God is with you, God knows you, and God loves you. Don’t ever forget it. Because we are often hardest on ourselves. And if you are running from God, God isn’t far from you.
God’s Providence, Romans 8:28
How do I explain these seemingly unconnected events? Was I lucky? Was it a coincidence of various events? No. I believe it was God’s providence in action.
The Invitation to Experience God
He is quick to extend the invitation because He values the truth that God believes everyone deserves to experience Him. We must see all people as worthy of experiencing God.
A Personal Philosophy of Grief
We can strengthen our ministry when we take the time to surface these perspectives so that we can refine and use them intentionally.
The Power of God’s Story and the Power of Community
It became clear our theme needed to embody the different ways that Jesus would challenge people through his use of parables — Woven Together: The Power of Biblical Narratives.
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.
Six Suggestions to Help with Spiritual Depression
I believe depression is real. And it happens to Christians. It happened to a great prophet, Elijah. Read I Kings 19. He was so depressed he wanted to die.
The Emotional Ambush
Many times, we care for those who are sick and in need of comfort, forgetting the men and women who care for the sick and dying. Let us lift them up in prayer daily.
Spirituality Makes the Stool Stand
While God is the source of our spirituality, let us dig deeper and consider what is spiritual to us and how might it benefit us.
The Balloon in the Corner
Deidra said, “Small acts of kindness that remind me that I matter; that someone cares about me. It’s people like Miss Suzi who make me think that everything actually will be okay.”
Focus Ring: Tension Versus Safety
While we want to create safety, we honestly can’t—at least for the most part. Jesus certainly didn’t play it safe. His ministry was risky from day one.
Deborah: A Woman Who Lived Her Faith
Two women. One day. Changing the course of history. One woman with a fierce faith, called by God to lead, and the other woman fulfilled the prophecy that the Lord would use the hand of a woman to change history.
Noticing God in Your Midst
It wasn’t until Moses had to run into the desert and confront who he was and what he had done that he was able to notice the presence and movement of God.
Can Old News Be Good News?
Add this to the list of reasons preaching is such an impossible task. Can you tell the old, old story in a new way? Can you be both faithful and fresh? I think we must try.
Dead and Risen with Christ, Colossians 2:20-3:4
The desire to feel spiritually superior has always haunted some people in the church and has usually led to an arrogant legalism and division.
What Sustains Your Ministry When Hard Times Hit?
But I’m not calling you to success; I’m calling you to faithfulness. Success in God’s eyes comes down to sticking with the mission.
Don’t Glaze Over—It is Important!
Healthy, vibrant churches have a high degree of correlation between their declared theology and their practiced theology.
Why Older Saints Still Have Value
In talking to older saints, I realize some of them wrestle with what their value to the Kingdom is.
Learning Styles and Spiritual Growth
Tapping into the way they learn can make the message come alive and ignite their imaginations. We need to spend time thinking about the process behind our teaching.
Standing Up For Jesus
What is a gift that you can offer the world in another way? What is a space that God is calling you to step into even if you are nervous about it?