finding God in the wasteland (Isaiah 35:1)
Joel Horst: I’m thrilled to share a guest post from a friend who works in the foster care system in another state. Having heard story after heartrending story, stories I had never realized were part of everyday life for some kids, I offered to host a guest post if my friend wanted to write one. …
Continue reading What No One Ever Told Me About The Foster System
“Lord, to whom else would we go? You have the words that give eternal life.” (John 6:68) We were halfway through our four-day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. We were long past the beauty of the Potomac River, but too far from civilization or the promise of pizza to quicken our steps. It was …
Continue reading Hearing the Voice of Jesus, by Ryan McKelvey
Some say that God's voice always results on us falling on our faces with the force of His glory; that if we doubt it is His voice, we haven't heard Him. And they have a point--the awesome presence of God is capable of melting us in an instance. I have felt that force. But I …
Our small group sat around the polished wood table, eating Subway sandwiches and kettle-cooked chips off paper plates. Licking up the last crumbs, the little children hopped off their chairs and ran to the kitchen to claim an ice cream cone. While ice cream dripped and children wiggled in their seats, Will turned the conversation …
Formal churches may be dying out, but people want Jesus. They want Him badly. God is still active, and the opportunity to cooperate with Him in the workplace is so strong that my heart twists painfully whenever I hear of yet another denominationally-centered business. Some denominations use their unique strengths to build empires for their …
Continue reading Bringing the Gospel to the Marketplace (part 3 of 3)
For some time now, I've tried to slow down when I'm shopping. I don't like shopping all that well, so my inclination is to fly around the store with my cart, grab my goodies, and whiz out the door while ignoring people as much as possible. But one day I realized that when I shop, …
Continue reading Bringing the Gospel to the Marketplace (part 2 of 3)
Everywhere I hear the quiet desperation of faithful church-goers: why don't many people want to come to church? People are so busy with sports and family events and work that church isn't a priority. Church is where you go if there's nothing better to do. I'm sad about this, but not devastated. This is why: …
Continue reading Bringing the Gospel to the Marketplace (part 1 of 3)
Sometimes my head hurts with the clamor of the world around me. Social media is full of arguing--people are angry and opinionated and sure that everyone else is wrong. Families divide over differences, refusing to see how each generation has unique gifts to offer. Churches debate the Bible and get ugly over what should be …
I sat in the second row from the front at the Leaders Alive conference, my heart crying out to God for answers. "Talk to me, God!" I prayed. "I need to hear from You!" I was struggling with acute loneliness where God had placed our family. Even though I loved our small town, I had …
While I was teaching history to my second and fourth grade boys last year, I ran into the story of Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153 AD). Bernard was a Cistercian monk who lived in France, and his life is a mix of complicated and interesting history and theology. Perhaps the best effort of his life was …
