I’m super excited that the Olympics start today. Soccer is my favorite sport, so while I’m disappointed the US men’s team didn’t qualify, the women’s team looks to make a gold medal run, and I’ll be cheering them on! In honor of that quest, I thought I’d show you this picture of a Jesus figurineContinue reading “Two things Jesus did not tell us to do (but we do), and one he did tell us to do (but we don’t)”
Author Archives: joelkime
How to rehab a relationship
Do you have relationships that need rehab? There is help! Fellowship! In the very first account of how the earliest Christians interacted with one another, Acts 2:42-47, we read that they devoted themselves to the fellowship? What is fellowship? That word “fellowship” in verse 42 is defined by Louw & Nida as “an association involvingContinue reading “How to rehab a relationship”
Do you have relationships that need rehab?
Do you have any people in your life that you feel are just hard to get along with? Think about the people in your family. Any family members rub you the wrong way? What about school? Is there a person that you really struggle with? Maybe that classmate, when you see that they are inContinue reading “Do you have relationships that need rehab?”
Why our worship services are not good enough (and God might even hate them)
Worship services could actually be keeping us from worship. Sound impossible? Peter Rollins, in his book Insurrection, suggests that it’s actually very possible. In the Old Testament, God pointed out to the nation of Israel that their worship was not acceptable to him. They were going through the motions of worship, but they weren’t actuallyContinue reading “Why our worship services are not good enough (and God might even hate them)”
Could a church worship service be a bad thing?
Did you have a security blanket as a kid? Maybe it was a special stuffed animal or a pacifier. Or did you suck your thumb? I had a blanket as a child. My own kids had a variety of security items, which got progressively bizarre. Child #1 carried around a blanket, which we had snuglyContinue reading “Could a church worship service be a bad thing?”
How the church has gotten in the way of God’s Kingdom…and what to do about it.
The subtitle of author Reggie McNeal’s book Kingdom Come, is compelling: “why we must give up our obsession with fixing the church—and what we should do instead”. That grabbed me! In the book, he tells the story of when he was at a conference for pastors and said this: “We’ve been working at fixing theContinue reading “How the church has gotten in the way of God’s Kingdom…and what to do about it.”
Why we’re getting rid of the word “evangelical” from our church sign
Evangelicals are in the news! Donald Trump recently met with Evangelical leaders. I have seen so many articles about Evangelicals and politics these past few weeks. Some signaling the demise of evangelicalism. Some talking about the decline of evangelical influence. What in the world is an Evangelical, anyway? We are Faith Evangelical Congregational Church. WeContinue reading “Why we’re getting rid of the word “evangelical” from our church sign”
Telling your story is more important than you think
Hey Christian, you are witnesses of these things! Last week on the sermon intro blog post, I suggested that one bit of Christian lingo, the word “witness,” might not mean what you think it means. So what does “witness” mean? Jesus says in Luke 24:36-53, that his disciples are all witnesses. They watched his lifeContinue reading “Telling your story is more important than you think”
Hey Christian, “witness” might not mean what you think it means
We Christians use a lot of lingo. This lingo is insider talk, words and phrases that most of us understand if we have been in churches for a number of years, but newcomers or anyone else might find this lingo confusing. Some have even dubbed it “Christianese”. Not sure what I’m talking about? A friendContinue reading “Hey Christian, “witness” might not mean what you think it means”
How to find the good life (is it in North Dakota?)
Do you want to have a good life? Apparently you can find it in North Dakota. I wonder what people from North Dakota have to say about that? I’ve never been, but I often say to my wife, after dealing with some kind of difficulty in our family, finances, or jobs, that maybe we shouldContinue reading “How to find the good life (is it in North Dakota?)”
Engaging Scripture 