe will result in the worst consequences.
An Intergenerational Christmas
Who is God? I return to this question often, especially in this season of Christmas. The advent of Jesus to the world offers an answer—God is a God who lovingly comes close to creation. The incarnational insight is that God desires to be near to all of humanity. God chooses to come and dwell among us.
How to Embrace the True Meaning of Christmas
Should the church wage war against society in order to enforce a more pious remembrance? I think not. But perhaps a better question to ask is this: what would it look like for Christians to embrace the true meaning of Christmas?
We Need to Talk About Mary
Out of fear that Mary was getting too much credit for her role in salvation history, we decided to give her none. Among us, there must not even be a hint of devotion to Mary. In the end, we might not have thrown the baby out with the bathwater, but we do seem to have thrown out the baby’s mother. And in doing so, I think we’ve lost quite a bit.
The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares, Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
Jesus’ teaching here is that the children of the kingdom will have to wait until harvest time to see evil completely destroyed. This waiting, however, does not imply conforming to the world or indifference to its injustices.
When All God's People Gather
While this is only a short list of ideas, my hope is that these suggestions offer a point of reference for what intentional intergenerationality could look like in your church as you think through your own context. Regardless of how your church seeks to include children more intentionally within its worship practices, the most important point is to start somewhere so that you can embody being a church where all God’s people gather.
The Gift of a Warm Welcome
Whether it is a stranger needing shelter from the elements, a visitor needing someone to share a meal, or a newcomer needing community, resolve to be the one to welcome—even if you have to leave the comfort of your home and trudge through the storm to invite them in. Be purposeful about welcoming others, and plan to surprise someone with unusual kindness.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
Consider the love the Father has for us. We experience God’s love in great depth not only because God has chosen to reveal Himself to us, but because He fully knows us and has chosen to love us. Love is fully realized by being known.
Pregnant Women Need You!
As Christian leaders, we understand the importance of caring for the well-being of all members of our community, particularly those who are vulnerable and in need. The disparities in maternal health outcomes for women of color demand our attention and action.
Cosmetic to Character: False Self vs. True Self
Living from the false self distances us from God. By building a persona based on pride or external validation, we alienate ourselves from the divine connection. The false self obstructs our spiritual growth, resulting in a divided life in which we are separated from both our true self and God.