[Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing a series by one of my friends and mentors, Ed Underwood, on sustaining friendships– a topic critical for our every day lives as Christians and for all those in leadership.] Guest Post by Ed Underwood In the early, early morning of Saturday, April 12, 2008 I was […]
Why We Need Sustaining Friendships Read More »
Guest Post by Rick McKinley Last Fall I preached a sermon series at Imago Dei called Compelled by Love based on the text in 2 Corinthians 5 where Paul explains his ministry as being driven by the love of Christ. The scriptures always call us back to love as the starting point and the ending point
How do you keep up the energy to run an active and thriving church? Easy. Bring in 20-30 college interns every summer who minister, ignite and champion the mission and vision of the local church. March is the time of year when Antioch receives applications from students spread across the country who are eager to be
Antioch Internship: Application Deadline April 1st Read More »
Bob Bouwer, Senior Pastor of Faith Church (RCA) in Dyer, Indiana led his congregation through a U-turn experience in 1994, shifting the church’s focus from personal preferences to biblical principles. Under his leadership and by God’s grace, the average weekend attendance has grown to over 5,000 worshipping at six different locations. Bob has a heart
Bob Bouwer on the U-Turn Church Read More »
A good friend of mine and mentor once said, “I’m not a big fan of my peer group.” It was a wild comment. My friend is in his sixties, has been a pastor for some thirty plus years and is a mentor to many younger pastors—yet, he is one of the biggest critics of his
The Only Thing Worse Than Bad Leaders Read More »
Rev. Alexia Salvatierra is currently the Special Assistant to the Bishop for Welcoming Congregations for the Southwest California Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. She also serves as a consultant (training, facilitating, organizing and leading strategic planning) for a variety of national/international organizations, including World Vision USA/World Vision International/Women of Vision, Intervarsity Christian
Faith-Rooted Organizing with Alexia Salvatierra Read More »
[Sketch of Peter sinking, by Rembrandt] I’ve been thinking a lot about hardship lately: hardship in relationships, hardship in the work place, hardship with critics, difficult people or challenging circumstances. Hardships, as frustrating as they are, seem to be commonplace in scripture. To me, as I reflect on the way the heroes of the faith
Check out what Dorothy Sayers, a contemporary of C.S. Lewis, writes about the diminishing appreciation for literature in her time. I couldn’t help thinking that the same line of reasoning could be applied to the decline of appreciation for “church” within the Christian community in our time. It is amazing how we ride the tides
Dorothy Sayers on Literature (and the Church?) Read More »
Lately, I’ve been noticing that most of the things that God created for believers are pretty unattractive on the outside. Think about it. Baptism is really really awkward. Reading the Bible never seems that important or fun. Church often feels stale or sticky. Solitude is always down on our list. Fasting, by definition, is the
Velvet on the Inside Read More »
