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Evidences of a Church that Values Women’s Ministry
Churches that value women's ministry accommodate women needing childcare for participation and working women needing community within their limited schedules.
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Sleeping in the Storm
I toss and turn as the minutes turn to hours. Sleep seems far away. Have you been there? I’ve struggled with sleep as far back as I can remember. Even with pillows and blankets on a fairly comfortable bed, rest feels so elusive some nights. I find it striking that Jesus could sleep on boat tossed by a violent storm. It’s almost as if you can see storm clouds on the distant horizon as Jesus steps into a boat in Matthew 8. Two men approach him, applying for discipleship, and ask to follow him. Jesus tells them they must leave personal comfort and family obligation behind. Following him requires…
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The Hope in Our Scars, part 2
This week we continue a two-part series talking with Aimee Byrd about her new book, The Hope in Our Scars: Finding the Bride of Christ in the Underground of Disillusionment. Got some church hurt? Or friends with church wounds. Aimee’s work is for you…. SG: What do you want to see as the outcome of your work? Jesus gives us a powerful metaphor in his warning, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you don’t go in, and you don’t allow those entering to go in” (Matt. 23:13). This sticks with me. I want to be a…
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Finding Rest After Intense Ministry
I just completed four weeks of back-to-back events where I taught, trained, and cared for both incoming and seasoned global workers. It required long days and focused attention. My team and I faced many challenges both logistically and relationally. I needed the Lord’s strength to listen, listen again, and offer words of comfort and help. It was intense, it was good, it was right, and I am understandably tired. I can relate to Jesus’s disciples. After following in Jesus’s footsteps for a year, he sent them two by two out into the towns in Galilee to minster (Mk 6:6–13; Mt 10:1–11:1; Lk 9:1–6). Scripture doesn’t say how long this missionary…
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4 Excellent Books About Female Ministry Leaders in the Bible
Historian Beth Allison Barr posted a Facebook picture of her favorite coffee mug. The slogan on it says, “Write Women Back into History.” In this post, I’m sharing four recommendations of excellent books illuminating female ministry leaders and their significance in the mission of God. Each of these books is available in either print version or on Kindle, and they make great gifts (especially for pastor appreciation day)! Order one today and join me in the initiative to “Write Female Ministry Leaders Back into History.”
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Suicide Has Hit Our Family
Last week our beloved 44-year-old son Curt took his life. He had struggled with severe suicidal depression for 26 years, hating almost every day of his adult life and wanting God to take him home to join his sister Rebecca. His depression and anxiety crippled him to the point of moving back in with my husband and me in 2008. He often shared with us his anguish at life in a fallen world, living in a broken body. Curt eventually lost most of his hearing as the result of serving on the flight line in the Air Force, but when he was honorably discharged he was told it wasn’t bad…
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The Hope in Our Scars, Part 1
Today I’m introducing a two-part interview with author Aimee Byrd about her most recent book—The Hope in Our Scars. Got scars? Read on…. SG: Can you give us your elevator-pitch summary of the topic of The Hope in Our Scars? The church is full disillusioned disciples. We have missed something big in our quest to be right—the heart of the matter. In The Hope in Our Scars, I share my own disillusionment with the church, as well as the stories of others, discovering that hope is not sentimental. It bears scars. But the wonder of it all is that Christ is preparing his bride/church for Love. We need to face our…
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The Upward Call of God
“Not that I have already obtained this—that is, I have not already been perfected—but I strive to lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus also laid hold of me. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have attained this. Instead I am single-minded: Forgetting the things that are behind and reaching out for the things that are ahead, with this goal in mind, I strive toward the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14). I started the year 2024 with new goals and plans. That was six months ago. The thing is, I also began the year bringing along everything from the…
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Responding to the Lack of Statesmen
Fourth of July commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The men who led the independence of the United States were men of courage and valor. They knew that separation from Great Britain would be for the good of the country. Lately, I have been contemplating the type of men who founded our country and those that lead our country now. The term statesman comes to my mind. I researched statesman and found some interesting things. A definition is a good place to start. A statesman is: a respected, skilled and experienced political leader or figure. In most respects a statesman is the opposite of a politician. Politicians are thought…
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Fear of Consequences Can Motivate Obedience
How do you respond to a command for obedience? What motivates you to obey? Your gut reaction to the word “obedience” is reflected in your attitude toward authority and in the resulting behavior. And this inner reaction certainly affects your relationship with God. Do you trust Him enough to obey His commands, even those that make you personally uncomfortable? “Obedient trust”1 is a huge part of living out our lives as Christians in today’s world. Knowing that our God is completely trustworthy and realistically fearing the consequences of going against Him can motivate you to obedience. Or you can give lip service claiming you are a Christian and then choose…