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Rethinking What Bible Character You Are
Whenever I’m watching a movie, if a character has to go under water for an extended period of time, I hold my breath. I’ve done this for as long as I can remember. Not as a psychological reflex or anything, I’m just skeptical. So if I can’t hold my breath that long, I don’t think...
Tim Casey
Room for Grief: The Missing Component of Evangelism
When you try to convince someone to become a Christian, you are also trying to convince him that what he currently believes is not true. This means you’re asking him to give something up—something which has been near, dear, and comfortable to him. Anytime there’s loss, we can expect a season of grief. Our expectations...
Matt Dabbs
Some of your Best Ministry Is Just Being There
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1). In my last article, I shared how an elder named Paul Ayers impacted my life. I’d like to continue with the theme by telling you about my preacher. His name was Marion Henderson and he was fairly well known throughout Lincoln Christian...
David Upchurch
Introducing the Lifestyle of “Theopraxy”
Do you struggle to balance all the commitments and responsibilities of your life? Are you constantly trying to juggle and multitask to meet life’s demands? What if there was only one thing you had to do well? Would that simplicity be desirable? Jesus apparently thought so, because He told us to live that way. He...
Curtis Sergeant
Q: Original Sin or Ancestral Sin?
*Editor’s Note: Christianity teaches that we humans inherited some very dark things from the first sin of our original ancestors. But what exactly is it that we inherited from them? Are we being held guilty for a sin we didn’t commit? I reached out to Dr. Michael Strickland to help us understand better what we...
Michael Strickland
A Letter to My Black, Muslim (majority) Friend
*Editor’s Note: Racial tensions are a global reality. The following is a fascinating and encouraging perspective from someone living as a racial and religious minority in a Muslim-majority area of Western Africa. As the author says, “We all need someone to fight for us”; in the letter below, you will get to see what it...
Katie W
Preparing Students for College: Intimate Relationship with Jesus
My church youth group experience was quite exceptional. We had robust teaching, great parental involvement, and lots of peer accountability and encouragement. We went on mission trips. We had small groups. We were encouraged to serve in the various ministries of our church. For the most part, students felt welcome in that community; we belonged....
Tyler Richter
Two Perspectives on Racism and What They Need to Hear from Each Other
Saying racism is “wrong” doesn’t go far enough. I can make a wrong turn. I can give the wrong answer on a test. Wrongness doesn’t sufficiently capture the diabolical nature of racism. Racism de-humanizes and degrades. It is a toxin that destroys and victimizes both the abused and the abuser. It is an egregious offense...
Chad Ragsdale
Fathers Affect How We See God: Stories from Famous Atheists
Have you ever received a gift at Christmas which was so strange you didn’t really know what to say? The famous neurologist Sigmund Freud gave the world a few things like that. For example, it was Freud who gave us the idea that male children have a deep desire to kill their fathers and marry...
Daniel McCoy
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Break for…Homecoming
Jesus once said, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23 ESV). Homecoming. The inward pushing and pulling subsides. Breathless, lest anything disturb the calm, we wait outside of time. Anxious that no intrusive...
Tony Twist
Racial Division in the Church: Part 2 of a 3-Way Conversation about Race
*Editor’s Note: This is part 2 of 3 of an honest conversation about race between 3 friends: Dr. Michael Patterson, Angel Maldonado, and Jim Lenahan. All three are ministers. The conversation took place on Sunday, June 7, at The Path Church in Atlanta, GA. Here is Part 1 and Part 3. ANGEL: So has everything...
Three Chairs Framework for Sharing Your Story
I talk a lot about telling your story, primarily because I believe it to be such a huge part of disciple making. The reason isn’t only pragmatic–because we live in a world that speaks primarily through stories. It’s also an example the Bible gives us for making disciples. The blind man in John 9 lays...
Stan Rodda
Changing Worldviews on Race: Part 1 of a 3-Way Conversation about Race
*Editor’s Note: This is part 1 of 3 of an honest conversation about race between 3 friends: Dr. Michael Patterson, Angel Maldonado, and Jim Lenahan. All three are ministers. The conversation took place on Sunday, June 7, at The Path Church in Atlanta, GA. Here is Part 2 and Part 3. ANGEL: It has been...
Lessons from the Church in Kenya: Spirit-Led Leadership
Q: I want you to pretend like you’re back in the States and you are asked to preach a chapel service at your alma mater. What’s your advice to help the American church? My sermon would revolve around walking in the Spirit. I would talk about the need for the American church and individual Christians...
Stephen Muhota
What’s the Alternative to Judgmentalism?
There is a consequence to judging: “Judge not, lest you be judged” (Matt. 7:1). Apparently, I need to watch my back. But watch out for whom? Who is the one judging me? Is Jesus warning that I would be judged by other people? The idea is that, when I come at them, they’ll come right...
Jeremy Bacon
Corrupted or Co-opted: 2 Non-Options as Christians Fight Racism
Bowling looks easier than it is. You have a fairly wide path for knocking down the pins. All you have to do is avoid the gutters, and you’ll accomplish something. Yet, even though the gutters are narrow and the lane is wide, somehow my bowling ball typically ends up in one gutter or the other....
Daniel McCoy
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