Using Your Gifts

Using Your Gifts – “The testimony of Scripture is that throughout redemptive history, God’s people have used their gifts not just for those within the covenant community but for others as well.”

For Those Distracted with Much Serving

For Those Distracted with Much Serving – “God will accomplish His will with or without you. We are used to build the church. Amen! But it is fundamentally Christ who builds His church, not us. You and I are not necessary; only Jesus is.”

 

Counseling for Normal Christians

Counseling for Normal Christians – “People come to us just as we come to others: compound and complex, confused and confusing. People are seas, with hearts hidden deep. And God calls us to be divers.”

Use Your Comfort Zone to the Glory of God

Use Your Comfort Zone to the Glory of God – “‘Get out of your comfort zone.’ We hear it all the time, from friends, family, business leaders, church leaders, and actually, the whole rest of the world, it seems. But I’m going to encourage you here to do just the opposite: to find your comfort zone and stay in it.”

What Does It Mean to Serve God?

What Does It Mean to Serve God? – “All God-pleasing service is done in the moment-by-moment reliance upon God’s service-enabling power.”

Dear Nursery Worker: Thank You For Loving Our Family Like Christ

Dear Nursery Worker: Thank You For Loving Our Family Like Christ – This is so true!

Names Nobody Remembers

Names Nobody Remembers – “Though the world’s idea of success might see our small days lacking, our good God operates very differently. He has a knack for using people lost in the credit roll. We can see this beautifully in the story of the Israelites in Ezra and Nehemiah.”

S.L.O.W.: How to Love Hurting People

S.L.O.W.: How to Love Hurting People – “We all want to help when our friends are hurting, but we may not be sure where to begin.”

Dear Nursery Worker: Thank You For Loving Our Family Like Christ

Dear Nursery Worker: Thank You For Loving Our Family Like Christ – “Sister, if you ever feel like your job is useless as a nursery worker, if you ever feel like you’re doing no good for the kingdom, stomp out those lies. You’re loving those children, and you are loving those parents. You’re modeling Jesus…”

7 Things to Say to a Hurting Loved One

7 Things to Say to a Hurting Loved One – “We often find ourselves ill-equipped to speak words of life to hurting loved ones. Consider seven helpful phrases to keep near.”

Weep with Those Who Weep

Weep with Those Who Weep – “One of the benefits of being in the family of God relates to the fact that God both told us to weep with those who weep, but also, in the love of Jesus Christ and as part of His family, we naturally desire to weep with those who weep.”

Preach the Gospel, Die, and Be Remembered

Preach the Gospel, Die, and Be Remembered – “Why does it matter to us to be people who aren’t forgotten?”

Caregiving as a Calling and Ministry

Caregiving as a Calling and Ministry – “We want to reframe caregiving from an unexpected burden to a ministry that God lovingly calls us to.”

 

Bear One Another’s Burdens All the Way to Christ

Bear One Another’s Burdens All the Way to Christ – “We are to bear one another’s burdens, but we are not to try to hold those burdens indefinitely. We need to find a place that the burdens can land long-term. And God provides that place for us…”

 

10 Folks to Remember at Christmas

10 Folks to Remember at Christmas – “As we look forward to Christmas this year, don’t forget that Christmas isn’t easy for some folks. Here are some to pray for (and even reach out to) this year. Your gift of love might make a difference.”

 

Sometimes Efficiency Is Overrated

Sometimes Efficiency Is Overrated – “Efficiency is great when you need to make thousands of cars or grow acres of food. But sometimes efficiency gets in the way of the greater mission.”

Pursue a Talent-Without-End Discipleship Strategy

Pursue a Talent-Without-End Discipleship Strategy – “If a side isn’t constantly developing talent, they can rely too much on aging and burned-out stars. I fear we often do the same in the church.”

The Relational Pain of Ministry

The Relational Pain of Ministry – “Friends in the ministry can let you down and never return or care for you again.”

The Local Church Is Your Spiritual Gifts Test

The Local Church Is Your Spiritual Gifts Test – “Take all the paper exams you want; but until you finally commit yourself to a body of believers, you will never know how God has gifted you to serve them.”

 

God Wants You to Be a Burden

God Wants You to Be a Burden – “Burden bearing draws us together and grows our love. It’s one of the many ways Jesus grows his church. Find ways to share your burdens and to carry the burdens of others—and so fulfill the law of Christ.”