God has called me to leave a church that I didn’t want to leave, to take on a job that I never imagined I would do, and begin a new phase of my life that I wasn’t expecting. Two years ago, I started praying about what I would do when my youngest child goes off […]
From Sean McDowell: Many kids leave the church because they never built healthy relationships with their parents or other Christian adults. If we want to teach the biblical worldview effectively, we must first help kids get emotionally healthy. This is why I deeply believe in mentoring. Jesus was a mentor. My hope is that mentoring […]
From “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism–the New American Religion” By R. Albert Mohler, Jr., Christian Post Columnist …religious beliefs held by American teenagers, they found that the faith held and described by most adolescents came down to something the researchers identified as “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.” Moralistic Therapeutic Deism consists of beliefs like these: 1. “A god exists […]
I unexpectedly saw a long time friend at Soupplantation today. We were both waiting for our lunch partners so it was a perfect opportunity to catch up. To be honest, she is merely an acquaintance, and we barely recognized each other, but our conversation was so encouraging to me. I told her I wasn’t sure […]
Here are some quotes I want to remember from the book Revolution in World Missions. Very convicting stuff. * As I studied the Gospels, it became clear to me that Jesus understood well the principle of reaching the poor. He avoided the major cities, the rich, the famous and the powerful, concentrating His ministry on […]
In the sermon at church today, I was reminded about the rich young ruler to whom Jesus spoke. Jesus looked at the young man and loved him. He could relate to the challenge that was put forth – to give up his riches and power to follow God. Jesus himself gave up heaven’s riches and […]
Read this definition of discipleship from church: Intentionally imitating Christ and reproducing increasing Christlikeness in others through caring relationships that practice accountability. Various forms of discipleship: Family (parents and children), One-on-one/mentoring; Biblical counseling (issue-specific); Evangelism (from unbeliever to a believer); Sermons (being discipled by the Word); Sunday School (being discipled by the Word); Small group […]
This book has given me a whole new way of thinking about world missions. K.P. Yahannan, an Indian (from India) writes about the vision God called him to, and the reasons for that vision. The mission organization he started, Gospel for Asia has the distinctive of supporting national missionaries rather than sending missionaries overseas. He […]
My daughter has a very heavy load of classes this year, her junior year of high school. It’s only the second week of school and she’s stressing out – “I have SO MUCH homework!” She’s studying every single minute, and not having a balanced life. I gave her a lecture about why she should not […]
As much as I like to change things up once in a while, like repainting a wall color or moving the furniture, there is comfort in the familiar. Take for example our church’s annual Memorial Day picnic. We knew what would be served, because it’s the same every year. In the car on the way […]
Yesterday, one of the kids in Sunday School broke one of my Resurrection Eggs. It made me upset, I might even say I was mad! I know, it’s just an ordinary plastic egg, and if it was just any plastic egg, it wouldn’t matter. But the Resurrection Eggs are special to me…not the plastic egg […]
Good Friday come and go, usually with nothing more than attending a Good Friday service at church and a fish sandwich at McDonald’s, the last day of the discount btw. I did a quick search to see what John Piper has to say about Good Friday that I can meditate on, and found his wonderful […]
Don’t let the title confuse you. I am 100% pro-life. But a friend brought up an interesting thought yesterday. Let me see if I can get this to make sense: She said that in America, life is so precious. In other countries, ie Libya and other war-torn nations, so many people die. We always think […]
Before every big event that I am involved with, I usually have a nightmare. Last night, I dreamt that I was late to the event we are having tonight, tables weren’t set up the way it should, the food was not there, and to top it off, I realized I was booked to MC two […]
In Bible Study Fellowship today, in the study of Isaiah 58-59, I had an insight. Religious activities – fasting, praying and keeping the Sabbath were the context in Isaiah, can be a cover for the sins that we need to deal with in our heart. “Religious people” run the risk of thinking that they are […]
I read this in my Bible Study Fellowship lesson on Isaiah this week: God’s people were to live in the hope of His final outcome and in the confidence of His present faithfulness. … “My salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed” Isaiah 56:1. I am learning to lean on […]
I pray throughout the day about things that come into my mind, and about immediate happenings as I encounter them, but if I don’t have a time where I simply sit and pray, I feel that something is missing. Praying while walking, praying while driving, praying while doing dishes, folding laundry, vacuuming, are all fine, […]
I’ve been attending a small church for the last 20 years. Everyone in a small church has to wear several hats, and I had taken on some leadership roles. I don’t think I’m gifted as a leader. I’ve always seen myself as a teacher and discipler. But since there are many needs in a small […]
I am not a good housekeeper. I suppose I could clean my house, but I don’t have a natural knack for it. I have a couple of my friends who keep an immaculate house. You can drop by their house unannounced and their house looks as if they’ve been cleaning for days, all ready for […]
I was talking to a friend about decision making. Every decision we make involves some kind of risk. If we choose to go to Hawaii, we risk the opportunity lost of not going to Paris. If we choose to go to law school, we risk the opportunity lost of being an engineer. My husband and […]