I keep bumping into this false notion that churches are supposed to aim at growing. This is false. Let me try again to get this across. Jesus left his followers with one mission: Carry forward His teachings. He said “go into all the world” but He did not say “seek more members”. The only reason…
Tag: compassion
`Tis the Season
It’s the end of an era, in many ways. This is for the community. I woke up in the wee hours this morning with a burden on my heart. Normally I would have been rushing to send out a bunch of Christmas cards by now. This year I felt it was pointless. Of course, it’s…
Spiritual Warfare Killshot
It’s not a question of having divine prerogatives; it’s the use of them. The middle chapters of 1 Corinthians manifests Paul’s attempt to teach the Corinthian church about the “coin of the realm” in the Kingdom of Heaven: sacrifice. It’s not what you have, but how you use it. Over those chapters, Paul emphasizes different…
Shoveling Manure 05
How about we get past the hysteria of all the evil out there in the world, and build a legacy of healing the victims? Do you realize how resilient people can be when they live in an atmosphere that encourages it? Do you understand that the very existence of PTSD is a testimony to just…
Compassion On Tap
In some private conversation about the previous post, I was reminded of one of the most difficult lessons for me, and apparently others. Keep in mind that my writing is targeted at nonconformists. That means eccentric people who aren’t typically group joiners. It is hardly the case that God called me to encourage spiritual Lone…