Discipleship (Page 5)
Everyday Incarnation and Waiting on Jesus (Luke 2:22-32 Devotional)
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the…
Advent Hope for the Valley (Christmas Devotional)
We find ourselves now in the season of Advent. It’s fitting, really, that we end our Through the Valley series during this season, for I believe it’s in the promise of Advent that we find hope as we walk through whatever valleys life may bring our way. Some, I suppose, may deem the topics we’ve covered over the last several weeks to be “depressing” or too heavy to dwell on for too long. We’ve waded into some deep waters: racism…
How to Survive Enduring Uncertainty and Transition
Rashad Clemons was in the middle of a major transition when the pandemic struck. He’d recently moved back to the east coast with his family to become the new pastor of Reality Church Boston. The plan was to do a one-year handoff, in which he would be the pastor-in-residence and slowly receive responsibilities and leadership as the planting-pastor transitioned out. When the pandemic hit in the middle of this year, the plan had to change. Rashad remembers that he and…
Passion Week Readings from the Gospel of John
Passion Week Readings from the Gospel of John: – Sunday: The Triumphal Entry of Jesus (John 12:12-19) – Monday: Jesus demonstrates His humility and love (John 13:1-14:7) – Tuesday: Jesus is the Vine (John 15:1-14) – Wednesday: Jesus prays for His disciples and us (John 17) – Thursday: Jesus is betrayed and denied (John 18) – Friday: Jesus is the crucified Savior (John 19:1-37) – Saturday: Sunday’s coming! (John 19:38-42) – Sunday: Jesus lives!! (John 20) Photo via: https://pixabay.com/photos/piece-religion-israel-holy-land-3241434/
Spiritual Formation in the Midst of Chronic Illness (Mary and Peter Frey – The Frey Life)
“Mary, how has having cystic fibrosis affected your relationship with Jesus?” This question from a summer camp nurse sparked Mary Frey’s curiosity years ago. Since then, part of her journey with a chronic illness has been learning how to ask how following Jesus fits into a broken situation. “The illness that I have does not define me, in the sense that it is not the entirety of who I am, what I am, and my purpose in life,” Mary says.…
Encountering God in Loneliness (Jason Gaboury Book)
Jason Gaboury says he’s wrestled with loneliness his whole life. He felt this sense of disconnection in a particularly powerful way when he was in his mid-thirties, with two young kids at home, doing campus ministry. His home was in a “constant state of relational connection,” but he still felt lonely. “My assumption was that if I was lonely, there was something wrong with me,” he says. “A lot of people assume that. They assume that if I’m lonely, I’m…
Walking with Others Through the Valley (Kim Findlay Story)
Content Warning: This post contains a story of loss and tragedy that may bother some. Fifteen years ago, I sat on a waiting room couch, frozen in fear as the doctor delivered devastating news. “The little girl’s daddy, he’ll be okay. The recovery will be long, but he’ll survive.” Time held its breath as my reality began to shift. “But the little girl? She’s not going to survive.” A few hours earlier, firefighters battled a blaze that engulfed our home,…
The Call Has Not Changed (No Matter the Election Results)
As I’m writing this, it’s still October. I’m sitting on the other side of the election than you are today. Still stuck in the campaigning, the uncertainty, the pre-election rhetoric. When you read this, the election will be in the past tense. The votes will have been cast. And (Lord willing) the results will be in. Some of you will be rejoicing and relieved. Some of you will be mourning, angry, or afraid. Those feelings will coexist in our churches…
Women in the Kingdom Sermon Series Announcement
Dear church, This Sunday, March 20, I am excited to share that we will begin a new sermon series entitled, Women in the Kingdom. In this 6-10 week series we will study God’s perfect plan for men and women as experienced pre-fall and as will be experienced after the second coming, the post-fall (historical and current) condition of women in the church, and God’s heart towards women as seen through the arc of Scripture. We will also dive into several…
Pastor Sam Kim’s Paper on the Ordination of Women
Pastor Sam Kim of Intercultural Mission Church in North Andover wrote a paper on women in ministry, focusing specifically on pastoral ordination, which he has given us permission to share. In it he works to build a bridge between the complementarians and egalitarians. You can find that paper attached below. You can also click this link to hear Pastor Sam preach, or click this link if you’d like to read his testimony of healing from racial trauma. Thank you Pastor Sam…
A Nuanced Kind of Christianity – The Kingdom of God and Politics
It is clearly evident that we are living in polarized and polarizing times. Christians in America find themselves facing several converging issues at once: the fray of an election season, ongoing conversations about the need for racial justice, all while continuing to navigate a pandemic. What are disciples of Jesus to do in the face of polarization and contention? How does the Kingdom of God shape the way we live in such a context? In the face of such questions,…
One of Our Own (Sam Kim & Racial Trauma)
Every time Sam Kim sees something horrible happen to his African-American brothers and sisters, it immediately brings back the racial trauma he’s experienced. He’s transported to the first time he remembers being called by racial slurs, to being chased through the streets of Chicago, to hearing his parents laughed at and taunted. This trauma has continued, even after living and working in the United States for decades, even after serving as a U.S. soldier in a war. He can tell…