Wesleyan Accent is World Methodist Evangelism’s online magazine of practical resources in the area of discipleship, evangelism, leadership and theology. Through articles, book reviews, and interviews, WME features leading and emerging voices of the Wesleyan Methodist world.
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Why share your faith? The Father uses your fallout Evangelism has gotten a bad name over the last few years. For more reasons than we have time to go into in this article, “The ‘E’ Word” is a problem for many people in some parts of the world. Recent polls show that younger generations of Christians in many parts of
Scripture focus: You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, because the work of the Son brings glory to the Father. Yes, ask anything in my name, and I will do it! (John 14:13-14, NLT) Very soon we will be celebrating the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, by God through the power of the
My mother and sister are artists. I am not. I have other gifts (lest anyone worry about my self-esteem), but art isn’t one of them. That’s why I love spending time with my mother and sister. There is something entirely different and inspiring about the creativity God has given them. Years ago, my sister spent a week with me while
Scripture focus: When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets. ”Then he asked them, “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You
Today is Ash Wednesday, the day Christians all over the world mark the beginning of Lent, many with ashes and prayer and fasting. This is not a day when we usually read the resurrection portion of the gospels, but considering the powerful and visible ways the Holy Spirit has been moving these past few weeks, this may be a good
A few years ago, in a town not too far away, there was a traffic accident involving a car and a motorcycle. The person driving the car was unhurt and was able to walk away from the accident. However, the motorcyclist was trapped under the car and unable to move, though he was still conscious and alert. A witness to
Scripture focus: The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness. The Lord is close to all who call on him sincerely. He fulfills the desires of those wo fear him; he hears their cries for help and rescues them. The Lord protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked. (Psalm 145:17-20, NLT)
An epiphany is a moment of realization often experienced as a sudden, and perhaps surprising, insight. Earlier this month, Christians celebrated Epiphany, when the church reflects on God’s revelation through the coming of Jesus; I believe it presents us with an opportunity to reflect on how Jesus is speaking to us today. As 2023 launches, one of the things I
“When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave
Scripture focus: I lift my eyes to you, O God, enthroned in heaven. We look to the Lord our God for his mercy, just as servants keep their eyes on their master, as a slave girl watches her mistress for the slightest signal. (Psalm 123:1-2, NLT) As we begin the new year, our Scripture focus comes from Psalm 123.
“Mary treasured up all [the words of the shepherds] and pondered them in her heart.” Luke 2:19 In Luke’s account of the birth of Christ, we see angelic messengers proclaim the newborn King. Shepherds, the first recipients of this Good News, share the message all over town. In what seems like a sharp contrast, Jesus’ mother quietly contemplates all of
This year for Advent, I’ve been drawn to the concept of waiting. I know that’s a normal Advent theme; in many ways, it is the point of Advent. We remember the centuries that the people waited for the birth of Christ. Now, we wait for His return. We wait. Advent teaches us to wait. In an age of convenience, where waiting is
Thanksgiving is near! I love that Thanksgiving precedes the Advent and Christmas seasons. It helps prepare us by reminding us of God’s goodness and posturing us to receive Jesus with gratitude; with humble hearts. Soon, we’ll hear our favorite Christmas music (some of you are already doing that, just couldn’t wait!), eat delicious food, and visit with family and friends.
Scripture focus: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, NLT)
“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 – NIV) An English phrase I catch myself saying all the time is “I need to make time for this.” My intentions are
Scripture focus: As we know Jesus better, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you
In August Rev. Fedor Kim, our Regional Secretary in Russia, made a 16 hour journey from Moscow (around one thousand miles!) for a mission trip to serve the Roma people in the South Russia region. Rev Kim and Irina Mitina, one of the UM pastors who serves in this small village, hosted an educational camp for children. Rev. Kim spoke
When I was young, my grandmother had strict rules against working on Sunday. We were not allowed to do household chores, work in the yard, or other such jobs. She insisted that we remember the day as one to rest from our work. She was so insistent on it that it frequently seemed that we worked hard to rest. We
It might take time or unexpected detours, it may show up in disguise like a trick or treater at the door, but you will always find an answer from God to one particular prayer. Which kind of prayer this is reveals something important about who God is and who we are created to be. Tug on a loose thread of
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/24570246/height/100/width//thumbnail/no/render-playlist/no/theme/custom/tdest_id/3433802/custom-color/87A93A” height=”100″ width=”100%” scrolling=”no” allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen] See you soon! We welcome your questions, comments, feedback, and suggestions: podcast@worldmethodist.org Find us on Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram To find Rob Haynes: @DrRobHaynes Check out this episode!
