When the stakes are high, the words that come out of our mouths are our strongest witness, only trumped by our nonverbal communication. For this article, I’m going to focus on the words.
All in Discipleship
When the stakes are high, the words that come out of our mouths are our strongest witness, only trumped by our nonverbal communication. For this article, I’m going to focus on the words.
In the midst of the pain that inevitably comes from living in the world, may the truth of this hymn’s words make its presence known over and over again.
Like the older son, we can all remain with the father. Comfortable in our church building, performing our occasional goods works, while expecting the father to return our efforts with great reward.
There are things that are part of obeying the gospel and living out the gospel. But they are not the good news.
This prayer of examen represented a shift from brushing the day with the paint strokes of heavy drudgery, to realizing that there was room for gratitude.
I often hear discussions about raising hands to the Lord, most often in the context of worship. Some are enthusiastic hand raisers; others are not.
With every question that’s not a question, the defensiveness escalates and in the blink of an eye, the damage is done.
At my workplace, we have a jar with the phrase “good vibes” emblazoned on the side. Next to the jar are colorful strips of paper and a pen.
Of all the challenges and crises that exist in congregations today, the one that I want to name here resides with leaders themselves.
Integrity is gritty – it is hard, it takes effort, it’s often a chore. And integrity is a never-ending process: it takes a lifetime to build, yet mere moments to destroy.
I revisited this old hymn and was floored by the lyrics as they described a spiritual journey we all must travel if we desire to be in relationship with God.
People want to follow leaders who present themselves as they truly are, not as they believe others want them to be.
It’s important to take time to reflect on where we stand in our spiritual lives, and assess things that may be distracting us.
Just as the concept of one single breath is not enough to sustain us, neither is a “one-and-done” idea adequate to establish spiritual rhythms.
It’s a story of the God of love and grace doing his work among his people. It’s a story for the sinner and the lonely, a story for those in grief and pain, and a story of redemption.
You really want to follow Jesus? You want to gain life with him through the resurrection? You first must join him at the uncomfortable cross!
What I am about to say will sound so elementary that I risk losing you, my reader, before I even get to the end of this paragraph. But here goes. I want you to read your Bible.
While the day was successful in terms of accomplishing my agenda, I realized that my greatest achievement on that day was that I got out of bed – despite the mental odds, self-doubt, and insecurities.
We can get so paralyzed by the complications, the insecurities, the fears, the bruises from past failures, our defenses and the many other things that make up life’s big ball of yarn.
In a world that values productivity – doing more and more – Jesus reminds us that faithfulness is greater fruit than fame. There’s always work to do … so we must begin in prayer.