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Blog
What is a Parable, Anyway?
As a young Christian, I often heard a parable described as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” That’s not a bad description, but the parables are not just about heaven, they are about the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God. They are about faithfulness in the present as much as they are about God’s promises for the future. They are about God’s reign, now and in the kingdom in its future fulness. They are about the Good News—the gospel—and none of them is to be understood apart from the gospel.
Pastors, Get Time Back in Your Week
The Thompson® Chain-Reference® Bible is an excellent tool to engage with for Bible study and sermon preparation. For well over 100 years, professional clergy, lay pastors, and Bible teachers in many settings have profitably used its study systems to enrich their instruction. The TCR’s in-depth study system identifies the interconnectedness of God’s inspired Scripture as it links topics throughout the Bible. In this article, we’ll examine how this study system, and all the tools associated with it, save time in study and sermon preparation.
Unboxing the Find Your People Curriculum Kit with Jennie Allen
Jennie Allen unboxes her Find Your People Curriculum Kit and gives us a tour of what's inside!
Dealing with guilt, is it my job to save everyone?
I knew I had seen something I was not supposed to see. I felt a feeling I had never felt before. Guilt. I remember feeling like I was supposed to save somebody, but I didn’t. The early inner workings of guilt were planted within my heart. They continued to sprout like weeds. I signed up for as many community outreaches as possible, but our neighborhood’s needs never seemed to lessen. I tried to do more, save more, and save better, and instead, the disappointing results left me insecure and angry.
Do pastors struggle with loneliness, anxiety or depression?
The pulpit can often be the loneliest space in the room. In their private lives, these seven pastors were isolated relationally. Somewhere along the way, they substituted friendship with counterfeit versions of community (likes, followers, and fans). But followers are a poor substitute for healthy, accountable, encouraging, loyal friends. Pastoral failure was a symptom. Isolation was the underlying disease.
What is True Resilience?
I’ll cut straight to it: We haven’t yet paid the psychological bill for the last two years. The pandemic, the high-octane politics, all the tension––what we have just emerged from ...
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...
An Encouraging Note to 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...
Free Resources
Using How (not) to Save the World with your church or small group?
Here are some tools to help:
The Small Group Tool Kit includes two mobile-friendly invitation cards, reflection cards to enhance your small group experience, and a worship song playlist curated by Hosanna Wong that can beplayed during small group meetings or personal Bible study time.
The Church Tool Kit includes a downloadable poster, bulletininsert, invitation card, and Power Point slide.
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.