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To Hold the Ropes
We are about to transition from our busy spring schedules of graduations and end-of-year activities to an equally busy summer season. Mission trips are a big part of church and ministries’ summer schedule. In preparation for that, I suggest we prepare to “hold the ropes” for those who are venturing on mission adventures, church camps or even just helping in VBS. One of Christianity’s most compelling mission stories is of William Carey, called “the father of the modern missionary movement.” In 1792, William Carey, a poor English shoemaker, felt God’s call to take the gospel to the unreached in India. The mission society of his church appointed him to go,…
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Approaching Advent
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Ministry to the Broken-Hearted
There is no opportunity for ministry as powerful and as necessary as ministering to the broken hearted. As Christian leaders, we know this is part of the calling we have in caring for the people with whom God has entrusted us. Yet this kind of ministry may come with considerable personal sacrifice. To weep with those who are mourning and comfort those who are afflicted over a period of time can be spiritually and emotionally exhausting. Frequently those who are the comforters need comforting themselves! Watching the suffering of those we love is not an easy road. Yet I am convinced this is by far one of the most vital…
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Passover for Christians?
“Wait. Why should I care about Passover? I’m a Christian. Isn’t that a Jewish thing?” I have frequently heard this response when sharing about “Passover for Christians”. Yes, Passover is a “Jewish thing”, but its also a “Christian thing”! The two are closely related. Jesus celebrated Passover all of His life, including the night before He was crucified. At that meal (Matthew 26:17-30), Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper” (Communion),which is one of the two ordinances we observe. By understanding the Passover story, our understanding of the Lord’s Supper is greatly enhanced. Exodus 12 recounts the dramatic story of the Israelites and their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. In order…
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The Thanks Giving Key
A few years ago I was invited to go on an overseas mission trip. This journey was to a country on the other side of the world with a foreign culture and language, and would take almost 24 hours to get there. No doubt many of you readers have done the same, and know the planning, anticipation and excitement of such a trip. Still, it’s not unusual to have a little nagging insecurity regarding the unknowns, and that was how I was feeling. I would be traveling alone on a long leg of the trip, navigating an unfamiliar airport with a tight connection and felt a little uneasy about it.…
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The Mix of Truth and Love
“…we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ…” Ephesians 4:14-15. She sighed and said, “So…how do I tell him?” My friend had confided that her husband had been criticized by a church leader, one whom they both respected. He was understandably hurt and defensive, a normal reaction. The conversation turned, however, when she gingerly mentioned there could be some merit in the criticism. Her…
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Insightful Things Ignorant People Said
Insight: to apprehend the true nature of a thing Ignorance: lacking in knowledge or information; unaware Holy Week is just two weeks away and our thoughts are turning toward the passion of Christ. In preparation for that season, I usually read through the gospels, seeking fresh insights and trying to step into the story. There is no missing the drama and high emotion of that week before Jesus’ death and like most believers, it never fails to touch my heart. The gospel writers’ accounts of the last days and hours of Jesus’ life recall the ominous tension that filled Jerusalem that week before Passover. At least three players…
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Passover for Christians?
“Wait. Why should I care about Passover? I’m a Christian. Isn’t that a Jewish thing?” I have frequently heard this response when sharing about “Passover for Christians”. Yes, Passover is a “Jewish thing”, but its also a “Christian thing”! The two are closely related. Jesus celebrated Passover all of His life, including the night before He was crucified. At that meal (Matthew 26:17-30), Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper” (Communion), which is one of the two ordinances we observe. By understanding the Passover story, our understanding of the Lord’s Supper is greatly enhanced. Exodus 12 recounts the dramatic story of the Israelites and their deliverance from Egyptian slavery. In…
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Approaching Advent
This Sunday, November 29 marks the beginning of the 2020 Advent season. Advent is a four-week period of praying, perhaps fasting, reading scripture and anticipating our Lord’s birth on Christmas Day. Similar to Lent, it allows time and a sacred space in a busy season to contemplate the coming of Christ and the miracle of the incarnation. The church has always seen Advent as a period of waiting – an intentional observance that helps us avoid what Stanley Grenz calls our culture’s “drive through Christmas” attitude. We throw ourselves into the frenzy of preparations for Christmas, but often fail miserably in taking time to prepare our hearts for the Lord’s…
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It’s Not Easy, Being Green
A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; but jealousy is like cancer in the bones (Proverbs 14:30, NLT) We can thank William Shakespeare for giving us the term “green eyed monster” when describing the destructiveness of jealousy. In the story of Othello, Shakespeare demonstrates the devastating results of it—and why it truly is a “monster.” As it was in biblical days and Shakespeare’s day, so it is in our day. Jealousy and her offspring (resentment, anger, hatred, deceit, etc.) have been a root cause of sin in the church and in the world, and we would be wise to take a more serious look at it. It is so…
