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...
It’s never too early to start sharing the big truths of the Bible with young children. In My First Book of Bible Verses, Jonathan Gibson helps kids ages 3–5 to learn key Bible verses along with their ABCs. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers will love using this book to teach foundational biblical truths in a fun, easy-to-remember way. In this interview, we talked to Jonathan about his new...
The following post is an excerpt from Mobilizing Church-Based Counseling, the first book in the Church-Based Counseling series which provides a framework for guiding churches through the process of building a volunteer-led counseling ministry. Many churches would like to start a counseling ministry, but they don’t know where to start. Mobilizing Church-Based Counseling offers direction to...
A few years ago, as I read through the Bible, I discovered some interesting animal facts that I’d never noticed before. Do you know, for example, which animals were present when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness? We all know Satan was there to tempt Jesus, and you might know that angels were there to comfort him. But Mark adds a twist to his gospel by including animals in his description. “The...
