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What Your Prayers Tell You about You When stress goes wrong, it turns into anxiety. And anxiety can mess you up! It’s corrosive on your insides. It’s explosive on your relationships. Think about it: when do we say the hurtful things we end up regretting? It’s usually when we’re stressed out. When do we cave into our worst decisions? Typically when we’re... 
Buddy Bell 
The World Needs Your Words “How have you experienced God working in your life?” the Bible class teacher posed. I recall a growing lump in my throat, as I tried to choke out words. The gratitude welled up, the tears pooled, but the words didn’t come. Overcome by the grace of God, I could not yet speak of it. Words... 
Debbra Stephens 
How My Dad’s OCD Trained Me for Ministry Although I went on to study theology, I started out studying psychology. I got my bachelor’s in psychology and went onto the University of Florida to work on a clinical psychology doctorate. I got about halfway through the PhD program, however, when September 11 reframed my priorities. I decided to go into the ministry and... 
Matt Dabbs 
This Is How the Ancient World Received Grace, Part 1 *Editor’s Note: Matthew Bates will be speaking at the Renew Gathering on November 6, in Franklin, TN. To understand what follows, you’ll need to keep in mind that the ancient concept of “return gifting” is different from “gift returning” (something you do at Target on December 26). In Gospel Allegiance, Matthew Bates explains the ancient... 
Renew.org 
Solving Arguments by Pointing to Context I recall a dialogue I had with a high school classmate of mine. It remained friendly, but it was also a tense conversation regarding the similarities and differences between Christianity and Islam and between their respective texts, the Bible and the Qur’an. At a particular point in our dialogue, this old friend of mine shared... 
Brett Seybold 
Baptism is Beautiful Baptism is probably the most beautiful thing we will witness this side of heaven. I’ve been in the church for a long time, and I’ve heard a lot of sermons on baptism. Most of them go something like this: “The Bible says you should get baptized, so get baptized.” This is true, and we need... 
Joel Singleton The Holy Spirit Is Doing What the Holy Spirit Does Have you heard that Christianity is on its way out? Don’t believe it for a second. 
David Young
David Young 
Synthesizers, Chariot Races, and Instant Obedience Recently, my family and I were in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina, and stopped to visit an awesome spot called Moog Music. In 1964 Dr. Robert Moog introduced an entirely new kind of instrument with the modular synthesizer. We played with some of the equipment as a family and had a lot of fun making the... 
Stan Rodda 
How Not to Ruin a Legacy There are certain and specific moments in the life of leaders that reveal their truest nature. Events that can expose their hidden hatreds, or uncover their basest desires. These come in many forms. Sleepless nights can corrupt moral vigilance. Encroaching deadlines can hasten procrastination. Loneliness invites unguarded conversations. Defensiveness sours vulnerability. For King Saul, the... 
Jared Ellis Join With Us
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See if You Can Catch the End Result of the Gospel *Editor’s Note: Matthew Bates will be speaking at the Renew Gathering on November 6, in Franklin, TN. See if you can catch the end result, the ultimate purpose of the Gospel, according to these passages. Hint: Look for what the Gospel is meant “to bring about.” Romans 16:25-26 Now to him who is able to... Renew.org 
Stressed Out? Try Celebrating. Most Americans are stressed out. Maybe it’s a tight schedule. It’s a looming deadline. You wake up to a dead battery. It might be an illness you face or a relationship that’s gone bad. A business failure. A new school.[1] Back in the 60s, when technology was just beginning to explode, there were scientists who... Buddy Bell 
Sex Work and the Church’s Job Sex has been an economized commodity since early human history, and in many parts of the world sex work remains thriving business. How should Christians respond to sex workers? One religious response to sex workers has been to see such people as worthless because of the immorality involved (e.g., the Pharisee in Luke 7:36-39). Yet... 
Taffeta Chime 
The Joker’s Smile Anne of Green Gables dyed her hair green, but it didn’t wipe anybody out. I’m pretty sure Grandpa Munster wore white face paint, but it didn’t cause any chills. If not the green hair or white face, what is it that makes the Joker look so evil? I argue that it’s got to be the... 
Daniel McCoy 
Your Church May Have a Board, But Does It Have True Elders? *Editor’s Note: I (Daniel McCoy) recently got to talk to Jared Johnson, director of operations for E2 (“Effective Elders”) about what it means to have a healthy team of elders. Gary Johnson and Jared will be facilitating two Effective Elders workshops at the 2019 Gathering. Let’s start with a hypothetical. Let’s say a church has... 
Jared Johnson 
A Focused Definition for an Out-of-Focus Church There’s a meme that says the only thing more exhausted than the mom of a boy who doesn’t stop moving is the mom of a girl who doesn’t stop talking. It’s true. Our three-year-old daughter talks from sunup to sundown, a running narrative about everything. The other day, she was having me put boots on... 
Sy Huffer 
The Mission of God: the Long and Short of It “I fled Him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears I hid from Him, and under running laughter. Up vistaed hopes I sped; And shot, precipitated, Adown Titanic glooms of chasmed fears, From those strong Feet that followed,... 
Scott Sager Loading