joelkime

How to say “I love you” – Current Events Q3 2020, Part 3

I remember as teenager and young adult feeling very awkward or embarrassed about the phrase, “I love you.” In my mind, “I love you,” was three of the deepest, most significant words a person could say to another, and thus ought to be reserved only for a significant other or family member. Maybe a reallyContinue reading “How to say “I love you” – Current Events Q3 2020, Part 3″

What is the most important way to describe the church?

How do you describe your church? At Faith Church, we often use the term, “family.” Some call the church a flock, a congregation, a parish, or one of many of other terms. None of those are wrong. In fact, there are loads of ways the biblical authors describe the church. There’s one, though, that comesContinue reading “What is the most important way to describe the church?”

Do you have disagreements in your church? – Current Events 2020 Q3, Part 1

What do you do when you’re at a church gathering and someone makes political statements? Do you feel uneasy? Do you sense the temperature in the room start to rise? What if those political statements are viewpoints you tend to disagree with? Do you confront them? Do you disagree? What do you do when someoneContinue reading “Do you have disagreements in your church? – Current Events 2020 Q3, Part 1”

Let your freedom be ruled by love – Acts 21, Part 5

A man and his family went to church recently. This man and his family are healthy people, and believed that they do not need to wear masks. I’m writing this in July 2020 as coronavirus cases in the USA just exceeded 4 million, and many states are requiring the wearing of masks in public placesContinue reading “Let your freedom be ruled by love – Acts 21, Part 5”

Do politics and tradition guide your thinking more than Jesus? – Acts 21, Part 4

In 1991 the former Grand Wizard of the KKK, David Duke, was in a run-off election to become governor of Louisiana. In the four weeks leading up to the run-off, the New Orleans Saints were playing a home game, and a black season ticket holder told the story of his feelings as loud eruptions ofContinue reading “Do politics and tradition guide your thinking more than Jesus? – Acts 21, Part 4”

Is it possible to live a comfortable life and be a disciple of Jesus at the same time? – Acts 21, Part 3

Do you see the irony in the picture above? Take a close look. Do you see it? I’m referring to the irony of a person sitting under a comfy blanket sipping a hot mug of tea, while reading about Stephen who was killed for his faith in Jesus. Now do you see the irony? Here’sContinue reading “Is it possible to live a comfortable life and be a disciple of Jesus at the same time? – Acts 21, Part 3”

Can we know if we are truly committed to Christ and his mission? – Acts 21, Part 2

Would you die for Jesus? That’s a pretty intense question, isn’t it? What does it mean to be committed to Jesus? Even if in our lifetime we’re never faced with death for the cause of Christ, what does it mean to have the attitude and intention that we would be that committed to him? HowContinue reading “Can we know if we are truly committed to Christ and his mission? – Acts 21, Part 2”

Is it true that, “when Christ calls us, he bids us come and die”? – Acts 21, Part 1

I recently watched a few episodes of Netflix’s series Greatest Events of World War 2 in Color. The series is actual footage from World War 2, but the footage, which was originally in black and white, has been colorized. If you’ve ever watched black and white newsreel of events in World War 2 it canContinue reading “Is it true that, “when Christ calls us, he bids us come and die”? – Acts 21, Part 1″

Which is better: giving or receiving? – Acts 20, Part 5

As we come to the conclusion of Paul’s ministry training buffet in Acts 20, verse 32 is a kind of prayer of commissioning in which Paul commits the Ephesian elders: “To God and to the word of his grace.” For a Christian to say to other Christians, “I commit you to God,” is fairly expected.Continue reading “Which is better: giving or receiving? – Acts 20, Part 5”

Two important principles for leaders – Acts 20, Part 4

Leaders, I encourage you to pay special attention to this post. As you’ll see it is specifically about leaders in the church, but I think the principles apply broadly to leadership in any venue. So does that mean you can skip this post if you’re not a leader? Actually, this post is not just forContinue reading “Two important principles for leaders – Acts 20, Part 4”