A Personal Story of Growing in Faith and Action [This personal essay first appeared in The Transformation Project: A West Michigan Word Weavers Anthology.] A caterpillar turns into a butterfly; a tadpole becomes a frog. People can change too. We call it transformation. Here’s my story. 1. The Bible Matters We moved between fourth and […]
Our Past Doesn’t Need to Define Our Future With our journey of visiting fifty-two churches over, I can reflect more on the complete experience. Today, I’ll add to my thoughts about Church #32. Our experience at this church was positive, and I’m excited for their future. There is more to it, however. Here is their […]
How to Identify a False Teacher Peter writes to caution the early church about false teachers, leaders who misguide, doing more harm to the church of Jesus than good. We need to watch out for them. Here are some of the characteristics of a preacher gone bad. False Teachers I’ve known preachers like this. I’ve […]
Martin Luther Wanted to Work Within the Church to Bring About Change but They Kicked Him Out Martin Luther intended to work out his ninety-five theses within the Church leadership. However, once the masses read and heard them in their own language—through no fault of Martin’s—an internal Church discussion became impossible. A revolution brewed. The […]
Embrace the Benefits of Meeting Together When we can’t attend church, to meet in person, and must experience a service online, does that count as going to church? The essential parts of the service are the same. There is music, a message, and a prayer or two. F or these three key elements, the result […]
Ideas for Having a House Church Over the years there have been times when I couldn’t go to church. I’m not talking about the Sundays I was ill or traveling. Instead, I’m referring to times when the church canceled its service. These have included weather-related problems, power outages, no heat, and construction issues. Each of […]
Gamaliel Offers Wise Advice for Whenever Religious Factions Stand in Opposition Paul’s in jail, imprisoned for doing what God told him to do. This isn’t Paul’s first incarceration for his faith in Jesus, and it won’t be his last. When his trial finally begins, his detractors levy four charges against him, which they use to […]
Discover What the Bible Says and Doesn’t Say We’re supposed to tithe to the local church, to give 10 percent of our income, right? Hold on. Not so fast. What does the Bible say about tithing? The Bible talks a lot about tithing, of giving one tenth of what we have to God. However, there […]
When we arrive at church portrays something about us. More importantly it reveals much about the importance we place on God and worshipping him. Aside from conditioned and cultural predispositions towards punctuality, we also have personal circumstances that can interfere with our best intentions. Having a baby, small children, or many children can all impede […]
Go into All the World and Make Disciples About two billion people in the world call themselves Christians, more than those who align themselves with any other religion. But how many will call themselves disciples of Jesus? The Bible never tells us to make Christians or even to be a Christian. But it talks a […]