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Two Coffee Shops
A Parable for Pastors Once upon a time there were two brothers, Al and Zack. Al liked making coffee. He served it in his kitchen. “This is delicious,” people said, and they invited others. Soon the group outgrew Al’s kitchen. He set up chairs in the living room. Al liked people — liked knowing their…
Read MoreThe Calling of the Small Church Ministry
Don Johnson Somewhat surprising to me, there actually are a number of writers on the internet who are addressing small churches, their needs and methods. It is encouraging to find these resources (though I can’t say I would agree entirely with the ministry philosophy of many writers). Many of them address concerns I have faced…
Read MoreTraining New Leadership
Paul Downey The Bible doesn’t provide a lot of biographical information about the man known as Barnabas in the Book of Acts, but it does present a man worthy of our admiration and emulation. His selflessness and generosity are seen in accounts of his activities as well as in the sometimes surprising silence of the…
Read MoreA Worthy Walk – Part 3
Jim Oesterwind Part 1 ♦ Part 2 “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who…
Read MoreMeditating on God’s Blessings
Beneth Jones To the born-again Christian, Thanksgiving is far more than a designated day in autumn. It is — or should be — a state of being. With Jeremiah we can say, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is…
Read MoreProsperity and Poison
Aaron Blumer Prepare your heart for Christmas … and Black Friday! Last summer our garage acquired a new addition to its collection of lethal chemicals: a bottle of fungicide now adorns a high shelf. The chemical’s intended purpose is to keep the tomatoes alive and prospering, and it has proved to be wonderful stuff. But…
Read MoreThe Qur’an: Another Gospel
John C. Vaughn The Christian doctrines of inspiration and preservation explain the reverence that Bible believers have for the Word of God, but there are also Islamic doctrines of inspiration and preservation that explain the Muslims’ loyalty to the Qur’an. Some unbelievers are quick to argue that the “holy books” of various religions have only…
Read MoreA Worthy Walk – Part 2
Jim Oesterwind Part 1 is here. “You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe; as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls…
Read MoreWorth Reading — The Christian Ministry
Charles Bridges’ The Christian Ministry Mark Minnick In 1839, a saintly young Scottish pastor named Robert Murray M’Cheyne took up his pen to write to his dear friend, Andrew Bonar, about a trip to the Holy Land. The purpose of the six-month visit was to inquire into the state of the Jews in the hopes…
Read MoreHome Sweet Home
Ben Strohbehn An architect can design a house. A contractor can build a house. But only God can transform a house into a home. Do you remember the song, “Home, Sweet Home”? Remember how it begins? ‘Mid pleasures and palaces, Though we may warn, Be it ever so humble, There’s no place like home. But…
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