Month: July 2014
The Vast Sufferer by Elizabeth Glass Turner
July 31, 2014
If you don’t face your own suffering, how will you ever find rest? Real, true rest for the mind and spirit? To face your own suffering is to come uncomfortably close to Christ in Gethsemene: does the idea of Christ, the suffering servant, comfort or trouble you? The fully divine, fully human being sweating drops of blood from anguish…
Scars Of Wisdom by Cole Bodkin
July 30, 2014
The Lord is commissioning us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to go out into the lost and broken world whereby we will surely incur hurtful wounds and subsequent scars. In those places, we will be able to share the sufferings (Phil 3:10-11) and forgiveness of the Crucified One, and with Paul say, “ I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). Through time and faithfulness to the Lord, you may also be able to share Paul’s words, potentially to those who look down their noses at your age, and say “From now on let no one cause trouble for me, for I bear on my body the scars of Jesus” (Gal 6:17; cf. 2 Cor 6:4–6; 11:23–30).
God Is Enough by Carolyn Moore
July 26, 2014
The Son of Man came not to be served by to serve, and to give his life as a ransom…
Repent But Do Not Whimper by Maxie Dunnam
July 23, 2014
The setting is ripe for revival. And the essential response to that possibility is for God’s people not to whimper. Acknowledge our sin, and repent, yes, but not whimper. Could it be that we are mistakenly centered on institutional unity, when a prior issue is crying for attention: unity in the Gospel. We can have institutional unity without revival, but we can’t have revival without Gospel unity that will come through repentance and the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
Clay Footed, Spirit-Filled: Transition by Kim Reisman
July 21, 2014
These kinds of moments have come and gone in my ministry, and more are sure to unfold; as they do I need to ask myself, how am I treading? Lightly? With grace? Out in the open? Is it about me? Or am I the errand runner for the Spirit I need to be? Sadly for me, as my ministry moves forward, people are destined to discover my clay feet – if they haven’t already. I can only pray that others won’t miss the brightness because they are looking only at me.
Knowing What We Have: A Look At The Methodist Liturgical Heritage by Matthew Sigler
July 17, 2014
If it is true that many are gravitating to more historically resonant forms of worship, Methodists should know the resources within their own liturgical history…The forms of Methodist worship, when embraced with “heart, mind, soul and strength,” allow for reverent spontaneity and holy emotion. The use of liturgical forms, for Wesley, actually led to freedom in worship—a fact quickly lost on his American descendants.
Could Jesus Save Aliens? Why Answering Silly Questions Is Serious Business In Youth Ministry by Philip Tallon
July 16, 2014
Talking about aliens was a great opportunity to teach students about the Wesleyan understanding of scripture, to delve into the logic of the two natures in Christology, and to unpack how Christians connect incarnation to salvation. I got to show the student I cared about his question, and maybe helped him learn a bit more about Christian theology.
How To Live While We’re Waiting by Carolyn Moore
July 12, 2014
Forty years ago, we could not have imagined paying $3 for a cup of coffee. Now, a daily Starbucks habit…
Imagining Glory by Elizabeth Glass Turner
July 10, 2014
Imagining glory keeps us human. To glimpse glory is to receive grace, the kind that results in plain, sunburned lips uttering “truly this was the Son of God!” To glimpse glory is to receive grace, the kind that cauterizes and compels.
Onan The Barbarian: Self-Gratification At Its Worst by Tom Fuerst
July 9, 2014
I mean, what in the flippin’ world is happening here? Did God really just slaughter this guy for “spilling his semen on the ground”? If this story has ever interested you, then you’ll want to know why Onan the Barbarian was slain.