A few days after Christmas, Pastor Peter Dugulescu opened the door of the hospital ward where Daniel Gavra had been taken after he was shot. The boy was still recuperating, his wounds bandaged and a stump where his left leg had been. But Daniel’s spirit had not been shattered. “Pastor,” he said, “I don’t mind... Continue Reading

In other words, the church should not worry about being seen by man, i.e. of being too visible, but rather to consider of first importance how is it being viewed by God. For that is the tenor of the New Testament. While the visible church should be bold in preaching the gospel and acts of mercy, and indeed shine its light to the world, still the manner of accomplishing these things should be that of faithful service that avoids seeking the spotlight. We are not to let our left hand know what our right hand is giving, and we are not to pray on street corners to be seen (Matt. 6:3-5). We are not to minister so as to seek man’s approval (Gal. 1:10). We are not to exalt ourselves, but humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God (I Pet. 5:5-6).

Everywhere one turns we see a sex-saturated culture. Pornography, hook-up apps, adultery websites. Lust is a very present battle men and women need help and support to overcome. So many of us find that help from the Church, whether found in pastoral ministry, Christian counselors, or mature Christian mentors who hold us accountable.

“About 10 years ago, while I was on a mission trip, I got a compulsion to put Psalm 1 to music,” he said. He liked the tune, how the words were straight Scripture, and that it was different from the typical modern worship song. “I got this delusional idea to try to do them all,”... Continue Reading

“Our heart’s cry is that God would awaken our community through our humble church plant—that Parkerites would not be so easily satisfied with their lives, but that they would seek and surrender to Him, forging a new life with the Gospel at the center.”   “I will move anywhere but Parker,” I said several times... Continue Reading

Small church pastors: Try not to get discouraged. Take what you can from all the helpful blogs and books out there. But try not to put unrealistic expectations on you, or your church’s shoulders based on lessons that don’t fit your reality. Be who you are. Not what someone else thinks you ought to be.... Continue Reading

Control Repels Great Leaders. If you want great leaders to flee your organization, control them. They’ll leave. If you want to attract great leaders, release them with a clear mission, vision, and strategy (and give them input to shape it). As long as you micromanage everything, you will only have do-ers in your organization, not... Continue Reading

“So why do American evangelicals think that their religious identity hangs in the balance thanks to what happens in the nation’s electoral politics? (The short answer is that U.S. evangelicals, like their mainline predecessors are Christian nationalists and have trouble separating national from religious identity.)”   In 1922 G. K. Chesterton said of the United... Continue Reading

In America we have it easy, there’s no threat of death. But if and when persecution comes it will be an opportunity for Christians to be able to truly experience discomfort and perhaps it may cause us to truly value eternity rather than this life. But we don’t have to be persecuted in order to... Continue Reading

But even as they celebrated, Christians debated if they failed to fully seize a unique opportunity to pursue equal citizenship. Some wanted a unified law for both churches and mosques. Others noted the presence of loopholes that may impede church construction. For example, the “need” for a new church is tied to population growth.  ... Continue Reading