One of the most incredible aspects to a life of faith is that the believer is not out searching for God like some archaeologist trying to uncover a hidden and moss-covered mystery. God is searching for us. More than that, he calls us. Think of that. He calls us. He knows us because he created […]
Hearing the Call of God Read More »
Elmbrook Church will be one of 638 sites in 91 countries to carry the video feeds of Cape Town 2010, The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. At this event, the widest gathering of evangelical leaders in history, 4,000 men and women from 200 different countries will exchange views, study, and discuss the state of
Harvestfest Cape Town 2010 Read More »
In an advance paper for Cape Town 2010 Carver T. Yu (professor of theology in Hong Kong) says that people living in Asia have dealt with religious plurality always, but never pluralism. In other words, there have always been many different religions, but never the notion (common in the West) that truth is relative and
Stand Up for Truth Read More »
In mid-October when 4,000 Christian leaders from 200 countries gather in Cape Town, South Africa, to work on the issues surrounding the mission of the church in the world today Elmbrook Church will be the host site (one of 500 in 74 countries) for a video feed of some of the important presentations. Go here
Thousands of voices representing millions of people uniting for one purpose Read More »
Thousands of voices representing millions of people uniting for one purpose. You are invited.
Today I was in on an international phone conversation between a number of bloggers and Ajith Fernando, a well-known Christian leader from Sri Lanka and one of the main speakers next month at Cape Town 2010. One of the themes of his writings and ministry over the years is suffering and Christian faith. His recent
To Serve is to Suffer Read More »
We don’t learn that much about faith when we cower in spiritual ghettos of our own making–holed up in Fellowship Hall, the one-stop shopping approach to church, or the hide-behind-the-walls mentality. Navy Chaplain Terry Moran is having a faith-stretching experience by being in a war zone dodging bullets. But also because his partner, Religious Programs
The Chaplain and the Atheist Read More »
Now that Brett McCraken’s book about “hipster Christianity” is featured as a cover article in Christianity Today the reactions are heating up. Is he identifying a significant problem for many American evangelical churches, i.e. that they are trying way too hard to be cool and are thus putting up distractions or even losing gospel focus?
Reactions to Hipster Christianity Read More »
Part of the “global conversation” leading up to Cape Town 2010: The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization. What is the role of followers of Christ in the service of society, like political offices? What about the comments about “kings and those in authority” in 1 Timothy 2? Ram Gidoomal unpacks some of the issues
Christians in the Public Arena Read More »
A new book by Kenda Creasy Dean, a minister and a professor at Princeton Theological Seminary, Almost Christian, chronicles the decline of faith among American teens who are now following a “mutant” form of Christianity. And their elders may be to blame. Interviews with 3,300 teens between the ages of 13 and 17 found no
Mutant “Almost” Christian Faith Read More »
This week pastors.com offers some practical help on making sermon conclusions more effective. For instance: Use an argument. Anticipate the objections the audience might have and logically refute them. Use a warning. Warn them of the consequences of disobedience. Use indirect conviction. A good example is the story of Nathan and David (2 Samuel 12).
More Effective Sermon Conclusions Read More »
We all–leaders and non-leaders alike–have personal experiences that shake us to the core. Experiences which will break us and threaten to shatter us, but can strengthen us if we survive and grow. So it is with church congregations. Beyond personal crises which happen every week in the lives of at least some people in a
Earthquakes in the church Read More »
Why is it that the public prayers in worship often have so little thought and preparation behind them? I can confess my own reasons: it takes time and work, and I too often think of public prayer as doing what you do in private, just letting other people listen in through the PA system. But
Leading a church in prayer Read More »
I know you’ll get a smile from this 2 minute video called “The Luckiest People on Earth.”
Luckiest People on Earth Read More »
A quote from M. Craig Barnes (author of The Pastor as Minor Poet: Texts and Subtexts in the Ministerial Life): “The best preacher is always the local pastor. He or she is the one who is skilled not only in the exegesis of the Bible, but also in the exegesis of the congregation. This is
The crucible of preaching Read More »