Month: June 2016
Jeff Rudy ~ Steer Toward the Pain
June 18, 2016
Compassion, in the Jesus way, is active – it steers toward the pain, joins folks in the valley of the shadow of death and finds some way to point to the hope of the resurrection.
Servant Paul, Not Apostle Paul, in Philippians
June 16, 2016
When you look closely at the first few verses of Philippians, something quite unique stands out fairly quickly:
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi, with the bishops and deacons.
You’ll notice that Paul does not refer to himself as an apostle.
World Methodist Evangelism: Connect
June 15, 2016
Whether preaching evangelism seminars in Vladivostok or worshiping in Kenya, whether presenting at North American evangelism conferences or connecting with Methodists at the World Methodist Conference, we hope to encourage excellence, confidence, and passion for sharing the life-giving faith that we cherish.
Kelcy Steele ~ Dealing with a Dead Situation
We have a hungry prophet (Elijah) on assignment to stretch the faith of a widow woman on welfare and to add insult to injury she has just lost her son.
I stop by to tell somebody when you are dealing with a dead situation you have to expect the unexpected, process your pain, and trust the process.
World Methodist Evangelism: On the Road
June 13, 2016
The World Methodist Conference will be in Houston, Texas. It is a long-standing international event begun in 1881 and now being held in the U.S. for the first time in 40 years. Speakers and organizations from across the entire global Wesleyan Methodist family of denominations will join August 31-September 3.
Carolyn Moore ~ Friendship Is a Choice (or, How the Church Teaches Me to Love)
June 8, 2016
It seems that our culture has us all so afraid of each other that we default to a defensive posture, keeping ourselves at a distance from each other, unwilling to develop healthy, vulnerable relationships.
Dismantling the Word “Evangelism”
Here’s a news flash – the word “evangelism” is emotionally, historically, and theologically charged.
When Cognitive Dissonance and Evangelism Collide
June 6, 2016
Cognitive dissonance is especially challenging in evangelism. We’re tempted to find ways to reduce the divergences between the Gospel and our culture, to change our message so it’s more palatable to the society in which we live, to accommodate it to the “wisdom of the world.”
James Petticrew ~ The 7 Works of Corporal Mercy (or How Jesus Evaluates the Ministry of His Church)
The more I read those words and reflected on Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 25 the more it struck me that the Seven Works of Corporal Mercy are not an anachronistic relic of the Medieval church but constitute a very effective evaluation tool for the contemporary church.
