I have always viewed a spiritual wilderness as a blessing in disguise; an intensely painful and lonely place, yes, but a good place.The wilderness is a place or season in our lives where God strips away what is precious to us so that we are able to hear Him. Many times in the Bible, God …
Tag: religious system
Bringing the Gospel to the Marketplace (part 3 of 3)
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)
Bringing the Gospel to the Marketplace (part 1 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)
Enduring the cross, despising the shame
If I were to try to convince someone to become a Christian, shame is not a quality I would advertise. I would probably talk about the wonderful sense of being set free from guilt, the comforting presence of a communicating God, and the indescribable joy of Spirit-infused life. Not shame. Certain verses have come alive …
When not to apologize
Often when I make a mistake, I feel foolish and sick at heart, and apologize all over myself. I'm so sorry I did that! It was so dumb of me. I'm so stupid sometimes. I've done this repeatedly in awkward situations or difficult relationships. When tension arises, I often take the blame and retreat. But …
Should A Church Have Rules?
Growing up, I was mostly very compliant with rules of any sort. I didn't just accept everything at face value--I often turned things over in my mind and tried to make sense of them--but I didn't usually challenge those things even if I thought they might be wrong. For me, keeping peace and avoiding hurt …
On discussing church rules
Dear friends, I'm writing to you about how I think you could do a better job of arguing for what you believe regarding church rules. Please, don't think me hopelessly arrogant. I'm not too proud to know that I'm as imperfect as anyone else. But the advocate in me wants to enable both sides to …
Working Toward Meaningful Change
As a child, I carefully kept my precious nickels and dimes in a ceramic pig. Sometimes after thinking about it for a few days, I went upstairs to my room and pulled out my piggy bank. I sat on my bed, turned the pig upside down, and pried the rubber plug loose. Shaking a nickel …
Giving Advice: Common Sense or the Holy Spirit?
For some reason, this post I wrote two years ago has been on my mind, so I’m reblogging it here.
Which do you value most: common sense or the guidance of the Holy Spirit?
As long as I can remember, I have loved reading missionary stories. Recently, I read (or re-read) three: Bruchkoby Bruce Olson, Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger, and The Word Came with Power by Joanne Shetler and Patricia Pervis.
While reading these stories, different things catch my attention and fill my ponderings for the days after, depending on what I am experiencing or thinking about at the time. This time around, I noticed something that was similar in all three of the stories I mentioned.
They all went to the mission field God called them to against the advice of people who were supposed to be their spiritual leaders. Some of the missionaries gained acceptance; but at least initially, they all went despite being told not to go. God prospered their ministries tremendously, after years of love and risk and heart-break went into the places where they were called: Bruce to the Motilone…
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Unpacking the Treasure
I posted a quote from Arthur Burk in my post titled Misfit. Here's the quote again: "Are you going to fit the culture and be small inside, or are you going to be a misfit and unpack the treasure within you?" All of us are immersed in culture--in a certain way of doing and looking …
arabah rejoice 