Scripture Focus: Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and
Easter is the punctuation mark of the Christian Faith: the death and resurrection of Jesus, God’s Son as his gift of salvation for all who will receive it. Easter stirs an image in my mind: violets cracking rocks. The image was connected with the work of Tennessee Williams, one of America’s greatest dramatists. In their commentary about his life and
Regardless of what type journey took you to Jesus, here is help for writing an effective Light Story. Every person who has been transformed by Jesus has the desire to communicate God’s grace in a way that others will be curious and motivated to seek Jesus themselves. This desire to communicate Jesus is one fruit of the Spirit’s presence in
Followers of Jesus have a distinctive style. There are many marks of the Methodist Style. We have considered A Catholic Spirit and Heartfelt Religion. Let’s look now at one other distinctive mark, our worldwide parish. It is gathered up in Wesley’s popular saying, “The world is my parish.” That word captures the style of the Methodist movement—a concern for all
A few years ago, on a beautiful summer day, our family gathered by the rally track to cheer on my nephews in their race. We spent the entire day on a treeless hill, fully exposed to the sun. By evening, the effects were undeniable—our uncovered skin had turned red. Just like the sun leaves a mark on us, so does
Followers of Jesus have throughout history exhibited a distinctive style. In my first article I shared about Wesley’s peculiar flair. The second article highlighted a Methodist’s catholic spirit. Here, we will look to the heart of the Wesleyan movement. The Methodist movement was born in England and soon began to burn with a fire of love across the land, in
My youngest son spent a decade as a chef in training in many fine dining restaurants in the Southwest Florida area. Several of the eating establishments were seafood restaurants as you would expect living on the Gulf Coast. Nathan learned to cook some of the most fantastic fresh seafood dishes, but here was his dirty little secret. He did not
Scripture Focus: If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. Luke 9:23 (NLT) Living the Jesus way is never easy. In many parts of the world, surface religious activity can seem acceptable, even easy. In other parts of the world – like those places
From time to time we will share encouraging reports of God’s Work from around the World. May this good news encourage you wherever you are today. Unimaginable. Unexpected. Unprompted. Such is how our God shows up and claims glory. This was not the first time Christina had found God interrupting her plans. Christina Trager is a youth pastor from Delaware
In my last article I made the claim that Methodists have a distinct style. As Christians, our style defines us as much, maybe more, than anything else. I have the privilege of observing that more than most. My wife and I live in a life cafe. We have lived here for seven years, and plan to make this our “earthly
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16540262/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] Rev. Dr. Zaki L. Zaki is pastor of Roselle United Methodist Church in Roselle, Illinois and Founder and President of The Middle Eastern United Methodist Caucus. To learn more about the Middle Eastern Caucus, email zLzaki@msn.com Let us hear from you: podcast@worldmethodist.org Find us on Social Media: Facebook Twitter
Leaders around the world are feeling the effects of our global crisis on many fronts. Yet, the current situation does not need to be debilitating. Innovative leaders see a crisis as a catalyst, not a cause for despair. Crises are critical junctures that can provide unique opportunities for needed change. This is especially so for the church today. Experts tell
I have found Psalm 1 to be a guiding principle in my life and ministry; it speaks to my theology and character as a pastor. In Psalm 1, we learn that God wants to bless us and to make us fruitful, but it is up to us to make choices that will lead us to God’s blessings. By choosing the
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16356947/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] Rev. Dr. Zaki L. Zaki is pastor of Roselle United Methodist Church in Roselle, Illinois and Founder and President of The Middle Eastern United Methodist Caucus. Let us hear from you: podcast@worldmethodist.org Find us on Social Media: Facebook Twitter Instagram Connect with Rob on Social Media @DrRobHaynes Check out
In our particular cultural moment, have you noticed a longing for values or traits that may seem absent in public life? Warren Bennis famously outlined key leadership characteristics, identifying vision, inspiration, empathy, and trustworthiness as essential leadership characteristics. We long for leaders who model them; this longing seems innate in us. In Scripture we quickly see that Jesus modeled these
I am horrible at waiting. I don’t always hate waiting itself, but I have expectations. When something is not done in the timeframe I expect, I get an attitude — and keep waiting. Right now, we are all waiting for the pandemic to pass. Social distancing, quarantining, and staying home are taking a toll on many of us. How do
One of the wonderful things we do at WME is to train leaders all over the world to show and share the love of Jesus. We do this through in-person gatherings as well as through virtual gatherings. A few years ago, I was in Kenya teaching about Embrace, an understanding of faith sharing that focuses on six essential values –
Our 2019-2020 RIM resident, Eliza Edge, has returned to the US after placement in Auckland, NZ. The Residency In Mission (RIM) program provides opportunities for host ministries to strengthen the work in their local contexts, while offering Residents an environment in which to grow in their ministry service. In partnership with ministries in the host church, this program helps aspiring residents
[iframe style=”border:none” src=”//html5-player.libsyn.com/embed/episode/id/16173668/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] How is sharing our faith connected to restoring relationships? Is repentance a condition of acceptance? When we show and share the love of Jesus, why is it important to open our arms in welcome before we do anything else? Let us hear from you: podcast@worldmethodist.org Find us on Social
When it comes to sharing the love of Christ with the world, the connection between what we say we believe and how we live out those beliefs is crucial. Our integrity is directly related to the strength of that connection. If there is a gap between what we say we believe and the way we live our lives, we lose
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