What’s your response when someone’s concerning behavior becomes known? How does your church or church leadership respond? Consider the following scenarios that churches may encounter in their congregation. A church board member laughs about trying marijuana gummies on the golf course with his friends on their annual golf trip to San Diego. A youth worker confesses they needed a designated … Read More
Do You Care? Challenging Churches to Embrace This Moment
“I don’t even know what to do anymore,” he secretly wished that the heart attack that killed his good friend had happened to him instead. Financial stressors, church hurt, and more house projects than he knew what to do with had led to a perpetual dread of waking up each morning. He finished with “My marriage sucks! My wife left me in … Read More
How to Help Teens in Trouble
Teens are heading back to school soon, with some adults feeling that the greatest danger facing our teens is the rising COVID variant. However, long before COVID, many teens were already facing serious troubles.
Simply reading the headlines describing one crisis after another, you can see that we are facing multiple challenges in reaching the hearts of the younger generations. In one sense, teens are going through something new in facing a pandemic.
Like past generations dealt with WWII, the Sixties, or the HIV Crisis, today’s teens are dealing with all kinds of trouble, but often feel helpless and don’t know what to do about it.
Listening in a Loving Way (Part 2)
At one time or another, you’ve probably heard someone say in a dismissive tone: “I’m just not a good listener!” Whether we get distracted by what we are going to say next, are easily offended by unfair criticism, or feel overwhelmed by needing to find the right words to reply, quality listening is complicated. Add to that the fact that … Read More
Listening in a Loving Way (Part 1)
If you look around in our culture today, we are consumed with arguments and divisions. Whether it be COVID, #churchtoo, BLM, doctrinal differences, CRT, or a whole other variety of hot topics, we are arguing with one another at an ever-progressing pace. Some families and churches are also consumed with divisive spirit. You may feel overwhelmed when thinking about what can change … Read More
5 Benefits of Training Your Leaders in Care and Counseling
As many churches wrestled with the post-pandemic restart of their church, many looked forward with anticipation of the ministry opportunities ahead. We experienced a resurgence of churches interested in pivoting from an emphasis on the platform-based ministry to a more balanced approach that preaches the word publicly AND shepherds the word personally. Someone asked me the other day if the past … Read More
The Value of Age and Experience: Embracing the Gift of Gray Hair
I remember hearing my grandparents talk about the “Great Depression” and how their family survived through the fear of hunger, sickness, and homelessness. This hardship shaped a generation in similar ways that other traumatic events like World War 2, Vietnam, and 9/11 have. Perhaps the pandemic of 2020 will shape this generation as well. In Proverbs, Solomon speaks with experience about … Read More
Pursuing Peace in My Emotions
Our emotions are a gift from God, to help us experience life more fully. Every emotion is good, and we are to experience them all, at the right time, in the right way. So how can we discover the peace of God and how the God of Peace helps us shape healthy expressions of emotions that honor God, bless others, and benefit ourselves? If we are going to experience peace within and around us, then we have to become skilled at identifying, expressing, and managing our emotions.
Pursuing Peace in a World Gone Mad
Peace doesn’t really seem to describe the experience of many in recent weeks, months, or years. In our pursuit of peace, we must realize that it is more than a feeling of calm or tranquility; peace is more than good luck or feeling blessed. Peace is also more than avoiding conflict or war. The Word of God gives us an understanding of the importance of peace and the pathway to obtain it.
