Articles
Six Things You Should Know About First-Time Guests
The church I serve recently hosted a “Friends and Family Day” in which we saw our largest attendance of the year. It was awesome seeing all the new faces and how our volunteers connected with new guests. I’m hoping that we see many of them come back and get connected...
Good, Better, Best
Exercising discernment when every choice is a good choice It happens more often than I like to admit. My husband and I will be comparing our schedules, synching our calendars for the upcoming week, when we realize that we’ve got (at least) two important events...
Hypocrisy
"Do not judge, lest you should be judged." Matthew 7:1 BLB “There are too many hypocrites in the church, so I don’t go.” That was the first sentence out of the young man’s mouth after he found out that I was a pastor. I was walking my dog and stopped to talk to a...
The Hardest Part of Being a Missionary
You know it is true…most people avoid ever praying the prayer asking God if they are to be headed to the mission field! Why? God might actually say “YES, GO!”. Do you think that is the hardest part of being a missionary? There is no rock solid evidence or great...
Taking Back Advent Part 4
As I laid in bed this morning, our Advent journey drawing towards the culmination of all of our hopes and preparations, I thought about the capacity I have for fearfulness. I expend way too much time and energy worrying about what might happen. The beautiful thing...
Does the Passing of Billy Graham Signal the Death of Christianity?
When I came to Wheaton College, I began to serve as the Billy Graham Distinguished Chair. That role, and the role at the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton, came with a key responsibility. Eventually, I was given a card that I was told I needed to carry on my person at...
Mary
Elizabeth had a cousin, a girl named Mary, who was engaged to a young man named Joseph. They lived in an out-of-the-way town called Nazareth. Joseph was descended from the great King David, though for his part he was a common laborer, a carpenter. They were simple,...
5 Steps to Growing Your Facebook Audience
Have you been on Facebook for a while but your ministry page seems to have slow growth? Are you stuck at 1k followers? Are you posting content consistently but not seeing much engagement? Well in this guide we layout 5 Steps to help you grow your Facebook Audience....
“Help” me
“Hep me, Jack, Jack! Hep me Jack, Jack!” These sounds came from a visiting two-year old, desperately calling his brother for a little help. He was furiously building an important tower from Legos, and he knew his older brother could help, even when he couldn’t quite...
Light of the World
What unexpected twists my life has taken in the nursing home. Sometimes I’ve soared. Other times, it’s quite dark, like the day I returned from the hospital after a pulmonary embolism and acute respiratory distress. I returned home, alive, but devoid of spirit. If I...
4 Thoughts on Christmas Services
It’s so hard to believe that it’s already December. Where did the year go? It seems like just a couple months ago we were celebrating Easter and the resurrection, and now we’re getting ready to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Before I share with you my thoughts on...
Eternity: It’s Not What You Think
What Most Christians Get Wrong About The Gospel Are we there yet? Every parent has heard it. Every kid has asked it. Every human being has felt it. We suffer from destination impatience. We rush through life, always in a hurry. To get to where, we do not know....
Taking Back Advent Part 3
During this Advent season and throughout the year, how wonderful it is to call upon Christ as Lord and Savior! No matter what is going on in the world - we don't lose heart and we don't lose hope. Jesus is faithful and God has shared with us His redemptive plan for...
Healed Without Scars
“To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He might be glorified.” ...
5 Reasons Pastors Struggle with Facebook
Have you been on Facebook for over a year but yet you only have under 1000 followers? Are you posting content 2-3 times a day but yet your engagement is low? Do you have a huge following but your content isn’t getting many likes? You are probably making 1 of these 5...
Four Types of Pastoral Leadership
As a pastor it can seem noble and even Biblical to try to be all things to all men. The apostle Paul even said as much in his letter to the church in Corinth. “19 For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. 20 To...
Worship in All Directions
At some point in your life, you may have been as I was (and so many in our pews still are!). Anytime you heard the word worship, you assumed that word mostly referred to singing, clapping, and talking to God. Worship is actually much more than that: True biblical...
Christianity & Creativity
We have a problem—whether we recognize it or not. It has to do with the relationship between Christianity and creativity. Many Christians have grown suspicious of creatives. Creativity impedes true spiritual progress, doesn’t it? So many have given up on...
Praying for Your Missionary
Why a Book on Praying for Missionaries? I’ve been in pastoral ministry for over twenty-three years now, spanning four countries—America, Canada, Australia, and South Korea. So I know how hard, lonely, and challenging being a pastor can be. I grew up thinking pastors...
Taking Back Advent Part 2
During this season of Advent we are reflecting on God’s love for us through the birth of His Son Jesus Christ, as we remember and anticipate his return. How do we define love and how do we express it? We can go to Scripture for the answer. Read the famous “love...
