Articles
How a Comic-Book Style Bible Could Inspire Bible Engagement Beyond Sundays
On Sunday mornings, between 8 and 11 a.m., you may have somewhat of a captive audience as you stand at the pulpit, leading your congregation through a worship service. But after the service, once church members are finished mingling over coffee and cookies outside of...
Resisting Manipulation: Biblical Guidance for Leaders
How to Identify and Resist Manipulation A counseling professor once told a woman in one of my husband’s lab groups, “Your tears don’t move me.” His words stunned the group, but the woman stopped crying. “Those are tears of frustration not brokenness.” We may question...
Songs about Heaven
Oh, the wonder and glories of Heaven! Do you long to go there? The Bible often speaks of the place where God dwells. Jesus told His disciples that He was going to prepare a “place” for them (John 14:3). We know as Christians that we are promised an eternity dwelling...
Science and the Bible: God’s Truth in Creation and Scripture
Science and the Bible: Understanding Truth Through the Ages The Bible is the divine Word of God, but I think we are justified in believing that God expected every generation to interpret the Word according to the age in which they live. Those who dispute this put a...
Choose Joy Daily in Every Season
Who is the most joyful person you know? Stop—don’t keep on reading. I want you to think about the most joyful person you know. How do you feel when you’re around them? Why We Must Choose Joy Daily In the providence of God, I was to teach Philippians 1 with the title...
Faith and Unity Can Turn Things Around
What I’ve learned about the power of faith to repair what’s broken in our confused and divided nation. “How do we turn things around in this country?” That’s a question I hear quite often, coming from folks of all ages and points of view. You may have muttered the...
Five Key Concepts for Trauma-Informed Ministry
Trauma, while not universal, is quite common. In The Trauma Tree: Going Beyond Survival, Growing Toward Wholeness, we look at the difference between big T Trauma and little t trauma. Big T Trauma is what comes to mind when we think of PTSD. Post-traumatic stress...
The Power of Story: Remembering with God
You and I have a story that began long before we were born. In Psalm 139:15-16, the psalmist writes, “You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was...
Forgetting the Past: Embracing the God of the Future
The God of the Future: Moving Beyond the Past I wonder if sometimes we continue to worship the God of the past and don’t recognize the God of the future. Because God exists in the future—he was in our yesterday, but he’s also in tomorrow. It makes sense that God...
Making Jesus’s Geography Meaningful
Jesus was not only a master teacher but also a gifted outdoor instructor. He often put his nature-filled classroom to work leaning into its physical geography, human geography, and natural history. But Jesus used geography in another way as well. He taught in...
Fresh Bible Engagement Ideas for Every Day of the Week
Why Bible Engagement Ideas Matter Outside Sunday Service On Sunday mornings, between 8 and 11 a.m., you may have somewhat of a captive audience as you stand at the pulpit, leading your congregation through a worship service. But after the service, once church members...
What Is the Bible?
Why “What Is the Bible” Still Matters Today Did you know the Bible has sold the most copies of any book ever? According to the Guinness World Records, an organization dedicated to recording record-breaking achievements, the Christian Bible has sold more than five...
What Diving the Maze Taught Me About God’s Presence in Darkness
Life can feel like diving in the Maze, a site full of shadows. Murky bluegray abysses lie beyond the cliff edges, swirling through sheer canyons, darkening the underside of every ledge and crack. The twisting walls and cliffs of the Maze are filled with caves and...
Distracted in the Desert: What the Wilderness Teaches Us
Do you like road trips? The truth of the matter is, I do not. That’s because I would like to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible! We live in South Carolina, but our families are in Miami. Every time we plan a trip to visit our beloved hometown, I beg my...
6 Ways to Offer Alzheimer’s Church Support
People in faith communities often respond to their members’ needs with action. Cold in the winter? Hold a coat drive. Students in need of school supplies? Fill their backpacks. Natural disaster in the community? Fundraise to help bring relief. But Alzheimer’s isn’t a...
Embracing the End of Your Rope
Our family’s favorite dog was named Moose. He was a chocolate labrador weighing in at 115 lbs. and he was everything you’d hope for in a dog. He was a gentle giant who loved our kids and who always greeted me heartily when I came home. On most days, Moose ran freely...
Selling to Churches in Summer? Here’s What Works (and What Doesn’t)
Summer is often seen as a slow season for churches—but that doesn't mean ministry stops. In fact, while Sunday attendance might dip and the calendar loosens up, churches remain active behind the scenes. For businesses trying to reach pastors and church leaders,...
Max Lucado: The One Thing I Know After 45 Years in Ministry
Understanding God’s Destiny for You Amid Life’s Struggles Do you believe in God’s destiny for you? I’m nearing half a century as a pastor. Fifty years is plenty of time to hear how many people struggle in life. I’ve learned the question to ask. If you and I were...
Here Comes Trouble, Failing Daily Tests? Here’s the Secret to A+ Living
Recognizing God’s Tests Today in Everyday Life Every day God tests us through people, pain, or problems. Stop and consider your circumstances. Can you identify the tests of today? Snarling traffic? Threatening weather? Aching joints? If you see your troubles as...
Hitting Rock Bottom
We pass much of life— if not most of life—at mid-altitude. Occasionally we summit a peak: our wedding, a promotion, the birth of a child. But most of life is lived at midlevel. Monday-ish obligations of carpools, expense reports, and recipes. But on occasion the world...
