Grief is the Gift that No One Wants
Let me say this before I say anything else. If you are in a season of grief and loss, nothing I can say will take away the pain that you are experiencing. Nothing. Nor would I want to do that. …
What a Prostitution Survivor Taught Me About Joy
I worked for a community mental health clinic in downtown Seattle for the first two years after graduate school. The clients at this location were considered the most severely traumatized and chemically dependent residents in the city. On my first …
How to Make the Lord’s Prayer Your Prayer
I have a friend who sums up the Lord’s Prayer this way: “Simply pray, and pray simply.” Don’t overcomplicate it. Don’t smother it in “should.” Don’t make it some sort of spiritual competition with others. Wow. Please. Help. Thanks. Yes!—start …
How To Rise Above Discouragement
While I was general director of the Overseas Missionary Fellowship, on one occasion I was to go to a conference of our missionaries in one of our fields. It was a Muslim field, a terribly resistant area where there had been …
The Reason We Don’t Ask God for What We Need
Perhaps one of the greatest reasons we don’t ask God for what we want or need is because we’re afraid that he won’t do it. We fear that he’ll say no, that he won’t answer the way we asked, or …
The Damage Done by the Gospel Americana
The Gospel Americana has created many Christians—passive, accommodating Christians who possess a sense of entitlement. They are trained consumers with a strong sense of individualism that overpowers the common good. A vocal minority are rigid and focus more on dogma …
Top 5 Disciple-Maker Articles from 2019
We posted over 100 articles in 2019 that have been read by thousands of people. We thank you for being a reader and disciple-maker alongside us. Here’s a countdown of your favorites; the most read articles in 2019. Top 5 …
When Praying Is Hard
I’ve been a pastor for over twenty years, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the following: “I just don’t know how to pray.” “I didn’t grow up doing this kind of stuff.” “I’ve found it hard …
What Churches Can Learn from the Language of Starbucks
Starbucks provides a great example of using language to invite people into a new way of thinking. When I’m in my local (non-Starbucks) coffee store, I often ask for a “grande.” To which the barista replies, “You mean a medium?” …
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The Message of Christmas
The story of Jesus’ birth has an immense progeny. Our planet fairly teems with stories and songs, paintings and drama that got their start from this story. The reproductive energies show no sign of tapering off. Writers and singers and …