The ECN School of Ministry is off and running! We just finished our first cohort and we’re enrolling students for the spring. Find out more at https://t.co/GChtva1OBr!
Our cars have warning lights that tell us our cars need service. While our bodies and minds don't have warning lights, they do have signs that tell us something needs to be taken care of.
Worship is the moment we make sure God is in the center of our universe. He alone has the gravitational pull to hold the aspects of our lives in their proper orbits.
Forgiveness and reconciliation aren't the same thing. Forgiveness is the first step of healing. Reconciliation means the relationship is being restored. In some cases, such as abuse, it would be unwise and unsafe to re-engage the relationship. You can forgive someone without being reconciled to them.
Yes, the church loves people as they come, but that's only half of the mission. The other half of the mission is loving people into who Christ desires them to become.
We were created to be in partnership with God in His redemptive work in the world. This presupposes two things: knowing God and knowing what's He's doing in the world around us. We can't know what we're supposed to do until we understand what God is doing.
Prayer isn’t about getting Jesus to see things our way, but about us hearing again how much He loves us. All the healing, hope, and joy we seek is in that one moment.
Forgive whom you need to forgive. Release what you no longer need to carry. Lay down un-productive burdens. The new year will bring enough new challenges without us bringing left-over bitterness, anger, resentment and grudges into the new year.
When pastors stand up to preach, they are sure the Bible is trustworthy and true. The congregation isn’t so sure. The Bible’s truth claim is just one of many they’ve heard that morning. We no longer preach in a post Christian world. We are preaching in a post-truth world.
If a door is closed, find another door. Climb out a window. Dig a tunnel. Do something. Don’t just keep standing in front of a closed door wondering why nothing is changing.
Most of our New Year’s resolutions will be lost by February. We have to change the way we live – the structures of our days – in order to make our new resolutions a reality.