Celebrating the Spirituality of Everyday Life Are You a Spiritual Person? What parts of your life are spiritual? Sorry. Trick question. All parts of our lives are spiritual. Seriously. It’s just that most people don’t know it. Most people think of church as a spiritual activity and everything else is not, as in secular. They […]
I’ve heard a great deal about the minister and this church. I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. I have high expectations. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #42: 1. Inside we weave through a throng of people, but no one acknowledges us. We’re invisible. Do they even care about newcomers, or are […]
Too Many People Are Spiritual Consumers Who Pursue a Retail Religion This idea of receiving services influences our church selection process. Seldom do people look for a church that gives them the opportunity to serve. Instead they look for a church for the benefits it provides: the music, the message, and the ministries. They’re church […]
Be Sure to Follow Through on What You Promise to Do Have you ever promised God that you’d do something for him? Sometimes these occur from the Holy Spirit’s stirring within our souls. Yet other times, these come at a traumatic moment in a person’s life when they’re in the middle of a crisis. They […]
We Demonstrate That We Follow Jesus through the Things That We Do I’ve written that we should treat love like a verb. I also suggested that we’ll do well to view Christian as a verb and not so much a noun (and certainly not an adjective). We should do the same thing with faith. Yes, […]
The newer building doesn’t look like a typical church. The sanctuary is open and inviting, with a comfortable feel. But what we will soon learn is that people make the difference. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #41: 1. “Hi, are you the DeHaans?” The usher’s question surprises me. Either he looked up Candy’s […]
God Doesn’t Want Us to Study Him; He Wants Us to Know Him When people first learn that I have a PhD and where I did my postgrad work, they assume I’m into theology. Imagine their disappointment to find out I don’t care about the concept or want to pursue a right theology, that I […]
Understanding the Background behind the Death of Uzzah The book of Numbers contains details that are easy to gloss over or dismiss as irrelevant, even boring. Yet they’re in the Bible for a reason, and we can learn something from each one of these verses, no matter how trivial they may seem. Such is the […]
Consider Your Attitude toward Church and Your Motivation for Going When I listen to people talk about church, I often hear what draws them in and what drives them away. They enthuse about programs for them and the youth group for their kids. They gush about the skill of the minister delivering inspiring sermons, the […]
Our destination is a church we’ve heard of often but know little about. Our favorable impression suggests a thriving, dynamic congregation. After the service they invite us back. I want to say yes, but our schedule won’t permit it. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #40: 1. As we walk inside, a young man […]