There are ways to retire well, and there are ways to retire wrong. Retiring well has nothing to do with how much money you’ve saved. When people think of retirement, they often think about making sure they have enough money to spend the time they will not be working on hobbies, trips, and entertainment. ButContinue reading “How to retire well – 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12; 5:14, Part 5”
Tag Archives: missions
Is three weeks enough time to start a church? – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 2
Paul is very troubled about the Christians in Thessalonica. Why? Two reasons: too little time and too much pressure. First, time. He was only with them for about three weeks. That is such a short amount of time. How could they possibly learn to be followers of Jesus in three weeks? I’ll grant you thatContinue reading “Is three weeks enough time to start a church? – 1 Thessalonians 1:1–3, Part 2”
Can you figure out this modern parable? – 1 Samuel 18 & 19, Preview
See if you can figure out the meaning of this modern parable: A missionary comes upon a Samoan, who is lying around on the beach. MISSIONARY: Look at you! You’re just wasting your life away lying around like that! SAMOAN: Why? What do you think I should be doing? MISSIONARY: Well, there are plenty ofContinue reading “Can you figure out this modern parable? – 1 Samuel 18 & 19, Preview”
Giving people another chance with gracious, truthful love – Encourage one another, Part 5
How will Paul react? Remember the situation? In the previous post, we learned that in Acts chapters 13-14, Barnabas the Encourager and Paul embark on the first missionary trip of the early church, and they take John Mark with them. But mid-trip, John leaves them to return to Jerusalem, where his mother lives. Time passes, and PaulContinue reading “Giving people another chance with gracious, truthful love – Encourage one another, Part 5”
Perspective in the middle of tough times – Psalm 96, Part 3
In Psalm 96, verses 2 and 3 instruct us to proclaim God’s salvation day after day. This is the same idea that is encapsulated in the word “evangelism,” which is about proclaiming Good News. The psalmist reminds us that we have Good News story to share, and in verse 3 he describes it as declaringContinue reading “Perspective in the middle of tough times – Psalm 96, Part 3”
How Jesus’ followers understood God’s heart for the world [and so should we] – Relationships: with the world, Part 3
In the previous post, we learned that God instilled in the ancient nation of Israel his heart for the foreigner, the immigrant, the stranger. What find as we move from the Old Testament to the New Testament is that God himself, in the person of Christ, took on humanity, was born, lived, died, and roseContinue reading “How Jesus’ followers understood God’s heart for the world [and so should we] – Relationships: with the world, Part 3”
When talking about Jesus, it might be best not to refer to the Bible? – Acts 17, Part 4
What do you think about the title of this blog post? If you are a Christian, are you wondering if it bad advice? When we talk about Jesus, why would we not refer to the Bible? When I was a teenager going on mission trips with my church youth group, and then when I wasContinue reading “When talking about Jesus, it might be best not to refer to the Bible? – Acts 17, Part 4”
When trusting in God is scary [Christians & War – Deuteronomy 20, part 5]
What will really change the heart of humanity? Fighting wars? No! Only Jesus. So what does trust in God look like when we are faced with strife in our world? Christians should be known as a people who pray deeply for and strive for peace. We should love our enemies. We should seek to shareContinue reading “When trusting in God is scary [Christians & War – Deuteronomy 20, part 5]”
Skype with the Stoltzfuses!
I remember as a kid being fascinated by the missionary phone patch, or at least that is what it was called at the church I grew up in. During a worship service, we would call one of our missionaries and do a mini-interview with them through the church sound system. It was really cool toContinue reading “Skype with the Stoltzfuses!”
Engaging Scripture 