Articles
Unlocking Generosity
As a church leader, you desire that the congregation be recognized as a truly generous church. You desire the members of your church to be renowned for their open-handedness. This aspiration is driven by the understanding that this not only benefits the individuals...
Healing Prayer Testimony
I had never met one! Not one. After being a Christian for fully eight years, I had never personally met anyone who had experienced divine healing, whether that was physical, mental, or emotional healing sent from God and activated through prayer. In fact, I had never...
Jesus’s Prayer Ministry
We have been in the ministry, David for more than 30 years, Maxie for more than 60. In every church we have served, the assumption was that if an area was growing then we should do more of it! Add another worship service! Expand the Sunday school! Do another Outreach...
Crafting a Church End-of-Year Giving Letter
The end of the year is a special time for churches and their congregations. It's a time for reflection, gratitude, and giving. One important tradition during this season is the end-of-year giving letter, a sincere message from the church to its members and supporters....
Transformative Scripture Meditation
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy . . . on . . . my way to work I need to swing by the ATM and pull out some cash. We need cash to get into...
Ḥesed: God’s Heart in Us
V. What God Wants Thoughts on ḥesed God is present through the Holy Spirit in everyone who belongs to Him, working to install and grow the heart that is like His, the heart full of ḥesed, and to drive out the stony heart that is full of sin and the world’s concerns,...
Reading for Transformation
Formation versus Information About five years ago I was having coffee with a local pastor, and we were discussing literature and my passion for reading. I was telling him about how vital I believe reading to be for us as ministers, and, after hearing me out, my pastor...
Listening for Formation
Listening to the Word of God makes us aware that we cannot simply adapt and adjust to the realities of a divided society. But especially in a society that is divided in the way ours is, the church’s work of formation is about listening to the Word of God in a way that...
The Vitality of Christian Community
With church attendance rebounding since the pandemic, Christians need to be encouraged to recall and remember what the writers of the Bible say about the vitality of Christian community, not to mention the command from God to meet together. Now more than ever,...
Ministry of Ḥesed
IV. Notes Towards a Ministry of Ḥesed Thoughts on ḥesed Does a ministry of ḥesed exist? I suggest that we can identify the ministry of ḥesed as, first of all, whatever springs from a heart that is like God’s heart—compassion, mercy, love, forgiveness, peace, faith,...
How Gen Z Can Find Its Calling
We’re living in uncertain times, of that I’m certain. A failing economy. The constant threat of a global nuclear war. Inflation. Pandemics. Polarizing politics. Natural disasters. Uncertainty tends to breed fear in most of us. And yet, those circumstances pale in...
Why Memorize Scripture?
No one in the history of the church has had as much access to Scripture as we do in the twenty-first-century Western world. As I sit at my dining room table in southern Missouri, there are seven Bibles I could reach in ten steps or less. But this hasn’t always been...
The Danger of Loneliness
When Ben and Jenna got married, they both had a thriving community of friends and family around them. Then, a few months into their marriage, Jenna unexpectedly got offered an incredible job promotion. Along with a significant salary increase, this promotion also...
The End of Estrangement
Thoughts on ḥesed Recently, I was very kindly invited to join a group of writers commenting on current events from a Christian perspective. Reluctantly, I declined, feeling that were I to write about the procession of evils that our society experiences and the...
The Gift of Humor
What is humor? Humor is defined as the capacity to express or perceive what is funny. This capacity begins to develop at an early age. Infants form a sense of humor by watching how others respond to their different behaviors. We are hardwired with the ability to...
The Spirit’s Power
Our Longing for Closeness Bone of My Bones The English word for intimacy comes from the Latin word intimus, meaning “inner.” Thus, intimacy involves two people opening their inner selves to each other. It is entering into each other’s lives emotionally,...
Holy Spirit’s Power
The Power of the Spirit in Our Weakness A former acquaintance, whom I will call Jim, left his lucrative career to enroll in a graduate program in Bible. He became quite legendary as a man of prayer. Later, while visiting me, Jim seemed obviously discouraged. He shared...
Discovering ḥesed
II. The Great Gift Thoughts on ḥesed In my childhood years, people told me many times, “God loves you.” I was hardly in a position to disagree, but mentally I often added, “and He has a long list of improvements He wants you to make.” I am afraid that sounded to me...
Three Ways to Make Collaborative Leadership Effective in Your Ministry, Community, or Business
Collaborative leadership is a subject embraced by many but practiced by few. For some leaders, the subject finds them heading for the door! Collaboration can mean endless discussions with little direction. For others, collaboration is the flavor of the month, and they...
Revitalize Bible Reading
Does Bible Reading Make You Feel Frustrated and Bored? It May Be Time for a Reset. “Can I share a secret?” the woman asked. Sitting in an empty sanctuary with an interviewer and a cameraman, about to begin recording, she suddenly felt the need to come clean. “I’ve...
