Discipling Busy People Online (and More), Part 1
I hear people say, “I would like to disciple others, but my schedule is just too full and unpredictable to meet regularly with people.” Are you hearing this type of comment in your ministry or church? Let me tell you about my journey so that you can see what I have learned about online meetings...
Bobby Harrington
Facts, Faith, Feelings, and Rhett & Link’s Deconversion
(Here’s Part 1 and Part 2 in this series.) As I listened to Rhett’s Spiritual Deconstruction, it became abundantly clear that logic played a central role. One section of Rhett’s story is particular insightful in this regard: “I had placed a lot of faith, not just in God, but in these people who helped me...
Luke Gray
Endurance: It Is in Us
There was once a musical called Stop the World I Want To Get Off. I’ve never watched it. But I’ve got to be honest with you, folks. That desire has beat in my heart more than once this past week. We are surrounded by distress on every side, aren’t we? But we Jesus-following warriors have...
Debbra Stephens
The Things You Can’t Control
So I’m sitting on a plane with a group of minister friends and my wife. A few minutes before the plane takes off, my wife and I pray. We pray for the trip ahead, but we pray especially for the safety of the flight. The engines begin to roar and the plane begins its taxi...
Anthony Walker
Relationship and Rhett & Link’s Deconversion
(For Part 1 of this series, click here.) Rhett starts his story by asserting the validity of his relationship with Jesus, saying, “I believed Jesus was the Son of God, that a personal relationship was the only way to be saved, the only way to go to heaven when you die. And this belief defined...
Luke Gray
Young and Married
During a recent Uber ride from my hotel to the Tampa airport while at a pharmacy conference, I got into a conversation with my driver about marriage. He asked how old I was, and when I answered “Twenty-three,” he continued on to say, “When you start dating seriously in a few years–” but I cut...
Savannah Cunningham
Pastoring through a Pandemic
This feels like we’re experiencing a biblical plague. Well, maybe it’s not a plague, but it is a difficult time for church members and leaders alike. I awoke this morning to emails from a restaurant that I frequent and a mall I’ve visited. Both assured me that they are stepping up efforts to sanitize bathrooms,...
Ralph Moore
Lamenting and Learning from Rhett & Link’s Deconversion
Over the last few days, I’ve become engrossed in the YouTubers Rhett and Link’s spiritual deconstruction narratives. While I can’t claim to have been a fan of their channel, Good Mythical Morning, I’ve been well aware who they are and seen random videos shared online for many years. However, because of their ties to Campus...
Luke Gray
It Can’t Possibly Get Worse
There’s an old Jewish joke that goes like this: What’s the difference between a pessimist and an optimist? The pessimist says, “It can’t possibly get any worse than this.” The optimist says, “Of course it can!” As an incurable optimist, I’ve thought about that joke quite a bit over the last week. Just a week...
Matt Stafford
An Untossable Faith
I hadn’t been to the beach in years. Until, at long last, we took our first college tour. We were so close—we just had to make the detour, to bury our toes in the sand. The sight . . . the sound . . . the smell . . . the first sensations brought back...
Debbra Stephens
Virtual Services – 10 Tips for Highest Impact
In light of Covid-19 restrictions, how do you do virtual church effectively? Christian Ray Flores, a Renew.org founding member, is both church planter and expert marketer. Here, Christian gives 10 helpful tips on how to do online church with highest…
Christian Ray Flores
Christian Ray Flores
Coronavirus: What Christians Need to Know
In my context, the eminent threat of the coronavirus (what the World Health Organization has deemed a world wide pandemic, and now President Trump has declared a national emergency for the United States) has caused a wide spectrum of reactions. Everything from the visceral hoarding and stockpiling of toilet paper and other goods (so the...
Jon Sherwood
The Power of Reading the Bible with Brothers
Church leader and adjunct history professor Michael Patterson reflects back on his early years in college. It was there that God reached out and changed the trajectory of Michael’s life. See from these snapshots of disciple making how God can redirect lives through brothers in Christ. Usually in life, when we reach the point of...
Michael Patterson
The Stewardship of Suffering
Grieving is sort of like finding yourself stranded on Mars. Imagine being spit out of a spaceship, tumbling onto the lonely surface of a hostile planet, facing a barren and treacherous landscape as far as the eye can see. As far as the heart can know. Grief is much like that, except a lot less...
Bonnie Blaylock
Peddle
The wine merchant of ancient times had a reputation somewhere between that of a used-car salesman and a dope peddler. He eagerly hawked his merchandise in the marketplace, promising an ample measure of the finest quality wine. In truth, his product was usually watered down and adulterated, measured out in false measure to make a...
Kenny Boles
Meet Your Mentors in Exile
Christianity from the beginning existed on the margins. It didn’t start out the state religion of Rome or the favored spirituality of the Greco-Roman cultural elite. Since then, it’s true that there have been long stretches in which Christianity has enjoyed favored status in various civilizations. However, a good metaphor for Christianity in Western culture...
Jon Sherwood