Wesleyan Accent Archive | World Methodist Evangelism

Lost in Translation: Lessons from Language Can Help Us Share the Gospel by Kim Reisman

Kim Reisman April 25, 2019

In my leadership role with World Methodist Evangelism, I frequently preach and teach in international environments, depending heavily on the skills of translators and interpreters. These are gifted people! I recall teaching on evangelism in Vladivostok, Russia a few years ago. I was trying to make an important point, which in English is not difficult to understand. It’s the idea

What Providence Looks Like by Brian Yeich

Brian Yeich April 24, 2019

At times it seems that people who come from Wesleyan Methodist backgrounds have an “arm’s length” relationship with the idea of providence. At its most basic level, providence is the activity of God working out God’s redemptive plans for his creation. It’s God working out a rescue plan for creation, and the idea that God is working behind the scenes

Make Buildings that Won’t Be Burnt Up by Philip Tallon

Philip Tallon April 22, 2019

A wise art teacher used to say, “Make art that won’t be burnt up.” He meant, make art that will outlast the last judgment. Make art that will count as one of the “glories of the nations” brought into the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:26). Beauty attracts us, even when our reasons are unconvinced.

Serving Like Jesus by Maxie Dunnam

Maxie Dunnam April 18, 2019

As we practice the disciplines of submission and serving, we are freed from the terrible burden of always needing to get our own way, and we find the freedom to value and serve others.

Egg Salad and Easter Sunday: Preaching the Messiness of Hope by Karen Bates

Karen Bates April 15, 2019

I wondered how hungry the man was to steal an egg salad sandwich from a convenience store. I also wondered how he would have reacted to the customer’s kindness. He left without knowing his debt was paid. He was free to go. The food belonged to him.

The Terrible Precipice Of Knowing: Black Holes, Enlightenment, And The Divine by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner April 10, 2019

There is a moment you stand on the brink, or the brink stands on you. The inexorable draw pulls you in, like gravity, like the current; at the moment you must fight to get away or be drawn in forever, you are the most tempted to pause with quickened breath as you weigh whether the knowledge of what lies on

Evangelism and The Short-Term Mission Trip by Rob Haynes

Rob Haynes April 8, 2019

With the coming of spring and the anticipation of summer, many churches in the United States are preparing for the Short-Term Mission (STM) “season.” Churches frequently use a domestic or international STM trip as a standard part of regular programming for youth and adults of all ages. STM has been billed as a way for American churches to spread the

The Gift Of Telling Your Story by Briana McDonough

Briana McDonough April 8, 2019

Do you like to tell stories? The gospel of Mark tells us Jesus was “never without a story when he spoke.” If the listener’s heart was like good soil, (if they could not only hear but also truly listen) the seeds of those stories would go down deep inside, be protected, nourished, then sprout roots, dig in, hold on, and

An Invitation to Joy: Serving Well by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer March 16, 2019

Today we encounter two men, Timothy and Epaphroditus, who have chosen to believe what Paul has taught them about joy. They don’t just believe it, they are putting into action the things they’ve learned. Their stories serve as perfect examples of how serving well leads to joy.

The Story of Two Mountains: A Transfiguration Meditation by Jackson Lashier

Jackson Lashier March 14, 2019

In this mysterious moment, known to history as “the Transfiguration,” Jesus reveals to the disciples his true nature. And to their shock, his true nature is the glory of God shining from his face. Present with the disciples, and beholding the same incredible sight, is Moses, the prophet who had asked on Mt. Sinai to see God’s glory. Only now,

The Pain Of Misalignment: God And The Disordered Body by Elizabeth Glass Turner

elizabeth.turner January 17, 2019

The statement on the website shouted loudly and clearly what many people instinctively know if they let themselves notice it: The Key to Relieving Pain Is Fixing Our Misalignment. I was visiting a website that sells therapeutic insoles for people with aching feet. The promises of pain relief were backed up by “Science” and a compelling founder’s story from a man who just wanted his little boy to

What Defines You This Year? by Otis T. McMillan

Otis McMillan January 16, 2019

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” – Matthew 5:6 The proper appetite is required to be filled: am I hungry enough? With the disciples sitting at the feet of Jesus, he shared with them key points of his teachings. In this verse, Jesus declares that those that hunger and thirst for

A Hard Reset by Edgar Bazan

Edgar Bazan January 10, 2019

What do you do when a phone freezes, stops working, or is unresponsive? You toss it to the ground, step on it really hard, and make sure is completely crashed, right? Well, probably not. Most likely you do what most of us have done: we reset our phones to reactivate its functions, we don’t discard it. Depending on how bad

How Church Personalities Reveal Epiphany Living by Priscilla Hammond

Priscilla Hammond January 9, 2019

Churches have personalities, expressed through their organization, Christian education
processes, preaching, and worship. Each can have strengths and challenges, but the diversity is reflective of the differences we see in people, including the
Apostles.

Instead of focusing on which
organizational structure or form of worship we prefer, we need to ask if our church is manifesting Christ

Our Greatest Leadership Challenge of the New Year by James Petticrew

James Petticrew January 1, 2019

I have often thought when hearing of another nose-dive from ministry, “not him?” but underlying that has been a naive attitude that has assumed that it won’t ever be me.

Finding Joy and Peace this Christmas Week by Michelle Bauer

Michelle Bauer December 24, 2018

Christmas is almost here! Thinking backing over the last few weeks, when have you felt the most peaceful? When have you felt the most stress or anxiety? As you think ahead to the coming week, what are you looking forward to? What, if anything, are you dreading? Offer those things into God’s care.

Gaudete by James Petticrew

James Petticrew December 17, 2018

Yesterday was the third Sunday of Advent, called Gaudete Sunday; “gaudete” is Latin for “rejoice.” Even a cursory reading of the Bible reveals that joy and rejoicing are an inevitable overflow in the lives of people who have understood and experienced God at work in their lives.

Advent, Esther, & the Absence of God by Jackson Lashier

Jackson Lashier December 16, 2018

As good as the story of Esther is, however, it presents us with a problem: God is absent. Unlike other Old Testament stories, where we read of God appearing to Abraham or working behind the scenes to foil the plans of the Pharaoh, the story of Esther never mentions God. Rather, the characters in Esther appear to be acting on

Looking to Share Your Faith? Slow Your Pace by Rob Haynes

Rob Haynes December 10, 2018

We live in a culture that wants to move faster and faster still. But, is faster always better? There are some things about going slow that you cannot get when you are moving fast. When I was serving as a youth minister, I took the youth group hiking to the top of a small mountain. At the end of the

Hope in a Diner Booth by Karen Bates

Karen Bates December 10, 2018

At a time in my life when things were not like I wanted, I sat in a restaurant booth across from a friend as tears streamed down my face explaining how everything was going wrong. The holidays were around the corner. I was short on cash. I was helping other people but no one asked me if I needed help.

Subscribe

Get articles delivered directly to your inbox as soon as they come out.

Search:

categories: