Will You Be a Pillar? A week after I preached my Platforms to Pillars sermon in London, I was leaving a speaking event, feeling exhausted after a brutal season of conflict, betrayal, and discouragement. On this trip, I had the privilege of catching up with other...
Freedom from the Pressure to Perform in Ministry
Have You Felt That Insidious Pressure to Perform? A poor man plodded toward home, bent under a heavy sack of potatoes. A wagon drew up beside him. “Climb aboard,” the driver said. The man climbed into the wagon, dragging his burden with him. He sat but continued to...
Are You Listening?
God created humans with one mouth and two ears. You might say it is a visual reminder that listening is more important than talking (although lips are generally easier to notice than ears!). This is an area I need to work on. I have this very annoying habit of...
Embracing ‘God Speed’ in a Fast-Paced World
Back in the 1970s, a Japanese theologian named Kosuke Koyama wrote a book called Three Mile an Hour God. In it, he draws out the idea that maybe the speed at which God moves is the speed at which he designed us to move. You see, a human being walks at three miles an...
Creative Destruction: A Path to Church Renewal
Creative destruction is an act of dying so something new might emerge (Joshua Hayden, Creative Destruction: Towards a Theology of Institutions, 6). But how do we know what needs to die? Understanding Creative Destruction in the Life of the Church Central to our faith...
When Work Disappoints: Finding Biblical Wisdom in Setbacks
Disappointment at work is an everyday experience for most of us. It happens when work fails to live up to our hopes or expectations. We don’t finish everything on our to-do list. Only one person attends the online event we planned. Customers prefer our competitor’s...
Understanding the Parable of the Two Lost Sons
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable. —Luke 15:1–3 The Elder Brother and the Two Lost Sons...
Understanding the Gospel Mom: A Calling Rooted in Christ
Over the last decade, the two of us (Emily and Laura) have embarked on our own journeys to understand what a good mom really is. If you’re familiar with our ministry, Risen Motherhood, then you might know that as sisters-in-law and friends, we talked regularly in the...
What the Early Church Knew About Biblical Family
The Early Church’s View of Biblical Family When I was a kid growing up down South, my mom always referred to her in-laws as “Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard.” My parents both grew up in the small town of Talladega, Alabama, where every adult was a “Mr.” or “Mrs.” to anyone...
Miracles Lead to Worship
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. —Psalm 77:14 The Power of Biblical Miracles Miracles are hard to believe in, and they should be. In Matthew 28 we are told that the apostles met the risen Jesus on a mountainside in...
Becoming Pillars in the Church Through Suffering and Support
Will You Be a Pillar? A week after I preached my Platforms to Pillars sermon in London, I was leaving a speaking event, feeling exhausted after a brutal season of conflict, betrayal, and discouragement. On this trip, I had the privilege of catching up with other...
Freedom from the Pressure to Perform in Ministry
Have You Felt That Insidious Pressure to Perform? A poor man plodded toward home, bent under a heavy sack of potatoes. A wagon drew up beside him. “Climb aboard,” the driver said. The man climbed into the wagon, dragging his burden with him. He sat but continued to...
Are You Listening?
God created humans with one mouth and two ears. You might say it is a visual reminder that listening is more important than talking (although lips are generally easier to notice than ears!). This is an area I need to work on. I have this very annoying habit of...
Embracing ‘God Speed’ in a Fast-Paced World
Back in the 1970s, a Japanese theologian named Kosuke Koyama wrote a book called Three Mile an Hour God. In it, he draws out the idea that maybe the speed at which God moves is the speed at which he designed us to move. You see, a human being walks at three miles an...
Creative Destruction: A Path to Church Renewal
Creative destruction is an act of dying so something new might emerge (Joshua Hayden, Creative Destruction: Towards a Theology of Institutions, 6). But how do we know what needs to die? Understanding Creative Destruction in the Life of the Church Central to our faith...
When Work Disappoints: Finding Biblical Wisdom in Setbacks
Disappointment at work is an everyday experience for most of us. It happens when work fails to live up to our hopes or expectations. We don’t finish everything on our to-do list. Only one person attends the online event we planned. Customers prefer our competitor’s...
Understanding the Parable of the Two Lost Sons
Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering round to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners, and eats with them.” Then Jesus told them this parable. —Luke 15:1–3 The Elder Brother and the Two Lost Sons...
Understanding the Gospel Mom: A Calling Rooted in Christ
Over the last decade, the two of us (Emily and Laura) have embarked on our own journeys to understand what a good mom really is. If you’re familiar with our ministry, Risen Motherhood, then you might know that as sisters-in-law and friends, we talked regularly in the...
What the Early Church Knew About Biblical Family
The Early Church’s View of Biblical Family When I was a kid growing up down South, my mom always referred to her in-laws as “Mr. and Mrs. Hubbard.” My parents both grew up in the small town of Talladega, Alabama, where every adult was a “Mr.” or “Mrs.” to anyone...
Miracles Lead to Worship
You are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. —Psalm 77:14 The Power of Biblical Miracles Miracles are hard to believe in, and they should be. In Matthew 28 we are told that the apostles met the risen Jesus on a mountainside in...
Helping Your Small Group Thrive
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