When I first saw the Rogue One movie trailer enumerating the star’s unsavory recruitment qualifications, I imagined a few out-bound Christians defending before their programmatic pastors saying: “This is a movement, isn’t it? . . . I move.”
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Mission in the Age of COVID-19
What does it mean to be on mission in the context of “social distancing,” fear of getting sick, or furthering the virus’ spread? What about the numerical gathering guidelines? Is the church online the new church gathered? These are ongoing questions. Granted, no one has a crystal ball to know what will unfold. We do know God is sovereign, and in control of everything, and not surprised by anything. We can fully trust in this tremendous comforting truth!
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SWM Report: Looking Back and Forward
Looking back, 2019 was a tremendous year for our ministry. Let me just say, anything good that occurred came from God’s hand. Him, not me. I praise Jesus for his grace, and each of these open doors and answered prayers.
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Tracking Success: Why You Must Be Clear on How to Get There
The fact remains, the great callings of life are not easily achieved by focusing on one thing, they require a more sophisticated approach.
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5-STAR BOOK REVIEW: THE MIND OF A MISSIONARY
Great books have a way of stirring the heart and imagination, and moving the pendulum on how we think and where we need to go. David Joannes’s, The Mind of a Missionary, succeeds in all these ways.
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The Iceberg Slicing at the Hull of the Church
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. When it comes to seeing what is occurring within churches, that is creating our current mission malaise, it takes an illustration to stick in our minds and stir our imaginations.
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On Ambition: Johnny Depp’s Depth
In one of my training classes a college student inquired about how to reach his highly ambitious friend. How could he talk to a person who is driven for success? Does the gospel have appeal to someone like him? So, we sat and deliberated for a time about his dream-driven mentality. Soon, ideas began to percolate about where conversations could go. Though there is nothing wrong with the benefits of hard work, or the blessings that accompany success; and we have many biblical examples of people possessing status, fame and wealth; the fact is, there is something inherently elusive about ambitions and dreams.
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Where the Wind Blows – Catch His Wind Part 2
The question of seeing God’s ultimate leading in our lives has profound ramifications. This second part (Part 1) espouses on the weathervane words of Jesus in John 3: “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
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Catch His Wind – 3 Lesson on God’s Leading Part 1
When your plans fail, God’s wind will blow! For me, the new chart began with going back to school. Of course we had a little problem: no job or money to pay for it. Would mom and dad float a loan? It was a bad idea. But before I could retract to sidestep the financial abyss, my parents called to say they wanted to pick up the costs, all of them. No arm-twist needed. Just wind. Off to class I went.
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The Church’s Tipping Point for Change
Ever since the first shock waves hit the church in the mid 60s, when the yearly anticipated attendance bump that all churches routinely counted on— came to a sudden halt, the religious climate of North America has been changing.
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