When someone is grieving, it can be hard to know what to say or do. We want to be helpful, not hurtful, but it’s easy to go wrong. The good news is that we can learn to approach those who are grieving with the same compassion that Jesus shows us when we grieve. It starts with humility and listening well and expands into practical support as the Spirit leads us. In Someone I Know Is...
We are joining forces with His Kids Company and Pip & J Papery for an EASTER giveaway! Enter between MARCH 4-10 to win this great gift package: New Growth Press Darkest Night Brightest Day by Marty Machowski Jesus Rose for Me by Jared Kennedy Who Is Jesus? by Kate Hox The Shadow and the Promise by Marty Machowski My First ABC Book of Bible Verses by Jonathan Gibson Coop Messes Up by Sarah...
The following post is an excerpt from Facilitating Counseling Groups by Brad Hambrick and John Chapman, the second book in the Church-Based Counseling series provides training for lay leaders to guide a group-based church counseling ministry (G4 model) that addresses common life struggles. Leading a counseling group is different from leading a general discipleship group, even if both exist at the...
Two kids go into the family room to play. One is a rule follower, and the other, a rule forgetter. Theo, standing by himself, prays, “God, I thank you that I am not like other kids who are sloppy and irresponsible. Thank you that I am not like my brother Joseph. I always put my toys away in their color-coded bins; I hang up my jacket and bring my plate to the sink.” Theo’s twin brother...
This election year looks to be another contentious year in America. Disunity in the church is becoming standard fare. What can the church do to pursue unity? How do we live at peace with one another when we disagree? How do we worship and work together when our politics are at odds? As a pastor of a mid-size, midwestern congregation, I suggest four responses to this threat to Christian unity...
