He's Even Better than That

Who does the work of making you into a new person -- you, or the Almighty? And if we say he does it all, then are we just trying to avoid our own responsibility? That's been a long debate in church circles, taking many forms with many different twists and turns, and with many five-

Is It All God's Fault?

A guest post from my friend and fellow pastor Linda Rex. Worth a careful, thoughtful and prayerful read:

https://newhope4me.wordpress.com/2016/10/21/is-it-all-gods-fault/

Have a blessed day!

Being Great by Serving First

Serving is almost always hard work, even if you do it for a living (think of your food servers at restaurants -- they work very hard taking care of customers). The one Servant who tops them all, Jesus Christ our Savior, served to the point of pain, giving his body and life to a torturous death on the cross (before his triumphant, world-changing resurrection). But even before

Praying The Alphabet

The story is told of a woman privileged to listen in on the bedtime prayers of her granddaughter. She expected to hear the normal list of requests for blessings and so forth, but instead heard her beloved little angel reciting the alphabet. "Why are you saying the alphabet?" she asked the little one. "Because I don't

The Astonishing Power of the Church

A guest post from Karl Vaters, who writes on the power of small churches for Christianity Today:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/karl-vaters/2016/october/astonishing-power-of-small-churches-looking-ahead.html?paging=off

This is good material for reading and prayer, whether you're a pastor or the average church member in an average (read "30 people or less") flock.

How does it hit you? Do you see the grace of God in these words, for pastors and for all those looking for hope and God's love in this world? How would you go outside your home with these words? What does this inspire you to pray for?  To do?

The Opposite of Sin Is...

Last time I wrote, I speculated that the root cause of sin is selfishness:  putting ourselves and our own self-interest, as we perceive it, before everything else. I could be wrong, of course, and you're free to give me another view of it, but that's how it seems to me. We watch constantly for some threat