Be Thou My Vision
Be Thou My Vision

For most of my adult life Be Thou My Vision has been my favorite piece of Christian music, whether traditional or contemporary. Its words were composed in the 9th century AD (CE), and slightly updated and translated since then.

Its roots are in Celtic Christianity, a movement from the British Isles that emerged in the life and work of Patrick, the Christian missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland in the middle of the first millennium. Celtic Christianity was unique in western Europe given that it combined both theology and life, intellect and affections, belief and mission. It narrates head, heart, and hands. It describes the Christian journey of faith better than any composition I know outside of Holy Scripture.

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Robert Mayer
"What a Loving God Would Not Do"
"What a Loving God Would Not Do"

“Confession: I am an annihilationist. I believe that the wicked will be resurrected on the last day, judged and condemned by God Almighty, and cast into hell to suffer and die. Some of my fellow annihilationists may have just experienced a bit of theological whiplash. You were offering a hearty “Amen” to my belief statement until I threw in the word “suffer.” If that describes you, put on your big boy/big girl pants, because I’ve got something to say that you might not like…”

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Theology, Conditional immortalityLuke Copelandconditionalism, suffering, annihilationism, marcion, justice
Stop Doing Nothing
Stop Doing Nothing

Churches send out missionaries to spread the Gospel. As we seek to plant new churches we must first adjust our vision of what church planting is. Let’s train missionaries who will reach new people with the Gospel in our communities. These missionaries are the Christians in our churches, some of which are called to evangelize in ways that will see new churches planted.

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Erik Reynolds, Church Planting, MissionsErik Reynoldschurch planting, evangelism, missions
America Great Again?
America Great Again?

Lots of ink has been spilled about MAGA, and I don’t want to add much more. At the same time, all that ink has neglected the final word of the slogan: again. To “make America great again” implies a time in the past when America was great; a time we must recover. Hence, the questions I want to ask: When was America great? What time in American history do you want us to return to so that we can recapture this American greatness?

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Robert Mayer
On the Creativity of God - A Healing Process
On the Creativity of God - A Healing Process

“Isn’t God so creative? Look at the creativity of God.”

I haven’t been able to stop thinking and pondering on this concept of the creativity of God.

Our God is creative. He created everything. He spoke and it was. The earth, the sky, the sea, the mountains, the plains, the desert, the flowers, the animals. Everything.

But I’ve learned that God is also creative in how he interacts with his children.

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Catherine Rybicki
Lord, Help Me to Pray!
Lord, Help Me to Pray!

I have a confession to make: I find it a challenge to pray. It is not something I can easily do. It is hard also to be consistent in praying daily and regularly throughout the day. Prayer cannot be formalized or systematized. For me prayer exposes my weakness and at times my raw unbelief but maybe that is not so bad. If we come to prayer with a sense of our sufficiency to pray then are we indeed praying? When we pray it seems that at the core of what should be occurring in our minds and hearts is just how needy and messy we are.

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Discipleship, Lou Going, Spiritual Formation, DevotionalsLouis Going
Good Reads
Good Reads

One thing I encourage students and others to do is read widely. Try not to focus your reading in one area. Obviously, we have to read books that relate to our job or profession. But a well-rounded diet of good books, fiction and non-fiction on a variety of topics offers a wholistic understanding of faith and life, something that all of us need in these divisive days.

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Robert Mayer
Planting Churches in North America Survey
Planting Churches in North America Survey

According to a paper written by Pastor John Roller in the 1980s, Advent Christians planted 100 churches from 1956-1986. Of those churches planted during the middle and latter half of the twentieth century, 50% lived past the 6th year of existence. In the 2018-2020 Advent Christian Strategic Plan, Executive Director Steve Lawson set a goal of planting twice the amount of churches as we have church closures.

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Erik Reynolds, MissionsErik Reynoldschurch planting, church leadership
Words Matter
Words Matter

We’re overwhelmed with words, and many are deceptive and misleading. Yet words spoken with love for truth and care for others offer possibilities of greater love for Christ and our fellow humans. With our words, we learn to “speak the truth in love” (Eph. 4:15).

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Robert Mayer