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"It is possible to be a Christian without showing the mark, but if we expect non-Christians to know that we are Christians, we must show the mark." Christians have not always presented an inviting picture to the world. Too often we have failed to show the beauty of authentic Christian love. And the world has disregarded Christianity as a result. In our era of global violence and sectarian intolerance, ...
Always be prepared to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence. (1 Peter 3:15-16) We've all felt the tension. An opportunity to speak for Christ comes up, and either we jump in with both barrels blasting or we cower in the corner and say nothing. Is there a better way? Can we learn to speak boldly, yet humbly, ...
Being a Christian lawyer is possible, but not easy. Law professor Michael Schutt believes that although there are significant obstacles, Christians belong in the legal profession and should regard it as a sacred calling. The Christian God is, after all, a God concerned with justice, both divine and human. However, the pathway beginning with law school and leading to the daily demands of practice ...
The mission of God has a church. So the church needs to be in sync with the mission of God. This is the guiding philosophy of the Forge Missions Training Network, which has helped church leaders and laypeople alike all over the world to reach their neighbors, their neighborhoods and their communities with the gospel. In these guides you and your friends will be equipped to be missionaries where ...
I remember one of the first times our younger daughter Amber vented her anger at me for something I did. In reality, it was something I didn't do that made her mad. She had asked me to help her with a paper she was writing for a middle school class. The paper required a lot of research, and Amber didn't know how to go about doing the research. "There's nothing to it," I assured her flippantly. ...
Is your small group boring? (It's okay to be honest.) Do you sometimes have to force yourself to attend the meetings (even the meetings you lead!)? Do you wonder if small groups are doing anything for your spiritual growth? Kim Engelmann, a pastor and small group leader, describes how she felt about one small group she attended: "It is Thursday evening--small group night. I . . . hesitate before ...
What's at stake in our worship? Everything. Worship is the dangerous act of waking up to God and God's purposes in the world. But something has gone wrong with our worship. Too often worship has become a place of safety and complacency, a narrowly private experience in which solitary individuals only express their personal adoration. Even when we gather corporately, we often close our eyes to those ...
"Emergency operator. May I help you?" "Yes, my name is Alex Gee, my wife is nineteen weeks pregnant and I think her water just broke! This is her second pregnancy, and . . . we lost our first baby just like this . . ." "Sir? Hello? Sir? Try to stay calm. Who is your wife's OB/GYN?" "It's Dr. Koller! Uh . . . My wife is losing more fluid . . . Hurry!" Oh God, this isn't happening again. I ...
When you are responsible for another person's physical needs, your own needs are often neglected. After caring for her spouse, who for ten years suffered from a rare, debilitating disease, Kay Marshall Strom is able to bring a voice of experience and compassion to this important topic. She shows you how to
Rob Parsons' message is for anyone who cares about prodigals. He urges us to be released from false guilt, to stop judging each other, and to remember that God, the perfect parent, has trouble with his children, too. He challenges the church to recognize the part it has played in creating prodigals and says, when our prodigals do come home, pray that they meet the father first and not the elder ...