Worry: The Acceptable Sin?
“Stop sinning.” My friend, a lawyer who follows Jesus, shocked me with his response when I shared about my worries. I was changing jobs, stepping out in faith, and starting a new organization from scratch. I shared that I was concerned about our family’s finances through this transition and a litany of other very understandable stressors, all...
Ken Shackelford
Q&A – What Gets in the Way of Being a Multiethnic Church?
Churches which are truly multiethnic and multicultural take a lot of intentionality, and there are plenty of factors that can obstruct the process. I recently sat down with four church leaders who are doing this well and asked them questions which get at the heart of how churches can be more intentional about pursuing multiethnic,...
What’s the Difference between Mission and Missions?
There is a lot of confusion about what is “mission” and what is “missions.” The terms can be ambiguous and unclear for the local church when not clearly defined, leading to such a broad application that the adage becomes reality: “If everything is missions, nothing is missions.”[1] When the word missions is used broadly, it...
Andrew J
The Deconstruction Story That Makes the Most Sense
In his essay “What are we to make of Jesus?,” C.S. Lewis presents us with a worthwhile thought. He says, “What are we to make of Jesus Christ? This is a question which has, in a sense, a frantically comic side. For the real question is not ‘What are we to make of Jesus Christ...
Karl Halverson
Q&A – Why Is It Worth It to Pursue a Multiethnic Church?
Churches which are truly multiethnic and multicultural take a lot of intentionality. Why is it worth the effort? I recently sat down with four church leaders who are doing this well and asked them questions which get at the heart of how churches can be more intentional about pursuing multiethnic, multicultural churches. The church leaders...
Food Idolatry VS Living Water: Refreshing the Soul by Fasting
“When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” Aaron answered them, “Take off...
Michael Eagle
Can Masculinity Be Non-Toxic?
I’m about to make a statement that I genuinely believe everyone deep down knows to be true, even as its obviousness is now being systematically scrubbed from the collective consciousness of those in our decidedly post-modern, post-Christian culture. It’s going to be controversial. It might even make some folks mad. It might get me labeled...
Josh Brooker
When God Disciplines You
When something goes drastically wrong in our lives, we often wonder why God is punishing us. But some painful experiences are just an inevitable part of living in a fallen world. God does not cause all our hurts any more than a loving parent causes a child learning to ride a bike to take a...
Bob Russell
Christian Parenting Is the Passing On of an Inheritance
It was a fortune. And it took a lifetime to accrue. Each deposit was hard-earned and each gain represented so much more than just the end result. Fortuitous experiences, painful losses, and generous blessings given from both friends and strangers all contributed. Altogether it amassed a treasure that could leave a multigenerational impact, one that...
Kurt Buhr
A Brief History of the Bible: From Creation to Now
You’ve probably heard it said before that the Bible is God’s word. While that’s true, there’s more to the story. God’s word encompasses more than just the Bible. God’s word is everything that He has ever spoken, written, and inspired people to speak and write. God has spoken through creation, in what is often referred...
Jonathan Ciecka
4 Observations from the Frontlines of Disciple Making
A lot of the people who frequent Renew.org are senior or lead pastors, campus pastors, or on staff at a church. I am a bit of an odd duck. While I have been ordained and have gone to seminary, I like to think of myself more than anything else as a “disciple maker.” I like...
William Butt
A 3-Step Process for Reading the Bible – Q&A with Orpheus J. Heyward
*Editor’s Note: Reading the Bible can be daunting. It helps to have steps in mind which help make the process of Bible reading understandable. I recently caught up with Dr. Orpheus J. Heyward, a minister, scholar, and teacher of Bible interpretation (hermeneutics) to get his thoughts on how we can bridge the gap between the...
Orpheus J. Heyward
There Are Two Crosses in the Life of a Christian
There are two crosses in the life of every true Christian: the cross on which Jesus suffered and died, and the cross on which we must suffer and die to self. Receiving Jesus is free; we need only to accept His free gift of eternal life. To do that, however, we must repent, turn from...
Curtis Sergeant
Resurrection: From Fuzzy Hope to Living Reality
*Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from a book by Dr. Scott Sager called Jesus in Isolation: Lazarus, Viruses, and Us. In the book, Sager delves into the story of Jesus and the raising of Lazarus. One of the moments in the story is when Martha, whose brother Lazarus has died, speaks candidly about...
Scott Sager
What Are 5 Things People Want from God That Don’t Exist?
Did you know that a lot of people want non-things? Here are 5 non-things which will make you dissatisfied if you pursue them. The other videos in this series include the Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part…
Daniel McCoy
Daniel McCoy
What Sets Jesus Apart?
What sets Jesus apart from other would-be Saviors, Messiahs, and Lords? What, if anything, is unique about “Christianity”—the way of life that seeks to honor Christ’s name? Many people say his teachings, but that’s not quite true. Lots of folks have delved deeply into God’s design for human life, even if they never put it...
Michael DeFazio