Dear Friends of World Methodist Evangelism, World Methodist Evangelism has been blessed with strong leadership since its inception. Sir Alan Walker of Australia, provided inspired early direction (1978-1988), launching the first International Christian Youth Conference on Evangelism – now known as Metanoia – in 1980. In 1989, Dr. H. Eddie Fox became WME’s first full-time Executive Director and significantly expanded
In the Philippines, our Christmas season starts on September 1 and ends around the second week of January the following year. Being a predominantly Catholic country, Christmas decorations are usually taken down after “Three Kings”, referring to when the Wise Men visited Jesus at the house and brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh as narrated in the Gospel of
There are some experiences or encounters that are so solidly lodged in our memory they continue to invade our consciousness – to haunt us – to help us or to hinder our Christian walk, to call and challenge us to be more than we are. John Birkbeck is a person around whom for me a whole cluster of memories is
In my two previous articles (read part 1 here and part 2 here) we focused on two of the big truths the three wise men can teach us. One, only the wise know their wisdom is incomplete and limited. Two, the wise men not only know their wisdom is incomplete they know they can’t save themselves. Those who are wise always know that their wisdom
In our world today, we embrace each other for so many reasons – celebration, greeting, sadness, grief, joy, affection, good-bye, and more. An embrace is a beautiful symbol of our human connection. My favorite version is when my sweet granddaughter sees me and runs into my arms. Something passes between us in an embrace, something unspoken, yet deeply real and
In my last article, I began reflecting on the Three Wise Men in the Christmas story. I began by insisting only the wise know their wisdom is incomplete and limited. These wise men had journeyed along a difficult path, looking for a king, using the very best science they knew, following a star. But somehow, along the way, their guidance
It’s a tradition in my family to have a formal “mother/child” photograph made of each child when they’re between three and six months old. When I was about six months old, my mother posed with me in a remarkable photo which my parents’ still have. It’s remarkable not because it’s of me, but because my mother and I are posed
Two men were sitting together on an airplane, one an astronomer, the other a theologian. After a while each began to share his understanding of the other’s discipline. The astronomer said, “I believe that all religion can be summed up in the phrase, ‘Jesus Loves Me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’” The theologian, somewhat miffed at this simplistic
When I was in my early twenties, I had a mysterious back injury that was debilitating. Several visits to various doctors revealed a problem in my spine that was pinching the nerves to my legs. The medical imaging showed an injury so bad, how it got there was a mystery. It was something usually seen in patients who had severe
There has never been a time when God was not moving toward human brokenness and lostness. From Genesis 3 until this moment, gracious God has been on the move. Often, we are oblivious to God’s redemptive work, but sometimes we get a glimpse of his grace and stand in awe. As my wife and I traveled through East Asia for
“Pasko” is the Filipino term for Christmas. In the Philippines, the Christmas celebration begins as soon as the calendar enters the “-ber months.” Christmas is a time for Filipinos to express their love for God and family, relationships, creativity, and food. When the “-ber months” begin, the streets light up with the traditional Filipino Christmas décor called the parol—beautiful lanterns
I remember the expectation thick in the air in the days leading up to Christmas. A tree was cut and decorated. Christmas carols covered us wherever the radio could reach. The Christmas Eve service felt enchanted as we raised our candles during the singing of Silent Night in a darkened sanctuary. My brothers and I would debate what gifts our
Bula Vinaka and a big Christmas greetings from the beautiful Island of Fiji. Christmas in Fiji is a time of celebration when nuclear and extended families gather. Those living in urban areas, cities, towns, and abroad will prepare for the long trip back home to their villages or homes for the festive season. Preparations for carol singing, festivity celebrations, dancing
Last summer, the musician Ben Rector released a single, “Wreck.” The premise of the song was that the person he was singing to had wrecked his world “in a beautiful way.” It was through this song that I was introduced to a phrase I hadn’t heard before, but isn’t original to Rector: “Healthy things grow and growing things change.” As
When I was a little girl, decorating the Christmas tree was a family ritual my parents and I looked forward to every year. We’d crack some Christmas tunes on the stereo CD player we had in our living room – yes, I feel old whenever I remember I actually used one of those – and we’d hang all kinds of
After living in Asia for several years, my wife and I moved to the United States in 2020. This past summer, we were able to return to Asia. By the grace of God, we were able to learn and shine in 17 cities in 4 countries over 6 weeks. We had an amazing adventure. (For security reasons, some names and
Christmas is the festival of Love, Joy, Peace and Hope. Christmas reminds us of God’s love and Salvation for humankind. The Indian way of celebrating Christmas is unique, colorful and full of cultural diversity. Unique Indian Christmas Celebrations and Festive Cuisine Christmas preparations begin weeks before the 25th of December. Homes are cleaned and decorated with stars, lights, and Christmas
Even with modern technology, I like the daily newspaper. I pay close attention to the front page and read the articles there that get attention. Then I turn the inner pages to see what is there. It was an inside article, but the headline caught my attention: FORMER ADDICT OFFERS HAIRCUTS TO HOMELESS PEOPLE IN LOS ANGELES. I couldn’t resist
In many churches around the world, we recently marked All Saints Sunday. It’s a Sunday that often focuses on that wonderful passage from Hebrews 12: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for
When Nathaniel Hawthorne came home in utter despair and failure after losing his job in the Customs House, his wife responded, “Now you can write that book you have always wanted to write.” Under that kind of uplifting support, Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter, one of the greatest pieces of literature the world has ever known. The truth is there
