living the Gospel in an everyday world
I remember well the phone call. “I am Pastor _____ and I have a question for you. One of the women in our church talked with me recently and she insists we have a ministry just for women. And I don’t get it. Can’t women just join in with the rest of us as we…
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Titus lived in a decadent culture, Crete. Paul’s description of the people who lived in this society may sound familiar to us. There are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers . . . . They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach and that…
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“My people were ashamed of me, but now the Lord has taken away that shame.” It may be hard for us to imagine a time when a woman was treated with disgrace, reproach, and yes shame by her family and community for not having a child. This was the setting in which Elizabeth lived her…
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by Bill Mounce Prayer is simply this: speaking with God, and listening. It is a joyous time, even if it is a bit mysterious. We can’t see him. We can’t get visual feedback like we can with a human friend — wouldn’t it be great to know if Jesus is frowning or smiling while we…
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The night I asked God to kill me, I was weeping on the cold Linoleum floor in my sterile apartment bathroom. My whole body shuddered with grief. I was a colossal failure, a disappointment to God. . . I was gay. I never wanted to be gay. Year after year, I prayed, I went to…
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by Carole Lattin I recently took a test and failed miserably. Though I did not prepare for this test, I thought that I would have absolutely no problem with the questions asked. After all, this test was about a hot political issue and I had heard lots about this topic. The test I took determined…
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Larry preached the gospel to me that day and it made all the difference. If you don’t go to your grave confused, you don’t go to your grave trusting. Painful as it is, this situation gives you an opportunity to show them grace, to love them in their brokenness in a new way. This is…
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Our family visited the Portland Art Museum a few weeks ago to see an exhibit of California Impressionism. The exhibit was outstanding. My wife and I were super-impressed with the talent of the artists and the beauty of each piece. My kids? Not so much; they were a bit bored. As we were heading for…
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For the better part of ten years, I served as a consultant with the NC Baptist Convention – a denomination with over 4,000 churches serving over a million members. In my role with such a large and diverse group, I was honored to work with lots of church planters. In fact, I joined their ranks,…
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In this 5-minute video, David Powlinson reflects on what he’s learned from reading Fyodor Dostoyevsky about sanctification and ministry. If you like literature and ministry, it’s worth checking out.
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