Over the next several weeks, we are going to present easy ways for pastors and teachers to explore the Bible on the topics of money and generosity. Although this is not a systematic study, it should give you many executable teaching outlines as well as some video and audio sermons from pastors who are champions for these subjects. If you have sermons that you would like to share, feel free to mention those – ... read full post

Over the next several weeks, we are going to present easy ways for pastors and teachers to explore the Bible on the topics of money and generosity. Although this is not a systematic study, it should give you many executable teaching outlines as well as some video and audio sermons from pastors who are champions for these subjects. If you have sermons that you would like to share, feel free to mention those – ... read full post

Francis Chan speaks transparently about the struggles that came with the fame of a best selling book and regular speaking engagements. In the end, he calls churches and church leaders to consider the benefits of simplicity.

This video is 31 minutes long, so this is not a typical blog post. If you decide to watch this video, you won't leave this page in ... read full post

A few people in the social media world have rightly noted that the bombing in Boston was the ultimate act of cowardice. To sneak in among the innocent, drop a bomb and slip away to hide is a spineless act. Those who side with terrorism should be embarrassed this morning.

Interestingly, this act of cowardice has prompted some to mention the courage that will be displayed as we seek the perpetrator of these ... read full post

I realized today that Pinterest is the world’s largest site of “that-looks-great-but-I’ll-never-actually-do-it” ideas. Seriously, who takes the time to turn bar soap into liquid soap? And how many people who are pinning these exercise techniques are really using them?

I went back and looked at some of my own Pinterest boards this morning and have to confess that I will never have a ... read full post  |  1 comments

Church health and community health are interconnected. A church will never thrive if it isolates itself from the community and each community needs the loving service of active churches. (Even the best governmental system cannot replace the work of the local church.)

There’s only one problem: Churches and communities are often wary of each other.

Churches that reach out to the community are ... read full post  |  1 comments

I’ve been following with interest the Supreme Court hearings addressing homosexual marriage. I’ve also been following faith leaders’ reactions to these hearings...looking for insights to help me sort through my own feelings about the issues at hand. In searching the web for Christian leaders’ insights, I ran across an older interview with Tim Keller at Columbia University. The ... read full post

What would Good Friday look like if Jesus had decided to take care of Himself – for just this one day?

If you are over the age of about 20, you have probably seen the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Let me rephrase that. If you’re over 20, you’ve probably seen the movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” a ridiculous number of times. We know the story. We’ve ... read full post

Lesslie Newbigin - the 20th century British missiologist - once said, "The church is supposed to be a foretaste of the full on reign of God." In other words, when the church is living out its mission, it is the kingdom of God made visible; it is "God's will being done on earth as it is in heaven."

Brian Hopkins of Journey Church in Bozeman, Montana uses that Newbigin quote to dive into a sermon called "The ... read full post

Your money just called and asked for directions. It is trying to get to your heart.

Okay, cheesy jokes aside, this is a serious issue. Your money is not neutral.

There is an argument in Christian circles that says money is amoral, or neutral. Some people use the illustration of a brick to demonstrate this. They say, “You can use a brick to smash a window, or you can use a brick to build a ... read full post  |  2 comments