[Mel Lawrenz is Teaching Pastor at Elmbrook Church and the author of 19 books, including, Spiritual Leadership Today (Zondervan).] ______________ Almost every civilization seeks purification. Its features vary widely, but people seek the same end: to be rid of what pollutes us, and to enjoy that elusive quality: purity. In Bali, when a child is three months […]
Cleaning Up Our Act Read More »
Mel Lawrenz is Minister at Large for Elmbrook Church and the author of the brand new How to Study the Bible: A Practical Guide. (This Monday was Labor Day in the U.S., an observation that appears in different forms in dozens of other countries.) We all work. Those who work in offices or on highways, those
What the Bible Says About Work Read More »
The ever-widening scandal of Pastor Bill Hybels’ behavior with women over many years is only the outermost edge of the shockwave. Equally as devastating has been the woeful response of Willow Creek’s leaders. The resignation of Hybel’s successor, Steve Carter, with a stinging rebuke of Willow Creek’s leaders’ response, all before the convening of the Global Leadership Summit, ought to put hundreds of thousands of Christian leaders around the world on notice: this is a time reckoning. And an opportunity to correct.
The Willow Creek Crisis – Time of Reckoning for All Leaders Read More »
Once in a while the attention of the whole world is focussed on an act of salvation. That is what has been happening in these days when in Thailand 12 boys on a soccer team and their coach are being rescued from a deep dark place in the middle of a cave system. The story
Rescue in Thailand, Rescue for Us All Read More »
Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. Leviticus 25:10 If you go to the city of Philadelphia today, you can visit a historic eighteenth-century building which contains a room called Independence Hall. This ordinary room was the place where, on July 4, 1776, men signed the Declaration of
The Sound of Freedom Read More »
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with
Reverence and Respect Read More »
The first part of the Ten Commandments describe what a right relationship with God looks like, and the second set of commandments describe the way to live rightly with other people. The fifth commandment is a call to honor our fathers and our mothers. For some reason we sometimes only think of this as small
The Ten Commandments and Our Relationships With Others Read More »
For Thanksgiving Day Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. -Philippians 4:6 Dear God, You have invited us to give you thanks, and this is what we wish to do. We are living in a time of great anxiety, but you
For Thanksgiving Day Read More »
Confederate statues are quickly emerging as the focus in the national strife we are in. There is a great danger here. Symbols are important, but not as important as what they symbolize, frequently requiring interpretation. 500 years ago Martin Luther was deeply troubled when he heard about crowds tearing down statues in Wittenberg because
The violent clash in the beautiful city of Charlottesville should prompt us to think through and insist on basic moral leadership at all levels in our society. The alternative is unthinkable. Some thoughts… Our society needs moral leadership now. Moral leadership is not a function of public relations. Moral leadership must use words to clearly
Some Thoughts on Moral Leadership Read More »