Two times in my adult life, I have experienced dramatic change in how I understood and practiced Christian faith. The first occurred in my early twenties with a transition away from a more emotionally based faith…
Read MoreIn articles across the web one finds titles like, “Overcoming Spiritual Inertia in Your Church,” and the like as though all inertia is bad (i.e. not changing is a good thing if “change” means compromise with the world!). Typically, only the first part of Newton is cited. Then the argument is made that the church is a ‘body at rest’ that needs us, pastors/leaders, to get it going and keep it moving. Such is most certainly…
Read MoreIf getting out of the way is of first importance to remove friction and let God’s church burst forth, our main job thereafter becomes about either speeding it up, slowing it down (for good reason), or changing its direction.
Read MoreThe commencement address for the BICS class of 2019, delivered by Steve Brown, president emeritus.
Read MoreAs the plane pierced through the clouds, we got our first look at the Mediterranean. The sun glistened off the sea and islands dotted the endless blue tapestry below us. About twenty minutes after that astonishing experience, we saw the Holy Land. I had a feeling deep down in my stomach, one that I hadn’t felt for a long time. I felt at home.
Read MoreLaw 3: “To every action there is always opposed an equal reaction: or the mutual actions of two bodies upon each other are always equal, and directed to contrary parts.” (Principia p. 83).
Law 3 (simplified): For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction in relation to different parts.
Read MoreMany holidays bear a name that on the surface clearly communicates the occasion of celebration or remembrance…And then there is “Good Friday.” Of all holidays, none seems a greater misnomer.
Read MoreSome characterize God’s mission in the Old Testament as only one of gathering and see God’s mission in the New Testament as only one of scattering. But there are elements of both mass and acceleration in God’s plan for His people and the nations of the world in both testaments that need to be seen.
Read MoreWhen we speak of the church as a spiritual “force” we mean to borrow from the physical world in hopes of deducing principles and perspective for the modern church[…]some churches, like the boulder, have been sitting around for a long time to the chagrin of their pastors and leaders, yet, if the Spirit can add the velocity needed, that same church could become a powerhouse for the Gospel.
Read MoreThere is something intriguing about the notion that the smallest elements of matter that make up all of life are, possibly, vibrating strings, as it would seem to imply theologically that God is then the great maestro conducting the symphony of the universe – and He cannot end without the music of existence ending too. In short, creation testifies to an active God who did not just “set it and forget it,” but who created, sustains, and holds it altogether by the active power of His will (Heb. 1:1-2:8).
Read MoreQuestion 7: What is God?
Question 6: Is there more than one true God?
My practice is to walk while I pray. While not every time I pray, I often include some singing in my prayer time...The problem for me is one of my vocal cords is paralyzed.
Read MoreThis past Sunday, the congregation where I worship, Calvary Church in Charlotte, NC, started their week-long annual missions conference. For me, this is the highlight of the year in terms of Sunday-morning worship.
Read MoreWhere are all our missionaries? As we come to the end of the second decade of the 2000s, we have zero full-time missionaries from North America serving through Advent Christian General Conference’s Department of International Missions. Zero!
Read MoreFrom Christianity Today: “Dowling Park was a retirement community built around widows and orphans. A century later, it’s a model for intergenerational ministry.”
Read MoreQ2: Who is the one true God?
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