Seek to Serve and Not Be Served Most people pursue what is in their best interest. They seek what is good for them. This attitude applies in most all situations, including church attendance. They go in expectation of what they will learn or experience. They seek to be served, not to serve. This may be […]
Serve Jesus and No One Else Some Christians say they’re a follower of Jesus. Others preferred the label of disciple. But how many would say they’re a servant of Christ? Being a servant doesn’t sit well with most people in today’s society. They view it as a negative and something to avoid. Yet, this wasn’t […]
Luke Bible Study, Day 22 Today’s passage: Luke 10:38–42 Focus verse:“You are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed.” (Luke 10:41–42) Jesus and his disciples travel to the village where Martha and her sister, Mary, live. Martha invites them to her home. They accept and drop by to hang out and […]
Listening for God’s Direction Some people tell me they’ve never heard God speak to them. Of those, I suspect many actually do hear him, but they don’t realize it. Can you hear the voice of God? For others, they need to train themselves to listen. And there may be a few people with something blocking […]
Who Makes Things Happen at Your Church? When something needs to be done at your church, who does it? Many people would say it’s the pastor. They view their clergy as paid employees who are supposed to do the work of the church and serve them. But should they? Paid Staff The idea of having […]
God Created Us to Work, So Don’t Stop I’ve worked from home since 2000. That’s a long time, and I doubt I could ever return to a more typical workplace environment. Through most of this time, neighbors would ask if I had retired. (How old did they think I was, anyway?) I’d smile and tell […]
Looking to Find a New Church My wife and I are looking to find a new church. I never thought we’d be in this situation. My assumption was we’d go to our church for the rest of our lives. So much for assumptions. While writing my not-yet-published memoir, God, I Don’t Want to Go to […]
Another exploration of visiting churches has wrapped up, producing memories and insights. These can serve to move us forward in our spiritual journey, better prepared to worship God, serve others, and experience community. Where do we go from here? What are the next steps? Consider these three discussion questions about the next steps. 1. Church […]
The Book of Deuteronomy Offers Surprising Insights into Our Relationship With God The book of Deuteronomy is never high on my reading list. The seemingly endless instructions about the form and format of God’s expectations for his people vex me, especially given that Jesus fulfills the Old Testament, and today we live under a New […]
After Their Situation Changes, David Gives Them New Jobs The book of Numbers is so named because it starts and ends with a census—a numbering of the people. These take place forty years apart. Moses orchestrates both counts, at God’s command. For the third part of the first census, Moses counts all men who can […]