Search Results for: church

The growing season was upon me. I was sure that, like every new year, it was going to be great. I had added a new raised bed. I had dug up the soil and added amendments. A tomato plant I had started from seed was properly placed in the bed. I couldn’t wait to get…

I live in a weird culture. I grew up in, and still live in the Bible Belt where not that long ago, most people believed in Jesus and went to church. However, within my lifetime it has become more common for people not to go to church. But given the history of the area, a…

Reaching your field requires prayerful dependence on God. Reaching people far from God is a supernatural work. You simply can’t do it on your own effort. It requires a prayerful dependence on God every step of the way. I’ll never forget prayer walking in the neighborhood around the church I pastored years ago. Across the…

Every model of ministry claims it is Jesus’ model for ministry The attractional people point to how Jesus drew large crowds with his relevant teaching.  The organic people point to Jesus’ small group of twelve. The missional people point to Jesus’ healing ministry and compassion for the poor. The social justice people point to Jesus’…

Years ago when I was an 8th grader, I decided I wanted to grow and gain some muscle. I wanted to get stronger and bigger. I got a set of barbells and went to work. I took the weights outside on our back porch and started doing what I thought would get me results. Believe…

Have you ever stopped and thought about how many different “hats” you wear? Me personally, I think I wear enough hats to take up a whole walk-in closet! Wife, mom of three, personal chef and chauffeur, referee, professional maid, small group leader, friend, daughter, full time admin, image bearer of God…I mean the list can…

A disciple of Jesus is generous with their talents. When did you most experience being generous with a specific talent, skill set, or gifting God gave you? Go ahead, take a minute to reflect. I’ll wait… If you’re reading this, it means that you are likely passionate about disciple-making.  Chances are, then, that your thoughts…

Chiranjeevi is a New Generations DMM Coordinator who oversees 10 DMM Catalysts in Telangana, and 23 DMM Catalysts in Andhra Pradesh.  The work in this very difficult area is among both the High Caste and the Backward Caste. Chiranjeevi is a sweet-spirited, soft-spoken man but possesses the heart of a lion for the cause of…

When I was asked to write this blog, we had just come off the heels of a church wide training weekend led by our small groups team. This story may seem like an insignificant problem in the whole grand scheme of things, but it is a perfect example of a little thing making relationships go…

In just five days, my chronological odometer will turn over to sixty-eight. For some reason, if I spell out the number, it is not as alarming as typing the numerical digits. However, baseball players are wearing numbers higher than that on the back of their jerseys these days! If it is true that the average…

What problem or problems do you expect your discipleship pathway to solve? Pause and answer before continuing. Your answer is important because it will uncover your motivation and expectations about why you are building (or have built) one in the first place. Churches everywhere are working to build a discipleship pathway. It’s in style. And with that…

Discipleship. Now, there’s a word for you! Would I like to be one of Jesus’ disciples? For sure! Who wouldn’t? To be with Him every day, to talk with Him, to share meals together, to see Him perform miracles, to hear His teachings and His prayers, to see His way with people, to listen to…