Throughout this year we’re walking through a significant aspect of ministry and leadership in the Church. Often referred to as the Five-Fold Ministry, or APEST, it’s the description of roles given by God to equip and build up the Church for its mission which is found in Ephesians 4. Last month and today, we’re dealing… Continue reading Shepherding Function in the Church
This story was posted by Dan Forrest about his unexpected encounter with Bowmansdale Church of God. Can I tell you about my day today? I flew to Harrisburg PA, rented a car, and tried to drive to Messiah College in a snow storm. One mile from the school, I couldn’t make it up a snowy… Continue reading A Shelter in a Storm
We all have long lists of reasons to express gratitude at this time of year. We could go on and on about the Lord’s provision and care for us. We all can tell stories of how we’ve seen the Lord at work in our lives and the lives of others over the past year. We… Continue reading Giving Thanks
We are broken before God when we put our hope in our government/political party instead of in the Lord. Putting the government above our God is like worshiping a golden calf as our idol. Instead, we should be pointing others to the eternal, saving hope only God offers. Therefore, it’s essential we understand the relationship… Continue reading Our Hope is in Christ Alone
Someone made a statement to me the other day that stopped me in my tracks. I believe the statement was their sincere assessment of a particular situation. I’m confident that my friend wasn’t trying to deceive me. I’m even more confident that my friend wasn’t lying or intentionally trying to misrepresent a situation. Again, I… Continue reading Why We Need to Identify and Reject Our False Narratives
We are broken in the Lord when we treat others whose political opinions are different than ours with no: civility, respect, dignity, or kindness. How will these actions, attitudes and words of ours reflect onto the Lord? Will those we’ve treated poorly still be open to hearing about the love of God? Now, where would… Continue reading Believers, be civil to one another; even in political conversations.
I spend a fair amount of my time with leaders from across the church body. I love the time I get to spend with leaders. Most of the leaders I spend time with seem to have a pretty good grasp on the fact that the world has changed significantly in recent years and realize that… Continue reading Take Care of Yourself
There is no ‘position’ of pastor in the Bible. Did you hear that? There was no position of pastor that needed to be filled in the New Testament. When John Winebrenner repented of an institutional reading of the Bible and read it with fresh eyes, he saw and argued that there are only two ‘offices’… Continue reading We Are Broken in Our Focus on Pastors
The Navaho and the Anglo look at land use and ownership in very different ways. Maybe it is best said indigenous peoples and Western civilization view this in very different ways, for this struggle is not limited to the United States. I will not try to make a case that either one is right or… Continue reading Broken in Our Attitude Toward Land and Those Who Dwell There
Today I am grateful to have Pastor Kimberly Reese as a guest blogger. Kimberly serves as the Pastor of Connections at the Good Shepherd United Methodist Church in Benton Ridge, OH (just west of Findlay). Kimberly is credentialed in the Great Lakes Conference of the Churches of God. She’s a graduate of the University of… Continue reading Acknowledging the Hidden Hurts by Pastor Kimberly Reese
