How to Fan the Flame of God in Your Church

How to Fan the Flame of God in Your Church

At my son’s school the other day, I spotted some artwork that lined his classroom walls. Each child created a flower and wrote five descriptive words about another classmate on each petal. One girl said my son was “handsome, smart, friendly, trustworthy, special.”...
Hearing God’s Voice

Hearing God’s Voice

Hearing the voice of God is vital for our everyday lives. Jesus said in Matthew 4:4, “Man cannot live off of bread alone, but every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” For believers, it should be normal for us to hear from God and experience His presence. This...
Resurrection Day In The Muslim World

Resurrection Day In The Muslim World

  I was a pastor for 20 years before God called me to launch into missions in the volatile Muslim world. It was three months before September 11, 2001, and if I’d known what was coming, I might’ve asked God to send me to South America instead. You can imagine the...
Where’s The Deep End Of Discipleship? 

Where’s The Deep End Of Discipleship? 

“I’m just not being fed.” Every pastoral leader cringes when they hear this from concerned church attenders. What am I doing wrong? What can our ministry do to help? While it’s tempting to double sermon prep time, launch a series of apologetics classes, and recruit...
Traits of a Leader

Traits of a Leader

My husband and I lead a mentorship group for aspiring leaders in our church. We hand picked the leaders and taught them through practical example how to lead their small groups. But one member, at the end of one meeting said, “I don’t think I’m a leader. I always...
Five Tips For Creating A Third Space At Your Church

Five Tips For Creating A Third Space At Your Church

Ray Oldenberg, author of The Great Good Place wrote, “The third place is a generic designation for a great variety of public places that host the regular, voluntary, informal and happily anticipated gatherings of individuals beyond the realms of home and work.” Small...
Bless Those Who Curse You

Bless Those Who Curse You

The knife went in, only a bit deeper this time. Some congregation members had spread gossip about my husband and I, ruining our reputation not only in our community, but with our leadership team as well. People who we thought were friends became our enemies. I felt...
The Case for Lent

The Case for Lent

Aaron Damiani, writing for Pastoresources.com One of the common beliefs among evangelical pastors is that Lent is legalistic. The word “Lent” conjures associations of petty and pointless acts of self-denial, like giving up chocolate or meat while conspicuously wearing...