Shepherd
*Editor’s Note: Around Christmastime, “shepherd” bring to mind images of tranquility and warmth. Yet it was not always so. What did ancient people generally think of shepherds? And how does the Bible use the word? As a longtime expert in New Testament Greek, Kenny Boles explains the historical background of this profession, as well as...
Kenny Boles
Something to Behold
On the winter solstice, literally the darkest day of 2020, my son and I craned our necks skyward on the front lawn. “Can you see it?” I pointed. “Below the moon to the southwest.” Just the day before, I’d sunk pretty low, feeling decidedly un-festive and weary of the yoke of fear, anxiety, and loss...
Bonnie Blaylock
Celebrating Christmas in an Assisted Living Facility
*Editor’s Note: Debbra has worked for a dozen years as office manager at an assisted living facility. Here, she shares the unique challenges and surprising resilience she has seen among the assisted living facility residents as they face Christmas during a pandemic. It will be a Christmas like no other for those living in long-term...
Debbra Stephens
Try to Avoid a Star Wars Christmas
After its underwhelming prequels (Episodes 1-3), Star Wars seemingly came back to life with Episode 7 in 2015. But the most notable rise for Star Wars (more notable even than 2019’s Rise of Skywalker) was in 1980. That’s the year Empire Strikes Back was released. In my opinion, Empire Strikes Back in 1980 followed the lowest low in Star Wars history...
Daniel McCoy
The Stages of Disciple Making: “Come and Be with Me” (Part 3)
(Here is Part 1 and Part 2 in this series.) The third phase in which Jesus raised up disciple makers is punctuated by a night of prayer. Luke 6:12-13 shows this inflection point—in a ministry that began with forty days of fasting and prayer and regularly showed a daily focus on prayer—as Jesus seeks the...
Bobby Harrington
7 Rules Healthy Couples Set for Themselves
We at Renew.org want to encourage faithful, healthy marriages. We have found that one of the ways couples can be healthier is by setting some rules for the marriage. Here are seven rules we have found especially helpful in our marriage and in others’ as well. #1 – Be connected with other couples. In our...
Straightening Out Your Self-Talk
*Editor’s Note: Mark McCoy is a discipleship minister whose passion is to walk with people as they grow as followers of Jesus. He has noticed that one of the obstacles that can get in the way of people’s growth is false “self-talk.” I recently caught up with him and asked him to explain self-talk and...
Mark McCoy
The Stages of Disciple Making: “Come and Follow Me” (Part 2)
(For Part 1, “Come and See,” click here.) The next phase in Jesus’ strategy to develop disciple makers occurred when he moved from Nazareth to Capernaum. This town becomes the home base of his public ministry. It was a town of two to three thousand people in the first century, on the shores of the...
Bobby Harrington
Critical Race Theory: Privilege and Systemic Racism
This is Part 3 in Chad Ragsdale’s series on CRT. Here’s Part 1, 2, 4, and 5. In my third post reflecting on Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic’s Critical Race Theory: An Introduction, I take a look at the second chapter of the book, “Hallmark Critical Race Theory Themes.” In the chapter, the authors summarize...
Chad Ragsdale
The Stages of Disciple Making: “Come and See” (Part 1)
Jesus took three and a half years before commissioning his disciples as disciple makers. His disciple making combined grace + truth + time and can be understood in five phases. His disciples started as non-believers and ended as disciple makers and church leaders. So, what were the phases of Jesus’ disciple making master plan? A...
Bobby Harrington
God Is the Healer of Your Wounds
One of the many names of God is Jehovah Rapha, which means “the God who heals.” In Hebrew the word rapha means to make whole, to completely mend and repair. Throughout history people have walked around with gaping wounds in their hearts. People cause wounds to one another, making decisions which inflict pain on themselves...
Michelle Eagle
Discouragement & Dropout: Why Ministers Leave the Ministry
*Editor’s Note: As Director of Church Ministries at Lincoln Christian University, David Upchurch has seen firsthand how discouragement can derail a person’s ministry. I got to talk with David about some of the causes of ministry discouragement and how to respond in healthy ways. Here’s a part of our conversation. Q: What have you seen...
David Upchurch
When You Talk to Yourself, What Do You Say?
*Editor’s Note: Mark McCoy is a discipleship minister whose passion is to walk with people as they grow as followers of Jesus. He has noticed that one of the obstacles that can get in the way of people’s growth is false “self-talk.” I recently caught up with him and asked him to explain self-talk and...
Mark McCoy
Sermon on the Mount: What Is Meekness and Does It Work?
*Editor’s Note: This is the seventh article in a 13-part series on the Beatitudes. Here’s the complete list of articles in the series: Who Does Jesus Think He Is? Crowds or Disciples? The Sermon’s Most Important Word The Pursuit of Happiness Poor in Spirit God’s Answer to the Problem of Evil Meekness Hunger and Thirst...
Jeremy Bacon
Prayer and Fasting: Moving with the Spirit to Renew Our Minds, Bodies, and Churches
Ready for Revival? It’s Time to Relearn Prayer and Fasting. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE AUTHORS’ WEBINAR ON THIS MATERIAL This book is for Christians who are waking up from the uneasy peace churches have made with the way things…
