Posts Tagged ‘Christian Service’
The Kind of People that God Uses
The Ideal What kind of men and women does the Lord use mightily in ministry? In answer to this question, we tend to think of individuals who seem very different from us. We might envision a strong, gifted evangelist who boldly preaches Christ to the masses. Perhaps we think of a rugged, pioneer missionary who…
Read MoreAs a Dying Man to Dying Men
“A life still near to death, did me possess, With a deep sense of time’s great preciousness. Still thinking I had little time to live, My fervent heart to win men’s souls did strive. I preach’d, as never sure to preach again, And as a dying man to dying men!” ~ Richard Baxter Richard Baxter…
Read MoreTime Is a Thief!
2023 is upon us! Where did the year go? Seems like yesterday we were on the cusp of 2022. For some, time seems to move so fast they are heard to say, “Time is a thief!” Is time really a thief? What is time stealing? Time is a gift from God, owned by God, and…
Read MoreFour Big Ideas about Spiritual Gifts
There are two primary passages in the New Testament that address the issue of spiritual gifts: Romans 12, and 1 Corinthians 12-14. While a few other passages mention spiritual gifts, they are secondary in importance to the discussion. There are four “big idea” thoughts about spiritual gifts that I think believers need to be reminded…
Read MoreMotivation: Why We Serve
The intrepid newspaper reporter, Henry Stanley, and his flamboyant entourage marched into Ujiji, a rustic African village in modern-day Tanzania. Had he finally found his man? In the autumn of 1871, the western world awaited Stanley’s report. Other search parties had failed to locate the long-lost explorer, but now an African man pointed Stanley to…
Read MoreSmall Church, Small Town Ministry … So Many Opportunities! So Many Blessings!
Last week, I wrote about the joys and challenges of small church, rural ministry. To be sure, these kinds of ministries come with a unique set of challenges. But they also come with many wonderful opportunities. I mentioned my first ministry among the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) in Manitoba. My family lived in a Métis community of…
Read MoreThe Joys and Challenges of Small Church Ministry
Recently, I had the joy of ministering to a church in a community in southern Minnesota whose posted population was 1322. The village is on a secondary road that runs north to south and is located about forty miles from the third largest city in Minnesota, Rochester. Rochester itself boasts a population of less than…
Read MoreWhy the FBFI?
We enjoyed tremendous services and other sessions at our recent annual meeting, held at Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Greenville, SC. You can find audio and video for our sessions here (not all sessions recorded in video). One of our afternoon panel discussions featured a worthy question for our panelists, “Why join the FBFI?” Our…
Read MoreDementia’s Drowning Caregiver
Let’s face it—every dementia patient has a person, usually family member, who serves as main caregiver. Any other caregivers that come into the home, serve as assistant caregivers. Whenever I post about Ron’s dementia or his assistant caregivers, I point up something funny or good that happens. I usually share about the positive aspects of…
Read MoreWhat Is an “Open Door?”
When Christians speak about open doors, we often mean something different than when Scripture uses this phrase. In Scripture, “open doors” usually refers to – well, um – open doors, as in actual doors opening to a temple, house, tent, prison, or even a bathroom. But Paul uses this concept four times as a metaphor…
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