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Meekness—It Is More Than You Think
Ever since our church small group discussed meekness last week, I’ve been thinking about it—trying to make sense of it. It seems simple enough until you really pause and consider Jesus’ words. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Meekness isn’t something we talk much about. It’s often seen as being weak, timid, or passive—hardly qualities we want to possess. But take a second look, and you quickly discover meekness is much more. The biblical view of meekness is strength under control. It’s the middle ground; the place where we struggle to live. Most of us choose to either keep the peace at all costs.…
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The Tapeworm Gallery: Ten Effective Ways to Help Heathens Love Jesus
Between smart phone Bibles and Hollywood churning out a new R-rated movie every seventeen seconds, the world is spiraling downward too fast. Christian living is losing ground in America, as more millennials leave the church. Before you know it, Christian and Grace will be praying standing upright. Can you stop it? No. But you can slow down the process. Here are ten things you can do to make people want to come to church, and help bring the lost to Jesus. I know you have tried most of these already. Keep plugging away. Don’t give up. 1. Memorize Leviticus. 2. Lose the contact information for any socially inept visitor to your…
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The Tapeworm Gallery: Hide and Don’t Seek
So Pastor Mike asked you to oversee Women's Ministry… Call 911. I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe… Interesting that you accepted…But I guess after Liz moved back to Virginia, someone had to step up in your small church. Did you notice Crabatha's look when you made the announcement at dinner last night? Or maybe she just had indigestion from her under-ripe, out-of-season Watermelon Onion Salad. But hey…you surpass most women in piety and holiness. Or at least your generous publicized donations to the crisis pregnancy center, and fluency in Christianese make others think so. I don't know why you bother going…
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The Tapeworm Gallery: Wounds from a Friend
Bible.org's Women's Leadership Team welcomes Salma Gundi as a regular Engage blogger with part 2 of a series begun when Sandra Glahn published part 1 of Salma's essay as a guest blogger here: The Tapeworm Gallery: Dense Fog Advisory. OK, I stepped out of line. Never meant to offend you. The Boss-Dragon spat fire upon me for picking on Bible-Belters. (The breath on that creature—reminds me of weeks-old curry in a baby's diaper.) I get you. You came from a good Christian home. Your daddy even served as deacon. Women at church respect you. You inhabit the epicenter of goodness. And that's all that matters. I get desperate. You don't exactly give me…
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The Tapeworm Gallery: Dense Fog Advisory
Today we have a guest post from Salma Gundi, a seminary student. In the spirit of Screwtape, she imagines what Tapeworm might say to a woman in Christian leadership in the Bible belt. Just remember: "One little word shall fell him." You don't know me. But I know you. The Boss assigned me to your zone before your birth. And I've contemplated you ever since. I came to exist prior to the garden—even prior to the universe. I've covered countless territories over millions of years. But the Bible Belt? Daunting. Could my kind survive here? Although you outnumber me, my kind lurks everywhere you turn. I can't reproduce like you.…
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Before we throw stones at the Duggars…and some advice from a CPS pro
It’s been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week for the Duggars and their 19 Kids and Counting reality TV show. A few days ago a celebrity gossip tabloid reported that twelve years ago Josh, the oldest child, fondled five young girls, several of them his sisters. He was fourteen at the time. The tabloid took the police report public and the web has exploded with condemnation. Parents Jim Bob and Michelle have been publicly shamed for calling it a “very bad mistake” and covering it up. Last night CNN’s Don Lemon and his guests slammed them for dealing with Josh through a religious lens of sin and…
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The Third Opportunity
The Third Commandment states that we are not to use the name of the Lord in vain (Exodus 20:7). To use the Lord’s name in vain is to use it flippantly (i.e., to take it lightly without thinking), profanely (i.e., to treat God whose name is holy with irreverence), or deceitfully (i.e., to be dishonest in invoking the name of God).
