Articles
Serving the Widow: Helpful Tips for the Local Church
The Widow—A Compassion Initiative—is a biblical template for how the local church can care for the widow in their sadness and loss. It is often the case that ministries are led most effectively by those who have a heart for a particular type of suffering. Whether...
Technology is God’s Gift to Mankind to Push Back the Curse
A farmer knows more than anyone that technology is God’s gift to push back the curse. Remember the curse God pronounced on Adam, which cursed agriculture and every farmer who would be born thereafter: To Adam [God] said, “Because you have listened to the voice of...
Five Ways to Have a More Peaceful Home
“Why are you doing that? Stop! Stop! STOP!” I was out of control. I screamed so loud my throat hurt. He was just being two. My son had gotten out all the cereal boxes and dumped them out onto the floor. When I started yelling for him to stop, he began stuffing all the...
The Facts About Healthy Relationships
Saturday, my teen groused around the house. When my efforts to cheer her didn’t work, certainly that indicated she would rather spend Saturday with anyone but me. Feeling rejected, I felt tempted to give the silent treatment or unload my hurt with a barbed jab. “When...
SCOTUS LEAK
It was the summer of 2007. I had just completed a 40-day fast. When I started the fast, my goal was to get to know the Lord on a deeper level, hope to get a better hold of my flesh, and maybe even experience something supernatural. When I look back, it was quite...
Four Truths About Envy
I’m eating lunch with my new neighbor, Rosa. As I sit in her apartment eating chicken-tinga tostadas, she shares her story. Five years ago, she left two daughters behind and traveled to a new country—my country—with the hope of earning enough money to care for their...
Approaching the Almighty with Confidence
When we pray, we can approach God with confidence, for our faith rests upon His character, not upon promises. Promises are as good as the character of the one who made the promise. So when I read my Bible, I have a promise. This is the confidence we have in Him. If...
Three Reasons Why Believers Doubt the Security of Their Salvation
The simple answer is that we let our faulty human perspectives cloud our clear understanding of Scripture. We sometimes doubt the security of salvation because of our experiences with others. I’m sure everyone knows a person who seemed to have a vital walk with the...
What Insurance Coverage Should You Have for Your Church?
When you think of a church, it’s much more than just a physical building. A church can mean a lot to a community and parishioners who count on it as a place of worship and fellowship. So, you have to do what you can to make sure your church stays protected, and that...
Learning How to Apologize to Yourself
Apologizing to oneself requires self-talk. Perhaps you have heard someone say, “Talking to yourself is a sign of mental illness.” Wrong! Mentally healthy people always talk to themselves – encouraging themselves, advising themselves, questioning themselves. Some of...
Going It Alone
Henri Nouwen writes, “Pain suffered alone feels very different from pain suffered alongside another. Even when the pain stays, we know how great the difference if another draws close, if another shares with us in it. This kind of comfort comes most fully and...
Finding Our Way Home
There are two things that really stress me out. Getting lost and asking for directions. Perhaps that is why I am such a fan of GPS technology. Outside of the wheel, my vote for the greatest human invention is the Global Positioning System. Whether I find myself in a...
4 Remarkable Truths in the Story of a Poor Widow Who Gave All
Part 2 Click here to read part 1. Jesus knew this poor widow had no property and no close family to take care of her. Therefore, since it was something He did often, I believe Jesus motioned for one of His disciples to follow after her and quietly give her a handful...
“Tell Me More”
In her historical narrative on Joseph, Jacob’s deserted son, American writer Madeleine L’Engle carefully unpacked the customs and culture around this crucial figure in Jewish history. She did this for a specific reason: We need to consider the full contours of a story...
4 Remarkable Truths in the Story of a Poor Widow Who Gave All
How often do widows come up in the Gospels? Surprisingly, a lot! The most famous widow’s story is found at the end of Mark 12. At first, what Jesus appears to do (and not do) causes many readers to wince. Even worse? 1. Religious leaders may have cheated this...
New Year, Renewed Church: How to Refresh Your Church in 2022
Hope is a term often used in a context of doubt. When we say, “I hope my team wins,” there is a hint of disbelief. When we say, “I hope my church grows,” you know it’s not guaranteed. When I peer into the freezer and say, “I hope there is ice cream,” the grim...
There is Hope in Your Story
There is hope in your story, whether you feel it or not. You may be in the midst of a hard season, you may be thriving but feel anxiety lurking at the edges or your life, or you find yourself longing for a jolt of encouragement as you wade through each day. Early...
Five Reasons Surrender Should Be a Part of Every Leader’s Vocabulary
Surrender is far from a widely embraced concept in our culture today. Surrender is the opposite of the independent “I can do it” attitude plaguing modern day society. In whatever capacity you lead in your church, we’re all called to let God lead the way when it comes...
Why the Church Needs to Talk About Dating
A friend and I began planning an event for our church where unmarried men and women could mingle and get to know each other. The church’s leadership wanted to create a subtle night of games where singles could interact naturally. In the process, maybe they’d get a...
No Lost Causes
“Then Jesus told them this parable, ‘Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the one lost sheep until he finds it?” Luke 15:3-4, niv In a family full of lost sheep, my uncle Jack...
