The following reflection can be the starting point for a small group encounter based on Ephesians 4:29-30. As a leader, make your own personal application and then help your group to come to grips with the challenges of shaping speech for the edification of their listeners. I grew… Read More

Engaging millennials has been a growing concern for church leaders in the past several years, especially since in recent decades millennials are reported to be the fastest growing group of “nones”—the religiously unaffiliated. But while some millennials may be leaving the church, recent research by Billy Graham Center executive… Read More

After nearly 30 years of pastoral and missionary ministry I had read many books, always interested in the latest contribution of the popular writers on pastoral ministry, Scripture engagement, and evangelization. During my last three years of active pastoral ministry, I made a commitment to read only writers that… Read More

In order to fulfill God’s calling, we need to be serious about developing believers and preparing them to disciple, teach, and lead others. This series focuses on three key areas in developing others in a small group setting: 1. Overcoming an unhealthy reliance on ourselves 2. Read More

Once again, we’ll do our turkey and football thing for Thanksgiving. And church leaders may complain about how this holiday misses the mark: It’s not really about gratitude but about plenitude. We celebrate our excess. Too much food and a house full of relatives. Maybe so, but somewhere… Read More

In order to fulfill God’s calling, we need to be serious about developing believers and preparing them to disciple, teach, and lead others. This series focuses on two key areas in developing others in a small group setting: 1. Overcoming an unhealthy reliance on ourselves and 2. Read More

The 2014 movie Unbroken told only half the story of World War II veteran and prison camp survivor Louis Zamperini, but a new film – a sequel to that earlier hit – recounts the incredible second chapter in his life. Titled Unbroken: Path to Redemption, it… Read More

What takes a person from Bible reading to Bible engagement? How do the words on the page, or on the screen, become part of a conversation, the expression of a living relationship with a loving God? At one time or another, most of us have gone through the minimal… Read More

In one of my first seminary classes, I discovered what it meant to exegete a Bible text. I learned how to responsibly approach a passage, understand the original audience, discern the authorial intent, and interpret the Scriptures appropriately, all to help me grasp what God might be saying to… Read More

We live in a world shaped by trauma. News of horrific forms of violence taking place all across the globe shocks us. But we often don’t realize that violence and trauma are everyday occurrences in our own country—and our own homes. While some people in the United States face… Read More