By: Daren Jaime on April 11, 2024
At one time or another, all of us have been driving along the highway or streets believing we had the supreme knowledge of where we were going. In an instant our confidence changes because of a wrong turn or misinformation. When we are lost, we turn to the ole trusty GPS in an effort to…
By: Kally Elliott on April 11, 2024
The Church has potential to be a breeding ground for domineering leadership. Open up your news app and you’re sure to see yet another story of a church leader’s downfall. But this is not just a current problem. According to J.R. Woodard, in his book, The Scandal of Leadership, it is a historical issue, as…
By: Kari on April 11, 2024
“I will dialogue but I won’t fight.” This has been my motto for the past 11 years living as a Christian in a Muslim-majority country. Statistics say my country is 99.9% Muslim. The 0.1% is admittedly expatriates living in the country. To be a citizen of my host country is to be a Muslim. To…
By: Adam Cheney on April 10, 2024
Let me lay my cards on the table to start this conversation. I believe COVID was a real pandemic. I believe most pastors and leaders were making the best choices they could make at the time given regional restrictions and political temperature of their churches. I believe most restrictions were ineffective and draconian. I believe…
By: Graham English on April 10, 2024
I’ve observed that when the church engaged in political debate, it ended up creating an even greater barrier for people to receive the gospel. As a Canadian church leader, I follow politics. I have my theologically formed convictions. I preach Jesus and call people to surrender to the Lordship of Christ. I have also been…
By: Ryan Thorson on April 10, 2024
“It’s Not The Battles We Lose That Bother Me, It’s The Ones We Don’t Suit Up For.” – Toby Ziegler This quote is from a character in one of my favorite shows growing up, The West Wing. In this American TV drama, witty dialogue, thoughtful complex situations to solve and lessons on leadership shaped me…
By: Debbie Owen on April 10, 2024
My youngest sister joined some random atheist organization a few years ago and posted it on Facebook. She’s been an atheist since she was twelve years old – at least – and we’ve just had to agree to disagree. I have not been brave enough to engage her in a deeper conversation because I have…
By: Becca Hald on April 10, 2024
My son was diagnosed with autism in 2004, at the age of 5. I would tell people, “My son has autism.” I would not say, “My son is autistic.” There is a subtle difference between these two statements. One is descriptive. “My son has blue eyes. My son has blond hair. My son has autism.”…
By: Diane Tuttle on April 9, 2024
I will start by admitting when I began reading this book I wanted to shut down. It probably did not help that my work week got very stressful after someone threatened to shoot at one of my group homes with a real gun after he used a paint gun on our cars and windows of…
By: Greg McMullen on April 9, 2024
In late January, I sat on an examination table, and my mind raced with many diagnoses and possible outcomes for my situation. The question that weighed heavily on me was how I would be able to keep doing my ministry. My goal was to make it to graduation with school, church, and food ministry and…
By: Pam Lau on April 9, 2024
“It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church: we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares: they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where…
By: Kari on April 9, 2024
I used to take pride in multitasking. I even tricked myself into thinking I was good at it. Years ago, I was introduced to the idea that no one can truly focus on multiple things at once. I heard this while listening to a productivity podcast[1] and attempting to multitask. This started my journey of…
By: Joel Zantingh on April 9, 2024
Reading Dr David Rock’s “Your Brain at Work” is something like hearing a pep talk for one’s brain, in relation to something that happens everyday: decision-making. He addresses it, though, from the vantage point of neurobiology, to help us understanding what is going on in our prefrontal cortex, that “small, fragile, and energy-hungry brain region”…
By: Glyn Barrett on April 9, 2024
Understanding the complexities that Matthew R. Petrusek explores in ‘Evangelization and Ideology’ requires more than a mere week’s dedication to reading. He digs deeply, providing a guide to finding God within the political culture that surrounds us.” He writes to analyse four of the major secular ideologies of our day, namely, Utilitarianism, Classical liberalism, Progressivism…
By: Russell Chun on April 9, 2024
Pale kaua no ko lākou mau ʻuhane – Armor for their Souls, in Hawaiian Introduction Part 1 – What others are saying Part 2 – What I learned from the U.S. Army and Woodward Epilogue – Armor for the Soul Introduction By unmasking the Powers of domination (Satan and his principalities), J. R. Woodward,…
By: Tim Clark on April 8, 2024
In November 2012 a new Broadway Musical debuted in the Neil Simon Theater in New York. The production, called “Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson”, lasted for 29 regular performances before it closed that December. It’s not at all surprising that there was a musical written about the vivacious founder of The…
By: Jana Dluehosh on April 8, 2024
A Good Kill? A Good Death? They are connected and cannot be severed in my mind. A Bad Kill, a good death? A good kill, a bad death? It seems to me that Just war is in the nuance of those connections. For myself sitting in my lovely home, writing a doctoral blog on an…
By: Jeff Styer on April 8, 2024
Welcome to our pluralistic society, where everyone seems to have different thoughts and ideas and each one claims theirs to be true. Like I stated in an earlier post, I teach my Analysis of Social Policy class some of the basic philosophies with the purpose of helping them understand what people are using to make…
By: Christy on April 8, 2024
I have seasons of being politically engaged, and then increasingly longer seasons of political disengagement. When I was in my early twenties, politics were simple (so I thought). It was about ensuring the US constitution was upheld and that people would maintain the liberties provided through it. As I got older, I realized some complexities…
By: Jean de Dieu Ndahiriwe on April 7, 2024
Introduction The great cost of Christianity is clearly described in this captivating book by Tom Holland. I have found an incredible source of information and I intend to continue reading as the Blinkist gave me a quick summary of the book. “Whether or not you believe that Jesus was the son of God, Christianity has…
