Yesterday I mentioned 6 ways I think Faith Church does really well at being a loving church family. But how could we improve loving one another? We’re certainly not perfect. No church is. So today I am talking about ways that a church family can improve in their love for one another. I hope theseContinue reading “Forgetting 9/11, Changing seats, and the breaking through the Invisible Wall (aka “3 ways we need to improve as a loving church family”)”
Author Archives: joelkime
6 ways a church family can love one another
How would you say your church does at loving one another deeply from the heart? Today and tomorrow I’m going to talk about Faith Church, where I serve, and how we are doing loving one another. We’re not a perfect church, and we will look at some ways we need to improve, but I amContinue reading “6 ways a church family can love one another”
If you want to be a loving church family, seize the 167!
Yesterday I said that Peter, in 1st Peter 1:21-25, says that a church family must love one another deeply from the heart. What is this love Peter is talking about? We all know what love is, right? It’s obvious. Love is love! Well even though there is one English word for love, Peter uses twoContinue reading “If you want to be a loving church family, seize the 167!”
The one thing needed for a church to become a family
One church I visited during sabbatical did something that weirded me out a bit. You know what they did? During the worship service they introduced themselves to new guests by saying, “We’re a family here, and we want you to be a part of our family.” You might be thinking, “Joel, why did that weirdContinue reading “The one thing needed for a church to become a family”
Here’s how Christians should be strangers and aliens
Hey Christians, you should be different! You should be strangers and aliens, and it should show. It should be obvious. A couple days ago I talked about my boys’ mugshots when we were immigrating to Jamaica. We lived in Kingston, the capital of Jamaica, for a year from 2000-2001, and there were so many momentsContinue reading “Here’s how Christians should be strangers and aliens”
Why the bizarre Christian teaching to be strangers and fearful actually makes a lot of sense
“Live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.” I love that phrase. It even rhymes. You know where it is from? It is from the biblical book of 1st Peter, chapter 1 verse 17. I’ve been posting all week about being strangers. You can read the previous posts (here, here and here) to seeContinue reading “Why the bizarre Christian teaching to be strangers and fearful actually makes a lot of sense”
What my sons’ mugshots taught me about citizenship
How about those two cute little mugshots? They are my two oldest sons in September 2000, when they were 3 and 2 years old. Our family of four had just moved to Kingston, Jamaica, and we had to apply for immigration status as legal aliens. That meant we had to get photos taken and useContinue reading “What my sons’ mugshots taught me about citizenship”
The one thing you need (to make it as a stranger in the world)
In a world of partiality and discrimination and bias, where is the one place that still considers everyone impartially? The church? Nope. Martin Luther King Jr. said years ago that Sunday morning is one of the most racially segregated places in America, and it is still true today. I read an article this week thatContinue reading “The one thing you need (to make it as a stranger in the world)”
The day I felt like a stranger and couldn’t find my car
Years ago I was delivering a meal to refugees in the city of Lancaster. They had newly arrived from years of living in a refugee camp in a faraway country, having fled for their lives from their home country. They arrived at the refugee camp with extremely few possessions and hardly any opportunity. Imagine theContinue reading “The day I felt like a stranger and couldn’t find my car”
Reflections on perseverance in difficult times
This week, I’ve been reflecting on suffering and salvation from 1 Peter 1:6-12. In verses 10-12 Peter takes a moment to talk about this salvation. He says that prophets in past spoke of this salvation. The Spirit of God, he said, was at work in these prophets. In verse 11 the Spirit of Christ inContinue reading “Reflections on perseverance in difficult times”
Engaging Scripture 