-
How the Bible Defines Discipleship: 12 Core Elements
Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he gave one final command: Make disciples. From Abraham who was called to leave his country for an unknown land (Gen 12:1–3) to the Great Commission (Matt 28:18–20), the Lord’s command to all believers is to follow him in humble faith and obedience. It’s a charge that most Christians recognize […]
-
Autism & Christianity: A Square Peg in a Round Hole?
My motivation was partly personal. At the time I began my research, I suffered from a complicated relationship with Christianity. I wanted to better understand both how I related to it and how Christians related to me. For many years, I had been part of a statistical cohort that showed a pronounced negative correlation between […]
-
3 Traits of Faithful Pastors in a Convulsing Culture
Pastoring has always been difficult—and yet it has unique difficulties today. The last decade has seen a lot of cultural disruption and convulsion. This convulsion has produced paradoxical results: ministry in our moment has become both increasingly precarious and increasingly opportune. In some ways, ministry is more difficult now, but we also see unique opportunities […]
-
Don’t Avoid Imprecatory Psalms: How to Preach the Cursing Prayers
Many pastors quietly avoid the imprecatory psalms. It’s understandable. We often don’t know what to do with them. Maybe we’ve even seen them weaponized. But our avoidance is problematic. Paul’s charge is unambiguous: “Preach the Word” (2 Tim 4:2)—all of it, since “all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable” (2 Tim 3:16–17; emphasis […]
-
Want to Build a Pastoral Internship? 4 Steps
We are to raise up faithful leaders who will be able to instruct the church in sound doctrine. One way to accomplish this task is through a pastoral internship: a definite amount of time given to training aspiring leaders for the prospect of pastoral ministry. While no two internships (or churches, for that matter) are alike, the essential ingredients remain the same.
-
When Autism Comes to Church: Practical Advice for Parents & Pastors
Our son M was formally diagnosed in 2015 with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sensory processing disorder (SPD).
We already had two daughters and noticed that our bouncing baby boy was very different from his siblings. We initially put this down to boys being boyish. But then we began to notice certain things. Sometimes M struggled to match his energy for the task he was doing, whether at home, church, or kindergarten. At the same time, M also had the ability to engage in laser-like focus on some thing or topic that was well beyond his age. He had a peculiar mix of unruly raucousness and hypnotic concentration that was hard to explain.
-
Is Your Preaching on Samson Weak? Consider Its Fourfold Sense
Certainly, the quadriga is of great interest to those who study historical theology and the history of exegesis, but one may wonder, Just how practical is it? Will it help me in my week-to-week sermon preparation? In this article I hope to show the usefulness of the quadriga for regular preaching. Throughout, I will use the figure of Samson in the book of Judges as a test case.
-
Is Ecclesiastes Messianic? Preaching Christ from the Vantage of Vanity
Preachers and teachers of God’s Word carry an immense responsibility. We must handle Scripture faithfully with the goal of pointing our listeners always to Jesus, the true hero of the entire Bible. This goal feels particularly challenging when we open a seemingly dark book like Ecclesiastes. Major themes of Ecclesiastes are futility, meaninglessness, absurdity, and […]
-
5 Steps to Starting a Prayer Ministry in Your Church
What if the very discipline Scripture commands us to practice “without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17) is the one many Christians find hardest to sustain? Prayer is an integral part of Christian life and ministry. Yet, especially for new believers, it is often accompanied with awkwardness: “What words do I use? Is there a formula? Am […]
-
7 Challenging Personalities & How to Lead Them in Small Group
What have I gotten myself into? Most of us who lead small groups have had that moment. Leading people is a bit like parenting: It doesn’t come with an instruction manual. It’s rife with unforeseen scenarios that are as unique as the people who make up the group. Some situations are garden variety that become […]