I love the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I realize that we live in an age where fewer are making that statement. However, I love the church. I am painfully aware that those who don’t love the church, who wish the church would disappear forever, feel that way in...
Do Christians Really Need to Attend Church?
It’s one of the most common statements you’ll hear regarding church attendance: “I don’t need church to have a relationship with God.” What’s at the heart of this contentious remark? While one can certainly “have a relationship” of some kind with God without attending...
Discipline, Discipline, Discipline
A 2007 study showed that 88 percent of people who set New Year’s resolutions failed, although 52 percent of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.1 If you are tired of trying to renew your mind and get closer to God only to fail in the...
Abiding Dependence: The Central Work of Jesus
The central work of Jesus as He lived His daily life was to rest in and to stay with the Father. Jesus held to an attitude of reliance, of abiding, the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father; He breathed, lived, spoke, and moved as one with His Father. Jesus had...
Bad Motives for Productivity
I love motivational posters. You know the ones; there’s a photograph of a mountain or an eagle above a single word like “Teamwork” or “Discipline.” I find these posters humorous because they’re usually found in spaces that are completely incongruous with the scenes...
When God’s Plan Doesn’t Make Sense
It’s almost anniversary time again. I call it the death-i-versary. The date on the calendar prompts me to take notice of the reality of the fatal crash. A reminder of the motorcycle accident that ushered my husband of 28 years into heaven. Saying goodbye to a loved...
Why Women Matter in Ministry
Women have held some of the most important roles in the story of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, there are countless examples of the impact of women in Biblical history. One of the best-known biblical stories about women features Mary and Martha, who were...
Subversive Mission
Didn’t Jesus call us to go out into all the world to make disciples and build his upside-down kingdom? Didn’t God call us to bring good news to the poor, freedom for those in captivity, and comfort to those who mourn? In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul describes five...
Having the Mind of Christ
We're all wearing paradigm glasses of one kind or another. We all see the world not as it is, but from our own perspective. We are finite, embodied beings with specific histories, relationships, knowledge, and social locations. None of us see the world objectively...
Revival
Who is limiting the opportunities for revival in our area—God or us? We must think it is not us. Why else would we be praying to God for revival and then be waiting for God to act? Of course, there is no revival unless and until there is an outpouring of the Holy...
Being and Becoming
I love the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. I realize that we live in an age where fewer are making that statement. However, I love the church. I am painfully aware that those who don’t love the church, who wish the church would disappear forever, feel that way in...
Do Christians Really Need to Attend Church?
It’s one of the most common statements you’ll hear regarding church attendance: “I don’t need church to have a relationship with God.” What’s at the heart of this contentious remark? While one can certainly “have a relationship” of some kind with God without attending...
Discipline, Discipline, Discipline
A 2007 study showed that 88 percent of people who set New Year’s resolutions failed, although 52 percent of the study’s participants were confident of success at the beginning.1 If you are tired of trying to renew your mind and get closer to God only to fail in the...
Abiding Dependence: The Central Work of Jesus
The central work of Jesus as He lived His daily life was to rest in and to stay with the Father. Jesus held to an attitude of reliance, of abiding, the Father in the Son and the Son in the Father; He breathed, lived, spoke, and moved as one with His Father. Jesus had...
Bad Motives for Productivity
I love motivational posters. You know the ones; there’s a photograph of a mountain or an eagle above a single word like “Teamwork” or “Discipline.” I find these posters humorous because they’re usually found in spaces that are completely incongruous with the scenes...
When God’s Plan Doesn’t Make Sense
It’s almost anniversary time again. I call it the death-i-versary. The date on the calendar prompts me to take notice of the reality of the fatal crash. A reminder of the motorcycle accident that ushered my husband of 28 years into heaven. Saying goodbye to a loved...
Why Women Matter in Ministry
Women have held some of the most important roles in the story of Scripture. From Genesis to Revelation, there are countless examples of the impact of women in Biblical history. One of the best-known biblical stories about women features Mary and Martha, who were...
Subversive Mission
Didn’t Jesus call us to go out into all the world to make disciples and build his upside-down kingdom? Didn’t God call us to bring good news to the poor, freedom for those in captivity, and comfort to those who mourn? In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul describes five...
Having the Mind of Christ
We're all wearing paradigm glasses of one kind or another. We all see the world not as it is, but from our own perspective. We are finite, embodied beings with specific histories, relationships, knowledge, and social locations. None of us see the world objectively...
Revival
Who is limiting the opportunities for revival in our area—God or us? We must think it is not us. Why else would we be praying to God for revival and then be waiting for God to act? Of course, there is no revival unless and until there is an outpouring of the Holy...
Helping Your Small Group Thrive
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