Guest (Page 30)
Counting the Costs of Fostering or Adopting
Volunteering as a foster parent is a wonderful and strategic ministry of love. As Jason Johnson writes, “Will it be hard? Yes. But will it be worth it? There is absolutely no doubt.” Read more…
Parenthood: Remembering what you signed up for
“From the moment we arrived at our friends’ place, the children were off, gone, playing hard in various rooms around the house while us adults sat around a peaceful dinner table and talked. The children paused their games for dinner and then again briefly for dessert. At one point we learned that they’d been upstairs playing ‘Family’ and this involved removing stacks of folded clothes from closet shelves so that each child had a shelf to sleep on. I cringed,…
The “Plus One” Approach to Church
“Are you just starting out at a new church and don’t know how to get plugged in? Have you been at your church for years and still haven’t found your place? Are you feeling disconnected, unhappy, or bored with your local congregation? Let me suggest you enter the “Plus One” program of church involvement.” Click for more…
Beware the Black Hole of Time
Since all of us have a role to play in what has been called the “Ministry of the Pew” – welcoming those who visit – this short article by Austin Brown provides us with some welcome advice in how to welcome well.
Enjoy your prayer life
Can you enjoy prayer, rather than just feeling guilty about a lack of prayer? Michael Reeves shares how (link).
Work that makes a Difference
How can I find satisfaction in my work, when so often it seems tedious or tiresome? Tim Challies points us to ‘Work that makes a difference’.
Engaging our Emotions – Engaging with God
Have you ever thought about how our emotions fit in the Christian life? Here’s an excerpt: Emotions are tricky. Everyone has them. Everyone struggles with them. Many struggle with how they feel more than anything else in their lives. Then there is the sea of other people’s emotions in which all of us swim. I suspect most of us consider emotions to be more of a liability than an asset. What does the Bible have to say about emotions? Continue…
A Plea for Poets, Plumbers, Philosophers, and Physicians
Over a lunch of Lebanese shish and tabbouleh, I had a conversation with a young man training at a well-known and respected university to be a medical doctor. During that discussion he mentioned that he hoped he could train at a school that viewed patients as more than research subjects. He longed for his university to understand the biblical view of man. His desire is to serve in his chosen field as a servant of God working from a biblical worldview.…
Living to God’s Glory
If the law of God can be summarized in a positive command, then we consider how to “run to” God rather than merely how to “run from” sin. Life is not primarily about what we avoid, but what we pursue. As you read through and answer these nine questions, remember God’s patience and timing. There will be some aspects of God’s design that you can engage in immediately. But there will also be ways you want to serve God that will…
I’m Better Than You
by Tim Challies I’m kind of a jerk. For as long as I’ve been able to think about myself, my heart, my life, I’ve known that I’m a sinful person. I’ve never doubted the reality of my depravity. And if there ever had been any doubt, being married and having children and immersing myself in a local church has provided all the proof I, and they, need. But lately I’ve been considering one simple and disturbing aspect of this sin: I’m better…