But as we wait for Christ’s return, we are to “dress ready for service” and have our “lamps burning,” sharing the gospel of salvation by grace with the lost; instilling hope to the desperate; comforting the broken in spirit; advocating for those who cannot defend themselves; standing by the side of the vulnerable; denying ourselves and taking up our cross every day; imparting grace on our brothers and sisters; worshipping God with joy, gratitude and a humble and fervent heart; clothed in the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-16). This is the meaning of being ready.
I Am the One Whom Jesus Loves
The starting place for every good and faithful interpretation of Scripture must be the conviction that God is good. And if there is anything about how I am reading a particular text that makes it sound like that isn’t true – well, then I can be certain that I do not understand that passage yet.
Letting Go: Embracing New Beginnings in 2025
This year, as we embark on new endeavors and seek to build and foster relationships that align more closely with our purpose, let us remember that God is ever-present, guiding us through each change and loss. In moments of despair, we should recognize these opportunities for growth and be willing to step into the newness of life God offers us.
Be the Last to Speak
Ministers may think that they want honest input or feedback, but their actions speak otherwise. When a leader asks for input but then immediately shares their own opinion before receiving feedback, it can create several potential dynamics—sometimes positive, but mostly negative if it happens too often.
Good News and Why It Matters for Leadership
The arriving and present Jesus is the good news of God. That is why Paul will claim that it is the very power of God to save and deliver people (Rom 1:16). I will say more about good news as it is offered in Acts on another occasion. However, for the moment here, I want to make some clear and important claims about the good news that inform the life of the church and the practice of ministerial leadership.
News Anchor Face
No matter what communication skill I’m helping people with, I always teach people the pleasantly interested news anchor face. It’s the smallest investment with the biggest return. If you just think about what you want the other person to know, make sure your face matches that truth. You won’t look like a big clown, or Pollyanna, or anything other than that you are listening.
What is Intergenerational Ministry?
Intergenerational moments go beyond this mere sharing of the same physical space. These experiences occur when the pews turn into circles, allowing different generations to engage deeply with each other in meaningful ways. Instead of simply co-existing in location, there are opportunities for real connection, conversation, and contribution from every age group.
Calling all Creatives: The Power of Resonance
Our callings are unique because God has made each of us uniquely. Fearfully and wonderfully made can extend to the very things that we bring into the world for God’s pleasure.
Anchored
When we forget this truth, we begin the process that can topple the next domino in the row, so to speak. Through all the uncertainties and disappointments of life, we must remember that Jesus will not be removed from that throne.
Building Bridges with Our Communities: Summer Bridge Events
Although these are only a few summer community-building ideas, the possibilities are unlimited. As you are thinking and praying about what you might want to plan, listen to the needs of the community, then brainstorm about how you might be able to meet those needs.
I Knew Better
When I felt the nudge to check in earlier, all I wanted to do was see how they were doing. I didn’t have a list of action items or suggestions for the girls. I just wanted this mom to know that I cared, but my silence communicated just the opposite. The silent treatment is always the worst communication plan.
It is a Matter of the Heart, Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23
Jesus not only explains in the parables of the kingdom the causes of this rejection, but also instills in his disciples hope and optimism. Not all the effort of preaching will be in vain! In the end, there will be a bountiful harvest, the weeds will be burned, the mustard seed will become a huge tree, and the yeast will make the flour grow.
How to Make Something Sacred
Is it possible that I resist treating anything as sacred because to do so would encroach on my freedom, my own self-assertion? I don’t want anything or anyone telling me, “No.” How dare anyone tell me how to sit or dress, or where I can or cannot go?! But it seems to me that the sacred can only exist where there is a boundary. Where something is off-limits. Where guardrails are in place that prevent us from desecrating the holy.
Redemptive Relational Practice in the Church
Part of the responsibility we have as God’s co-creators is that we help our flock create the kinds of connection that God desires to have with them by modeling it for each other. If we truly believe that God’s best for us is to be fully in His presence in right relationship with Him, then we must take seriously the responsibility to unleash that presence on earth as it is in heaven through our roles as royal priests who make God known, especially to the neighbor you turn to greet.
Becoming a Place of Beatitude
I can honestly say that I am very blessed right now, even in the midst of all the grief. Why am I blessed, despite my mourning? It’s because I am being comforted in my mourning by fellow believers. Would I call myself “fortunate,” at least in the ways the world outside uses the term? Probably not. But I am most certainly blessed, in that good biblical sense of “the state in which everyone has exactly what they need right now, thanks to God’s good work in their lives”
Humility in Leadership
Once you understand that your identity is grounded in God’s love, you are free to take risks, to grow and learn from your mistakes, and to try and fail because the outcome will not affect your identity in Him.
The Parable of the Rich Fool, Luke 12:13-21
Living for the kingdom of God is the antithesis of living selfishly. It means being rich “toward God,” that is, investing in the kingdom of God, “enjoying this world, as though we had no enjoyment, for the form of this world is passing away’.
The Fullest Possible Joy
The road to the fullest possible joy is a path of obedience containing opportunities to follow that are contrary to human nature and turns opposite of which people often imagine themselves taking.
Building Bridges with Our Communities: Spring Bridge Events
As you are planning events for the spring, general seasonal-themed events or ones focusing on local interests or holidays are good to consider. Bridge events create community on multiple levels: within our own churches by giving an opportunity for new members to get to know people as well as building bridges between our congregation and the community.
Finding God in Unexpected Places: A Healthcare Chaplain’s Reflection
In the hustle of hospital corridors, amidst the beeping of monitors and the steady flow of patients and staff, chaplains often encounter God in ways that defy conventional expectations. As microcosms of human diversity, hospitals present unique opportunities to witness God. Here, individuals face their most vulnerable selves, whether due to illness, loss, or fear. In these moments, God is encountered in profound, unfiltered ways. It is not always within the walls of a church or in the company of believers that we most powerfully experience the divine. Instead, God’s presence often reveals itself in the faces and lives of those we least expect—those who may never speak the language of faith yet embody the very heart of divine compassion. These encounters reveal that the image of God—the imago Dei—dwells in everyone (Genesis 1:26-27).