Category: CHURCH & MINISTRY
Death Reigns?
I’m sitting up in bed in the early morning wondering why people hate and kill each other. Egypt and Syria come to mind with their fist-shaking mobs, bloody bodies carried from the fray, and mothers wailing as much with their upraised hands as their shrill voices....
Do Our Prayers for Missionaries Really Matter?
A man once spent twenty minutes and twenty seconds of his life one day looking at two different emails. The first email was from a local store that shared all of its weekly deals. He studied it in detail, not only hoping to find a great...
Are You Refusing?
See that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. Hebrews 11:26 God is speaking all the time. It is His primary way to be known. He has chosen to reveal Himself so that we can know Him better and love Him more. Through creation, conscience,...
An Ethiopian’s Skin and Your Sin
After taking (too) many pictures on a ministry trip to Ethiopia, I was interested to hear how people would react to my photos. Here’s one of the common responses: “I can’t believe how green it is there. I always thought it was dry and dusty.” I’ve...
Am I Saved?
If you are asking this question, take heart, you are already pointed in the right direction. In a world that loves to wonder – “Am I fat?” “Does he love me?” “Will I ever be rich?” – it is crucial to be concerned with the most...
A Woman of the City, Who Was a Sinner
I once spoke to a woman who thought that she did not need forgiveness from God. Her justification was that she did not do all the bad things other people were always doing. She didn’t use foul language, she didn’t get drunk every weekend, and she...
A Tale of Two Cindys
A few years ago, two women began attending the same local church at roughly the same time. Although these women didn’t know each other, they shared striking similarities. Both came from abusive backgrounds, both were substance abusers, both were unmarried but living in sexual immorality, and...
What If Churches Started Churches?
I’ve been in some churches that should not take the advice I’m about to give. They are much too weak, or sinful, or distorted in their beliefs and practices to be in the business of starting anything. It would be better for them to concentrate on...
What Do You Do With Immorality?
When the apostle Paul heard that there was immorality in the Corinthian church, he was shocked. The brand of immorality was of such a kind that the sensibilities of the pagan world would even be offended—”a man has his father’s wife”. But his amazement was mostly...
Wearing Your Own Jersey and Being Unlike Mike in the Body of Christ
“Compared to the talented people in my church, I’m worthless. Maybe I should just stay home. They don’t really need me.” Have you ever thought like that? In a church culture that highlights certain gifts (like speaking) above all others, such feelings are common. Paul uses...
