It was our first cell group meeting. There was Victoria, a committed student leader in her second year of university; Paula, a new person in her first year of study; and me, the missionary who had arrived to accompany and train leaders. The other people who were invited didn’t come.
Even though our first pregnancy had successfully produced a healthy baby boy, we unexplainably couldn’t carry a pregnancy to term anymore.
"Do we have to forgive people who aren't sorry?" How would you respond? Our instinct can be to rush in with some kind of ‘yes/no’ answer. What we may fail to do is consider whether or not answering the question as asked is the most helpful response.
The traditional Christian view of the Bible is that it is God’s word. Some churches recognize this by finishing each Bible reading with “This is the word of the Lord”. What does it mean for how we read the Bible?
Yes, I’ve watched The Lego Movie... Its famous song touches on something that we know intuitively to be true: working together, being part of a team, having someone to rely on and trust, is a good thing.
This isn’t what everyone is talking about, and I’m a little late to the read myself, but this is an essential article for discussion amongst ministry or eldership teams. Pastors, find someone to talk it over with, please: The pattern among fallen pastors by Garrett Kell.
What we believe deep down always bubbles to the surface, whether in an idle word or in the way we behave. In particular, what we believe theologically will inevitably be expressed not only through what we say but in how we do things. And when we behave inconsistently with our stated convictions, it reveals the struggle that goes on within all of us below the surface—the struggle to believe the truth.
Charleston, forgiveness and safety, the idolatry of guns, making disciples, serving in your local church without going under, the conversion of the wallet, the Proverbs 31 man, how the church can help gay young people, how to be a welcoming and biblical church, and the GoThereFor 2.0 launch.
The right books can remind us of who God is and what he has done, and keep our eyes on the eternal prize that has been laid up for us.
Marriage is a gift from God. It is a blessing. But it is also a tool God uses for our sanctification. As it is with the most valuable diamonds, strong and joyful marriages take time and are often forged through great pressure.