Blog
Blog
A Sense of Sin
It is impossible to remain the same when you think about or experience the glory of God because you will get a sense of your sin. That is why I object to prophetic ministry that is not accompanied by gospel preaching.
New Testament Everyday Bible Study Series | Scot McKnight
In the New Testament Everyday Bible Study Series , widely respected biblical scholar Scot McKnight combines interpretive insights with pastoral wisdom for all the books of the New Testament. Each volume provides: Original Meaning. Brief, precise...
Is your church talking about anxiety, depression and mental health issues? You should be.
A Letter from Pastor Shawn Johnson Hi friends, We recently polled the people in our church and asked them what they were struggling with most in life. Unsurprisingly, anxiety and depression were at the top of the list. The CDC currently says that...
On Earth As It Is In Heaven | N.T. Wright
Like time itself, certain ideas creep up on you and, before you know it, they have changed the way you think about everything else. That’s how it was for me with the resurrection of Jesus. Brought up to go to church, to sing the hymns and say the...
The 7 Markers Your Congregation is Growing in Spiritual Maturity
Organic Disciples is a book by Kevin & Sherry Harney What is spiritual maturity? We are God’s ambassadors. His mouthpieces. The presence of Jesus in a world that desperately needs to see the face of the Savior. The truth is, none of us is the...
4 Encouragements for Pastors Navigating Racial Conversations
4 Encouragements for Pastors Navigating Racial Conversations Thoughts from Isaac Adams What can we say to encourage pastors who are dipping their toes into racial matters as they lead their congregations? We could ask why they’re just now dipping...
Saying So Long to People Pleasing with Karen Ehman
Saying So Long to People Pleasing Karen Ehman I found myself in a lawn chair at our fire pit on an early evening. The heaving of my chest slowly subsided as I began to calm down and finish up my spontaneous crying session. As I stared up at the...
4 Ground Rules Helpful in the Discussion of God & Race | Wayne Francis and John Siebeling
God and race is a massive subject and many of us have struggled with how to have relevant conversations on this topic that aren’t explosive. Data out from Pew Research reports over half of US adults say race relations are bad. When we as a...
What's Your Faith-Sharing Style? Mark Mittelberg
When I was in graduate school, my wife Heidi and I — we had just gotten going, it was a seminary, and the summer was coming and we found out about an opportunity to go overseas and serve in a church for the whole summer. And we thought what a cool...
5 Reasons to add the Expositor’s Bible Commentary to your Library
The Expository Bible Commentary (EBC) is a staple for students, teachers, and pastors worldwide. Here’s why: Comprehensive yet succinct Today, with commentaries on a single book of the Bible often extending into multiple volumes, the need for a...
God's Love Overcomes Fear | Wendy Blight
Fear held me captive for over a decade after my encounter with an armed masked man hiding in my apartment. I couldn’t escape its horrific hold. Perhaps you’ve been there. The victim of gripping, paralyzing fear. The dictionary defines fear: “a...
Should We Talk About Race in Church? John Siebeling & Wayne Francis
At the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, we get an amazing glimpse of God’s plan for race: “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing...
3 Ways to Demonstrate Care to the LGBTQ+ Community in Your City
In 2018, my church landed in the local LGBTQ+ press for hosting a conference of Christians who are gay or same-sex attracted and committed to the biblical sexual ethic. It was not good press. We were promoting Conversion Therapy 2.0, they wrote. We...
Life in God's Diverse Family | Derwin Gray
Paul’s world was even more racially divided than our 21st century. Let’s never forget that racism misses God’s mark, God’s goal, the word sin means to miss the mark. God’s goal is for humanity to love each other as expressed through the person of...
The Thing Beneath the Thing | Steve Carter
The Apostle Paul once said, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do (Romans 7:15).” Here is the most prolific writer in the New Testament articulating the struggle to be human. He expresses the ways...
The Flirtation Experiment | Phylicia Masonheimer and Lisa Jacobson
Article by Phylicia Masonheimer I grew up at the height of purity culture. I Kissed Dating Goodbye had a coming-of-age at the same time I did. Books about purity, dating, courtship, and modesty were everywhere; I read them all. I was part of a...
Free Resources
Is your church talking about anxiety, depression and mental health issues? You should be.
Shawn Johnson, lead pastor of Red Rocks Church, gives a
searingly honest portrait of anxiety and depression and shows readers how to fight back and live free. He also has put together three free tools pastors can use to help their congregation have a productive conversation around mental health, including a discussion guide, sermon notes and key Scripture verses.