If We’re to Influence the World, We Can’t Let the World Influence Us I’ve written a lot about personal influence, but not so much about church influence. As followers of Jesus, we should seek to influence others, to have a positive impact on them. This means we must seek positive influences for our lives and […]
To Get the Right Results, Choose the Best Source A worldview is a person’s beliefs about life and living that shapes how they see the world. We all have a worldview. It forms from the earliest moments of our lives and comes from various sources, such as parents, schools, and friends. As we grow older, […]
Athaliah is an evil woman. She encourages her son, the king, to act wickedly. He does and is soon assassinated. Then Athaliah seizes control and asserts herself as queen. Her lust for power is so great, she kills all the members of the royal family, including her own grandchildren. One baby, however, is rescued by […]
We Must Pick Up Our Cross and Follow Jesus Many people profess Jesus but follow the world instead of following him. We shouldn’t live close to the world. We should keep a safe distance. Though we don’t need to change our behavior to earn God’s favor, we should want to change in response for what […]
We Distort Scripture If We Try to Adapt It to Fit Society’s Views I write about the need to be careful when reading Scripture to not interpret it through the lens of our experiences, perspectives, and practices. When we do so it clouds our understanding. We must likewise be careful not to read the Bible […]
4 Ideals We Should Pursue to Stay True to Jesus As followers of Jesus, we must take care to not let the influences of our world negate our understanding of our Savior and what he stands for. This must be an ongoing effort, because worldly ideas bombard us all day long and not God-honoring principles. […]
Four Action Items to Guide Dads to Raise Great Children Making a baby doesn’t make a male a father. Not really. Helping to raise the children they produce is what truly makes a male a man. Here are four goals for fathers to guide us into being the best dad we can be. Be Present […]
A Church and Its Congregation Shouldn’t Let a Corporate Mentality Infiltrate It’s Thinking In “Why Business Practices Hurt the Church” we discussed how business thinking has improperly affected the big-picture perspectives of church. Yet the business mindset goes deeper than that, negatively influencing church practices and attendee attitudes. Spiritual Outcomes Are Not Quantifiable The business […]
Study Scripture and Then Use Other Resources as Needed My book Jesus’s Broken Church was about a decade in the making, perhaps longer—maybe even a lifetime. When I sensed something wasn’t right with how today’s church functioned, I begin praying and searching for answers. Over time, piece by piece, God’s Holy Spirit revealed the answers […]
Lot Is Blessed When Abraham Is Near When Abram went to the land God promised him, he took Lot with him even though he wasn’t supposed to. Abram had to deal with the consequences of his decision. Consider the rise and fall of Lot. For Lot, there were consequences too. When he traveled with Abram, […]