Our Lord’s commission came with the expectation to “make disciples” (Matt 28:19). He desires that we “bear fruit” (John 15:5). He is pragmatic; and we should be too. Given the great needs of the world and the limited resources we have received, stewardship is a must. How do we leverage […]
Stewardship
July 4, Independence Day, is a major holiday in my country. If you are not familiar with the significance of this day, check out the link in the previous sentence. Before I leave for the local fireworks display, I wanted to share this post–one written to my fellow American brothers […]
A Few July 4 Thoughts before the Fireworks
One thing I have learned after 19 years of pastoral ministry is that pastors believe their counsel is good for all of life’s big decisions/experiences, except one. Someone wants to make the big decision to follow Jesus, we’re there. Someone wants to make the big decision to get married, we’re […]
Pastoral Care is Good for Life’s Big Decisions, Except for ...
Change often comes in pairs. If we keep doing the same things over-and-over again, desiring different results but always ending up where we started, change is necessary. And after we make that change, we cannot use the same measuring stick. A systemic methodological shift requires a new metric system. The […]
Change and Metrics of Madness
Tentmaking. This paradigm of missions is often traced back to Acts 18:3 where it is noted that Paul’s trade was making tents. Tentmaking has often been discussed in missionary circles, with the early Moravians frequently looked to as an incredible example. I often receive invitations to conferences related to tentmaking. […]
Tentmaking: A More Expected Way
“but you make it a den of robbers” (Mt 21:13, ESV). Here is a danger in innovation, efficiency, and so-called progress. It is possible to turn a house of prayer into a place of thieves, even in the name of Kingdom stewardship. A little pragmatism here and some capitalism there, […]