We know that church leaders need vision to see God’s work, clear eyes to see our ministry contexts, and hope for God’s redeeming work in the world. We know that the future is uncertain, but we also know that God is at work, that the world is not just our enemy, and that we have good grounds for hope!
As I waited for God to speak, I became increasingly disillusioned by His silence. As someone in vocational ministry, I felt inferior to those who heard from God often. I feared the silence because I thought I wasn’t disciplined or important enough to hear Him.
Only God could plant a church like this. And if He could do it then, He can certainly do it now. Listen to God. Talk about Jesus to everyone. Baptize all of them. Plant a church full of people that have only one thing in common: Jesus.
Love is wonderful. But what romance romance culture dresses up as love can be deceiving. As we hold on to the beauty of love, I want to encourage focusing on the posture in how you pursue love.
In their podcast No Really, I’m Fine, board-certified chaplains Aaron Metcalf and Mike Larson talk with healthcare workers in their Portland hospital about the stresses they face and how they cope emotionally with the daily demands of their jobs. The stories told in the episodes are authentic, heart-warming, and sometimes heart-wrenching accounts of real life in the trenches.
“RTS Bereavement Training: Perinatal Death” is a 10-hour online training program that focuses on caring for families experiencing early pregnancy loss, ectopic pregnancy, life-limiting diagnosis, stillbirth and newborn death. Topics include foundational relationship-based concepts and theories, grief and bereavement, communication skills, meaning-making projects, perinatal mental health, self-care and more.
When God connects saints and sinners, it is often the saint he is moving. Philip. Ananias. Peter. Sometimes he connects the seeker. The Ethiopian. Saul. Cornelius. Sometimes the person who at least on the surface has no God-interest.
What can we learn in these chapters? On the one hand, that people today need to hear the simple truth of the gospel. On the other hand, the church of the 21st century must overcome the temptation to preach a message tailored to what the majority wants to hear or to what is “politically correct”—in spite of the consequences.
Read the 11 most-clicked articles from the 2025 publications in Mosaic, the Siburt Institute’s blog on church, culture, ministry, and discipleship.
A family does not need a long history in ministry or missions to raise children who love ministry. Parents can choose to create an environment that encourages their children to become involved in church in a deeper and more active way.
As the self-appointed communication evangelist, my focus is usually on how we talk to each other, especially during conflict. Negative self-talk, is a type of conflict. Never in a million years would we talk to other people like we talk to ourselves. Yet we allow these thoughts to bully us every day.
I thought that, when we talked to God, we were only allowed to give thanks, to worship Him, and to ask for His blessings in various capacities. I still believe that can be true; however, one thing that I never said or did when it came to God—because I thought it was off-limits—was to complain.
Yearning for tranquility is certainly not a new concept. In the last decade, a trend popularized through books and media attention has been passed around about a pursuit of contentment and comfort called hygge. The practice began as an effort to deal with long, gloomy winters. This attempt to foster a sense of snugness and satisfaction is a way of life in Danish culture.
I thought about the wintery seasons of life. Times when things died or went dormant. Yet, those deaths often brought new life and new emotions. I still experienced pain and grief, but I eventually found hope and possibility. Sometimes what looked like a closure in my life actually created a new path.
The real reason we typically don’t acknowledge the Spirit’s presence in our congregations and in our lives is that if we really took that “potter and clay” stuff seriously, we would have to let go of our control. Our fear of letting go is often stronger than our desire for the presence of God’s Spirit in our lives.
Our modern world forces us to do things in a rush. We want faster processors in our computers and smartphones, airplanes that get us to our destinations faster, conversations that get right to the point, fast food, instant coffee, etc. As a consequence, we are increasingly impatient. Nevertheless, rushing into things does not possess any intrinsic quality or virtue. And when it comes to the kingdom of God, rushing can be fatal.
We do not see people as the world does. We do not focus our eyes on race, nationality, or status. We see the people God made. People God loves. People for whom Jesus died.
Jesus was quick to keep questions on the forefront of the disciples’ minds. He allowed questions to create space for people to discover, collaborate, discern and commit themselves more to His Spirit and Truth so that they could know more about themselves and about God.
There is a moment that’s quiet and sacred—when you realize that God is giving you back what you lost. Only this time, it’s deeper. Stronger. Wiser. This is restoration.
Jesus didn’t come to establish a political kingdom, nor did He come to destroy earthly government. He came to redeem hearts, not reform systems.
