Leadership
9 Ways Strategic Ministry Leaders Think Differently (Part One) – Eric Geiger “There is a massive difference between having a strategy and thinking strategically. Both are important. But it is possible to implement a ministry strategy and fail to think strategically over the long-haul. As I have thought about recent conversations with ministry leaders who I believe think strategically, here are nine ways I find them thinking differently.”
9 Ways Strategic Ministry Leaders Think Differently (Part Two) – Eric Geiger Part two covering the final four ways strategically think differently.
Spiritual Life
The Sin-Defying Power of Words | Desiring God There is power, for good and godliness, in a clear, settled “no” — whether in our own heads, or out loud to ourselves, and all the better in confession to God or neighbor. Liberated and energized by God’s grace, and looking to the reward of superior joy, we are given the dignity of participating in God’s decisive action in making us holy. And even before it involves our behavior, it can begin with our words. The words we speak, especially when pointed, shape our souls for good or evil.
Walk the War Before You: What It Means to Live by the Spirit | Desiring God As Christians, we wake up every day in the midst of a war. Fleshly desires pull us in one direction; the desires of the Spirit pull us in the other. The status quo is a frustrated stalemate in which we are kept from doing what we want to do. Spiritual desires frustrate fleshly desires, and fleshly desires frustrate spiritual desires. Starting with this recognition means we can be realistic about the difficulty of the war.
The Curious Ways of God God always knows the best way. It may not be the shortest way, the most obvious way or the way everyone else would take. It may seem like completely the wrong way. But the Lord’s way is always the right way—the best way—for his people. He works all things together for their good (Rom 8.28). He carefully, lovingly calibrates our trials to match our circumstances, needs and limits. He spares the Israelites war in these first weeks after the exodus, but he doesn’t spare them all trials. He takes them into the wilderness to expose them to different trials. He is like a wise teacher or coach who knows just how much to push the student or athlete to get the best out of him or her.
Preaching
Why I Decided to Preach Extemporaneously – Reformation 21 Understandably, the thought of venturing into extemporaneous preaching is intimidating to many preachers. I myself had known about extemporaneous preaching for a while, yet I never dared to dip my toe into the pool of the unknown, deeming that I would most certainly fail. So what changed my mind? Allow me to briefly share a few of the reasons that convinced (and convicted) me to preach extemporaneously.
Church
Why We Need the Local Church The culture continues to be hostile to the Christian worldview. Social media outlets are becoming more aggressive towards us, and cancellations by the culture of confusion continue to increase. Where do we turn? The answer isn’t clever or new. We turn to the local church. Here’s why.
Discipled by Everyone and No One: Is the Internet Good for the Church? | Desiring God Compared to 20 years ago, the Internet — not the local church — has become the primary place where Christians are formed today. Before their leaders ever speak, church members already know what they believe. And they expect their leaders to conform — or else. No wonder so many church leaders feel like they’ve lost their footing in the last two years.
Renewed Hope: How to Kickstart the Process of Church Revitalization As we venture into 2022, let’s invest in biblical hope. Just because national trends point to a decline in the North American church does not mean your church must decline. Leaders cannot resign themselves to negative influences and outcomes. Pessimism is a self-fulfilling prophecy and has no place in the church.
Culture
Pornography Use Is Becoming an ‘Acceptable’ Sin “Fortunately, pornography is not yet in the category of respectable sins. But it appears to be turning into an acceptable sin—a sin that is tolerated within certain boundaries. For instance, as this poll shows, far too many Christian men and women seem to believe pornography is acceptable when viewed together, as a sexual activity within their relationship.”