Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. Sometimes church families are like any other family, and that means we can butt heads. We don’t always see eye to eye. With the exception of ethnic diversity, my congregational is quite a diverse. Young and old. Male and Female. Rich and poor. Conservative and Progressive. IntrovertContinue reading “How to have loving diversity in a church family”
Tag Archives: church
Are Christians in America being oppressed?
This week we are studying 1 Peter 3:13-17. As you turn there, remember that the backdrop of this letter is that the Christians were being persecuted for their faith. You might remember three months ago when we started this series, I talked about the situation that these Christians found themselves in. They were being persecuted. Continue reading “Are Christians in America being oppressed?”
Why and how to submit to governing authorities
Yesterday we looked at Peter’s principle in 1 Peter 2:13a, “Submit to human created authorities, for the Lord’s sake.” As he continues teaching, Peter illustrates this principle three ways: Illustration #1 – verses 13b-17 – respect and submit to the governing authorities. Illustration #2 – verses 18-20 – slaves respect and submit to your mastersContinue reading “Why and how to submit to governing authorities”
Would you go to a church named “The Church of the Holy Royal Priesthood of the Living Stones”?
I would like to propose a new church name: Church of The Holy Royal Priesthood of the Living Stones. Do you like it? Would you go to that church? I don’t know if I would. I’d be thinking, “Huh? Something is off there.” I would really be suspicious of going to a church with thatContinue reading “Would you go to a church named “The Church of the Holy Royal Priesthood of the Living Stones”?”
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”
When I visited other churches (What I Learned on Sabbatical, Part 4)
One of the most frequent questions I got before going on sabbatical was, “Where will you go to church?” When I asked people what they thought I should do about church, they had many responses. Some people suggested I take a break, which is essentially the definition of sabbatical. I seriously considered not going toContinue reading “When I visited other churches (What I Learned on Sabbatical, Part 4)”
Why I am Going on a Three-month Sabbatical
I started sabbatical January 1st. For the first three months of 2018 I will put my pastoral duties on pause. I have so much gratitude to Faith Church for allowing this, and for facilitating it. Over the last few years, as the church considered and planned for the sabbatical, there have been numerous people inContinue reading “Why I am Going on a Three-month Sabbatical”
A Guided Lament you can use right now
Do we lament when life is so rotten and dark that we have no where else to turn? Yes. Do we lament when there is still hope, but much work yet to be done? Yes. What we have seen this Advent as we’ve studied psalms of lament, is that lament is a faithful, clinging toContinue reading “A Guided Lament you can use right now”
The time our church was accused with the words: “That’s not worship!”
“That’s not worship.” The person speaking the words was really frustrated at our church. They were talking about a change we made to our worship service. In that person’s view, the change had turned our worship service into something that was not worship. What change could we make that would take a worship service andContinue reading “The time our church was accused with the words: “That’s not worship!””
Is Sola Scriptura broken? (or Can we really read the Bible and hear from God?)
When you read the Bible, do you think that God will speak to you through it? How do you know that you will understand it properly? What if God wants to tell you X and you believe he said Y? Does Sola Scriptura mean that any Christian can just open up the Scriptures and understandContinue reading “Is Sola Scriptura broken? (or Can we really read the Bible and hear from God?)”
Engaging Scripture 