Bringing love, justice, and peace to the world What is our role as the church? To discover this we need to look at Jesus and His work on earth. 1 John 3:8 states: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” The cross is victory over the powers holding people in bondage; sin, death, and the devil. As God’s emissaries, believers are called and empowered to continue the work Jesus began with his life, death and resurrection. Jesus desires to use you to … [Read more...]

Last post I published here we took a look at in Christ if you missed it is a must to go back and read! I believe its safe to say that not only knowing where we stand with God in Christ is important, but who we are in Christ is crucial to our walk! Do you truly know and proclaim the person you have become because of what He has done? Charles Stanley has done a great job outlining who we are as people in Christ over the years. We are going to dissect 10 points through scripture to see exactly … [Read more...]

Being an effective church leader requires lots of different personal qualities. It takes good people skills, it takes an understanding of your faith, and, no less important, it takes a measured amount of charm and stage presence. At the same time, however, anyone who is dedicated to serving the Lord can become not merely an effective, but also an excellent leader in their church. One aspect of the church leadership process that too far often falls on the wayside is importance of knowing your … [Read more...]

"As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord". -Joshua 24:15 Many Christians I know have this verse on a plaque or picture hanging somewhere in their home. It’s a source of pride almost. We are responding to a call, like a warrior off to battle, come what may, regardless of the circumstances, obstacles, or alternatives offered, “We will serve the Lord.” But, do we really serve Him? We believe in Him. We may have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We may go to church on Sundays … [Read more...]

I'm thinking of the lyrics to the classic song by Aretha Franklin, R.E.S.P.E.C.T. Just a little respect. That’s all most of us want from each other. In general, none of us venture out into our day looking to be deliberately disrespectful to people. Yet, whether it is our purposed intention or not, disrespect happens daily. It’s my desire to respect all people equally. To make an honest attempt at this in my life, I’ve found there’s one particular area that I have to keep a close eye … [Read more...]

"Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity." - 1 Timothy 4:12 It seems like there is a gap in the church for young adults. After high school, students turning into adults go off to college and then drop away from the church typically not finding their way back until marriage, a baby, a traumatic event, etc. There is a small percentage who stays engaged in the Church while in college moving into adulthood. So … [Read more...]

When I was in college, my parents had finally granted me permission to embark on a spring break trip with my friends. However, after years of watching the unsavory antics of spring break teens on channels like MTV, what was once a certain kind of curiosity turned about these beach-bound trips turned into a measured amount of repulsiveness. Looking for another way to spend my time, I enrolled in our university's Alternative Spring Break program, offered in conjunction with a local church. While … [Read more...]

Being 'present,' what does that mean? On the surface, it obviously means that you are here, physically here. Students are either present or absent when roll is taken at school. After roll is taken and lunch orders turned in, the teacher then has the task of getting the students really present. This kind of presence can be referred to as being mindful. This is a deeper level of presence which involves not only the body, but the mind and the brain. The mind is our subjective experiences and our … [Read more...]

“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak,” (2 Corinthians 4:13, English Standard Version) Many people say they have faith, but their lives are not ringing loud with faith’s expression. Whether you realize it or not the spirit of faith has a voice just like the Holy Spirit has a voice and he wants to speak into your life right now. Your faith was never meant to be a silent partner in … [Read more...]

As I walk in, I hear him on the phone, “She only needs forty more dollars to post her bond and I really don’t want her to be in jail over the weekend.” He looks up and winks at me, motioning me to come in and sit. “Is someone going to the hospital to see Tom? I’m sure he could use some encouragement. I have a few other needs on my list, but I’ll have to call you back. My friend is here to visit.” I’m honored he calls me a friend. He smiles, “It’s so good to see you.” … [Read more...]