July 1, 2023
One Expression at a Time
How We, Like Jesus, Can Meet People at Their Point of Deepest Need
Articles for tag: Mother Teresa
January 3, 2023
‘Living to Serve Another Day’ . . . After a Near-Death Experience with My ‘Gravity Group’
"I know that my last day could be any day," Alan Ahlgrim writes. He and four close ministry friends nearly skidded off the side of a mountain road in Colorado not long ago. "By God’s grace, we are living to serve another day."
March 1, 2022
Authentic Leadership
By Michael C. Mack What is authentic Christian leadership? It may be best to begin with how it’s different from secular leadership. Authentic Christian leadership is a lifelong process. I’ve seen secular self-help books and blogs that provide simple steps to leadership, but becoming a leader after God’s own heart takes constant, everyday, deep-rooted transformation of the mind and heart as led by the Holy Spirit. Christian leadership happens first in loving, abiding communion with God, and second, in the environment of loving community with others. It’s rare to hear secular leadership described using the word love, but Christian leadership
November 15, 2019
Start Some New Traditions This Holiday Season!
By Michael C. Mack I love our family traditions during the holiday season: taking a drive to see the lights, decorating the house together, going to local events, and, of course, attending church services together. Over the years, our family has worked to make our traditions much more fun, fulfilling, and mission-focused through the power of invitation. One Thanksgiving almost 25 years ago, Heidi and I got to know a young man named Mark who lived at a homeless shelter. I invited him to some of our family and church events during the holidays, and he enjoyed getting out of
May 21, 2014
The Eternal Impact of a Small Group Leader
By Michael C. Mack This is the time of year many small groups and group leaders make some vital decisions about their futures. Will we take a break over the summer? Will we continue meeting after this month or are we done as a group? Is it time to change our focus as a group? Over the next two months, I want to encourage you as a leader and as a group. It”s easy to lose sight of what God is doing in and through you, and what plans he has for your future. I thank God for Marcus and
August 18, 2010
Lookin” for Squirrels
By George Ross I”m sitting in a motel a long ways from home with a laptop and a deadline. (I”m on a staff recruiting trip interviewing two guys for two key positions for our ministry leadership team.) I”m wondering if I should acknowledge in this article what I”m struggling with. So here I sit in the motel facing a big mirror on the wall as I look beyond my computer. I”m OK with the deadline and the risk factor, just not the mirror! A visual of myself at 6:30 am brings no inspiration! A Specific Sign In recruiting for a
June 29, 2008
Small Things
By Joy Canning “Mom, what”s a bum?” asked my daughters, beginning one of those ill-timed but precious bedtime conversations. Apparently their music teacher warned them to pay attention in school or they would surely end up “bums” collecting cans from the garbage. We discussed what he might have meant by “bum,” and then it happened. In one of my most cherished moments as a parent, both girls decided the people they see collecting cans from the garbage are too hardworking to deserve the label of “bum.” I live for those moments””moments when the beauty of my daughters” hearts shapes their
December 23, 2007
“˜Carols” for any Season of Suffering
By Matt Proctor Max Lucado tells of Mrs. Smith, an elderly widow who loved her parakeet Chippy. His songs brightened her lonely days. One day while vacuuming, Mrs. Smith noticed Chippy”s cage was dirty. Opening the little door, she inserted her vacuum hose . . . when the phone rang. As she turned to pick up the phone, the hose shifted slightly and””slurp!””sucked poor Chippy down into the sweeper”s bowels. Horrified, Mrs. Smith dropped the phone, tore open the sweeper bag, and dug through the dirt until she found the now-brown little feathered lump. Chippy wasn”t breathing, so she did
