Articles
Understanding Faith Deconstruction
“I’m deconstructing my faith.” Perhaps someone has said this to you recently. A friend, child, spouse, parent, coworker, or congregant. You don’t really know what they mean, but it doesn’t sound good. Just from the name, you can tell they are taking something apart....
Mastering the Emotional Effects of Negative Thinking
Understanding the Emotional Effects of the Fall The emotional effects of the fall have had a persisting impact on all of humankind. Consider for a moment the following questions: Do you struggle with worry about minor matters or perhaps worry about things that might...
Ministry Transitions in Genesis 12
I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to go into something new and leave the something old behind. I am in the middle of a ministry transition. After about 9 years on staff at my current local church (a church I also grew up in for about 9 years before being on...
Pastoral Commitment to Young Adult Groups
During our five-year study, we witnessed constant negotiations be- tween young adult innovation teams and the larger congregational leadership structure. Those in senior leadership roles often struggled while learning how to engage with young adult leaders or...
Trusting God When Life Feels Uncertain
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV) Why Trusting God Is Difficult I’ve been studying the topic of trust lately. And what I’ve...
Discovering Joy in Beauty and Salvation
You know it when you feel joy. She “jumps under one’s ribs and tickles down one’s back.” But joy dodges our attempts to pin her down. She is tricky to define. Trying to catch joy with a definition is like fishing with a shoelace, like trying to describe a friend to...
The Call to Be a Good Church
In 2001, Jim Collins published a book on business management titled Good to Great, concerning the steps companies had to take to be excellent institutions. This book became a bestseller and even influenced the American church, with many churches endeavoring to become...
Bach’s Music: A Testament to God’s Glory
Johan Sebastian Bach’s music has long been considered among the greatest artistic expressions in human history. When eminent scientist Lewis Thomas mused about what was the greatest testament of earth’s achievements to send into deep space, he replied, “I would vote...
Caring for Spiritual Orphans in the Wake of the Church’s Great Resignation
The hot Haitian sun beat down on our metal tap tap as we bounced along the dirt road of a small town just outside Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My hands wrapped around the metal bars, I squinted into the high noon sun as we came to a slow stop, our driver pointing towards a...
Silent Prayer: A Path to Soul Health
Our souls long for health and the practices that will bring that health, but we have become adept at ignoring or suppressing that longing. That’s why it’s so important to engage in practices that elevate us above the fray of our lives, practices that help give us an...
Peacemaker Discipline: A Grace-Filled Approach to Parenting
When many of us hear the word discipline, we immediately assume it to mean “punishment.” This isn’t a surprise—our society teaches us over and over that accountability for wrongdoing must be retributive and punitive; that is, we have to pay for our wrong behavior...
Time Management Tips for Pastors
Effective time management is very important for pastors who juggle numerous responsibilities, from sermon preparation and pastoral care to administrative tasks and outreach efforts. This article provides practical tips to help ministers manage their time efficiently....
Understanding Leadership Trauma
All leaders have unknown or unacknowledged drivers that fuel behavior. Sometimes, we have attitudes, words, and actions detrimental to ourselves and those we lead. Our inner critic screams, “You’re not good enough.” Sometimes, we chastise ourselves for failing to see...
Living Beyond Christian Autonomy
One of the greatest counterfeits to living like Jesus is living in Christian autonomy—trying to be like Him without Him. I’d sum up autonomy in this context with one word: self-reliant. The Burden of Christian Autonomy The problem, of course, is that, from start to...
Why Watch Films as a Spiritual Practice?
Because the Bible contains so many universally powerful themes, it’s not uncommon to find connections between the art we love and the church traditions we grow up with. I discovered this at a pivotal Maundy Thursday service in high school. As I listened to a member of...
Discover Biblical Archeology Resources to Strengthen Faith
"Tim, you've done something no one else has been able to do before." said noted apologetics author and professor Norman Geisler. He referred to how Tim Mahoney demonstrated a powerful pattern of evidence for the Exodus events through film. It showcased the proof of...
Preparing for Death with Faith: A Guide for Pastors and Families
Life is not a horizontal line. Instead, it is full of opposites, ups and downs, sorrows and joys. Life is also short, and because of the culture’s deception to and of death, death has become a part of the cycle of life. We experience it with our loved ones, our...
Read the Bible as Drama for Family Discipleship
I’m not an actor. The closest I came to acting was as a high school senior, when I agreed to be in a play that never came about. For whatever reason, not enough guys were available to perform, and I reluctantly agreed after quite a bit of cajoling. I can’t remember...
How Can I Believe God Protects Me When Tragedy Strikes?
“I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” PSALM 91:2 In my head, I know God is my Protector. But sometimes my heart struggles to feel protected by God. At some point in our lives, most of us have experienced some kind of...
When God Makes Promises
God makes promises. And then he waits. Sometimes for a really long time. Long enough for us to wonder if we imagined the promises. Long enough for us to wonder if he’s forgotten them. Maybe we misheard? Maybe we misunderstood? The Struggle of Waiting on God's Promises...
