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Church Matters
Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Being in ministry provides leaders with a front-row seat to the good, the bad, and the ugly of people’s lives. If I’ve learned anything through the years, it’s this: Life is messy. And it doesn’t come with a nicely packaged answer to suit every occasion. Consequently,...

Understanding Victim Blaming

Understanding Victim Blaming

My pastor sat in his chair and steepled his fingers as he listened to my confession. When I finished, he asked me, “Did you enter this relationship with your consent?” I thought about my constant stream of nos, the boundaries pushed and prodded over and over, the...

Resisting the Hero Narrative

Resisting the Hero Narrative

We want heroes and want to be heroes. We imagine ourselves as the Billy Grahams, the Elijahs. We like to imagine ourselves in their company. We want to be that effective. To shape a society where our set of values and preferences is the norm. Where we can fit in and...

Stepping into the Impossible

Stepping into the Impossible

There comes a time to move and to act. God commanded his people to do the impossible and step into the flooding waters: “Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing....

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Imagine greeting a family member without a hug, handshake, or smile. Your lack of enthusiasm would reveal a great deal about how you felt—or didn’t feel—about that relative. Imagine your favorite team in your favorite sport winning the game. Enthusiasm would be the...

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

There is a special joy for a Christian in teaching, because for every subject there is a backdrop of God’s reality and presence. For instance, in the teaching of mathematics, the lesson is about truth and distinguishing truth from falsehood: God is the God of all...

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental health challenges can affect anyone, including pastors. Raising awareness and providing support within faith-based education is essential for equipping religious leaders with the tools they need to effectively serve their communities. The following are some key...

Embracing Insufficiency: Leading with Weakness

Embracing Insufficiency: Leading with Weakness

A Call to Insufficiency How often have you thought, I’m the wrong guy for this? Right. And wrong. At the same time. Deep pastoral wellness begins with reckoning—a reality check of sorts. Without complaining, we need an objective view of ministry realities. Gospel...

Living Out Faith Beyond Boundaries

Living Out Faith Beyond Boundaries

“I'm on a mission to end missions.” This was the wild proclamation I found myself scribbling down during what some might call a “burnout” or crisis of faith. After devoting more than half my life to Christian humanitarian work around the globe, I was exhausted and...

Liturgy in Worship: Rediscovering Depth

Liturgy in Worship: Rediscovering Depth

EACH WEEK, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Christians all over the world go to church. There are some constants. In almost every church, Christians are praying, reading the Bible, hearing sermons, singing songs, and sometimes receiving the Lord’s Supper. There are also...

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Does God Really Care If I Get a Sex Change? 

Being in ministry provides leaders with a front-row seat to the good, the bad, and the ugly of people’s lives. If I’ve learned anything through the years, it’s this: Life is messy. And it doesn’t come with a nicely packaged answer to suit every occasion. Consequently,...

Understanding Victim Blaming

Understanding Victim Blaming

My pastor sat in his chair and steepled his fingers as he listened to my confession. When I finished, he asked me, “Did you enter this relationship with your consent?” I thought about my constant stream of nos, the boundaries pushed and prodded over and over, the...

Resisting the Hero Narrative

Resisting the Hero Narrative

We want heroes and want to be heroes. We imagine ourselves as the Billy Grahams, the Elijahs. We like to imagine ourselves in their company. We want to be that effective. To shape a society where our set of values and preferences is the norm. Where we can fit in and...

Stepping into the Impossible

Stepping into the Impossible

There comes a time to move and to act. God commanded his people to do the impossible and step into the flooding waters: “Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing....

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Does Our Enthusiasm Matter to God?

Imagine greeting a family member without a hug, handshake, or smile. Your lack of enthusiasm would reveal a great deal about how you felt—or didn’t feel—about that relative. Imagine your favorite team in your favorite sport winning the game. Enthusiasm would be the...

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

The Spiritual Sub-text of Music

There is a special joy for a Christian in teaching, because for every subject there is a backdrop of God’s reality and presence. For instance, in the teaching of mathematics, the lesson is about truth and distinguishing truth from falsehood: God is the God of all...

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental Health Awareness in Theological Education

Mental health challenges can affect anyone, including pastors. Raising awareness and providing support within faith-based education is essential for equipping religious leaders with the tools they need to effectively serve their communities. The following are some key...

Embracing Insufficiency: Leading with Weakness

Embracing Insufficiency: Leading with Weakness

A Call to Insufficiency How often have you thought, I’m the wrong guy for this? Right. And wrong. At the same time. Deep pastoral wellness begins with reckoning—a reality check of sorts. Without complaining, we need an objective view of ministry realities. Gospel...

Living Out Faith Beyond Boundaries

Living Out Faith Beyond Boundaries

“I'm on a mission to end missions.” This was the wild proclamation I found myself scribbling down during what some might call a “burnout” or crisis of faith. After devoting more than half my life to Christian humanitarian work around the globe, I was exhausted and...

Liturgy in Worship: Rediscovering Depth

Liturgy in Worship: Rediscovering Depth

EACH WEEK, HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of Christians all over the world go to church. There are some constants. In almost every church, Christians are praying, reading the Bible, hearing sermons, singing songs, and sometimes receiving the Lord’s Supper. There are also...

Helping Your Small Group Thrive

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