January 17, 2010
The Lost Art of Encouragement
Terrie Todd reflects on encouragement cards collected over years of ministry and invites Christians to recover the powerful, lasting practice of writing notes that grant courage.
Articles for tag: Love
Choosing My Focus, Protecting My Ministry
Ministry burnout reveals the need for spiritual health among church leaders. Anne Jackson’s counsel reminds servants of the church to keep God—not work, calling, or success—at the center.
How to Listen to a Sermon
By Brian Mavis SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH EVERYONE IN YOUR CHURCH. (DETAILS BELOW.) Â Â Â One hundred times more people will hear a sermon this week than preach one. So why are there thousands of articles, books, and classes on how to preach a message, but virtually none on how to listen to one? It”s because most people think listening just comes naturally. But that”s not what Jesus thought. Jesus said to “consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18). The state and fate of your life depends on how you listen. Teachers are responsible for teaching well, but you
Our Money Can Point People to Jesus
Mark A. Taylor reflects on Waterfront Community Church’s radical generosity and challenges congregations to use money as a visible witness to Jesus during difficult economic times.
January 25, 2009
Stop! in the Name of Love!
Patti Cappa urges ministry leaders to stop working so hard that they neglect family, rest, and love, reminding readers that service must flow from loving God first.
September 24, 2008
A Simple Survey by, for, and About Elders
Mark A. Taylor invites readers to complete a survey about elders in their congregations ahead of his workshop at the Indianapolis Congress of Elders.
September 14, 2008
FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Five by Oliver Sacks, MD
LeRoy Lawson reflects on Oliver Sacks’s books, especially Musicophilia, and considers how music, the brain, suffering, communication, and worship intersect in deeply human ways.
August 6, 2008
Simply Challenging
Mark A. Taylor reflects on a gift-shop slogan, the cost of “living simply,” and the biblical call to stewardship, contentment, and freedom from the love of money.
May 11, 2008
CHURCHES WITHOUT STEEPLES: Church! Blur the Lines
Brad Canning shares how Church! Of Park Slope used Postmark Café and practical service to blur the lines between church and community in Brooklyn.
Turn Up the Quiet (How I Learned to Enjoy Solitude)
Jan Johnson reflects on solitude as a spiritual discipline—found on canyon walks and retreat days—where inner “committee” voices are quieted, God is heard, busyness loosens its grip, and we learn to be better with others.
December 23, 2007
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens and John the Prophet
By Robert Lowery What in the world does Charles Dickens, the 19th-century British author, have to do with the first-century prophet John? I made a connection just the other night after reading Dickens”s short story, A Christmas Carol. The rereading of this classic work intersected with a paper I had graded earlier that evening written by a student in my class on Revelation. The theology of John and Dickens merged late that evening. Most of us are familiar with the characters in the story published in 1843″” Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, and Bob Cratchit and his family, notably Tiny Tim””if
October 28, 2007
Extraordinary Living
A birthday reflection and a memorial service lead Lisa Jernigan to consider what makes a life extraordinary. Through Vera’s example, she points to unconditional love, sacrificial living, and a giving heart shaped by Christ.
September 2, 2007
At the Foot of the Cross
By Lee Magness You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:6-8). There they stood at the foot of the cross, stood not kneeled, priests and scribes, their eyes squinting to slits in the noonday sun, squinting like the sightless pretending to see. They were blinded by years of looking through
June 20, 2007
Are You Wonderful?
Mark A. Taylor reflects on empty praise, biblical heroes, and the quiet faithfulness of ordinary Christians who serve God without needing the spotlight.
October 18, 2006
Line ’Em Up and Lay It on ’Em
A young adult’s comment about wanting the “best speaker” raises a deeper question: have churches reduced Sunday to a sermon-centered product? With voices from theOOZE.com and 1 Corinthians 14:26, this piece calls for greater participation.
August 20, 2006
How Can You Claim That God Is Good and Loving . . . ? (Part 2)
Conversations With Skeptics features Jeff Vines responding to three major questions about evil, suffering, and Hell. Includes download details and a short sample excerpt from the first article.
May 21, 2006
The Mark
Dave Smith reflects on how Christians can be known by the mark of love—formed through surrender, trust, and knowing God, then demonstrated in generosity, unity, and pursuing outsiders with the heart of Jesus.
May 14, 2006
3 WOMEN IN MINISTRY: ‘I’m Glad I’m a Megachurch Pastor’s Wife’
Susan Wilson shares how God called her to ministry too—and how that calling has shaped her life as a megachurch pastor’s wife through rapid growth, new challenges, and the joy of seeing lives changed.
September 7, 2005
Four Years Later
A late visit to Ground Zero makes the facts of 9/11 feel newly heavy—and raises a question: what would it look like if the aftermath became a lasting catalyst for worship, mission, and what endures?
May 29, 2005
A New Book About a Favorite Minister
A review of Love, Laughter and Leadership, the biography of Wayne B. Smith of Southland Christian Church. Highlights his humor, humility, family, friendships, and lasting influence in ministry.
