Redeeming Church Conflicts
-
The Greatest Danger to Your Pastor’s Spiritual Growth
Dave has a great post over at our RedeemingChurchConflicts site: The Greatest Danger to Your Pastor’s Spiritual Growth Here is just a snippet: This is what the dangerous downward spiral looks like: The pastor preaches a powerful message that really communicates. Church members congratulate him on his fine work as a powerful communicator of difficult theological material. The pastor is praised for “changing lives” and is pleased that the church members respond so positively. The next week the same thing happens—praise, adoration, applause … for “the man.” Week after week, the pastor receives this praise and feeds his ego by gathering close to himself only the people who agree with…
-
I Belong to You and You Belong to Me (And thus, we genuinely care for one another!)
I am truly enjoying Jerry Bridges’ new book: True Community: The Biblical Practice of Koinonia Here is a quote from the final pages to give you just a taste of its wisdom: “The foundation of daily experiential fellowship among believers is found in Paul’s statement that “in Christ … each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5). I belong to you and you belong to me, and we each belong to and have “ownership” in every other believer in the world. This mutual belonging to one another is the thread that ties together all the seemingly diverse elements of fellowship. As we recognize and apply the fact that we…
-
The Very People We Are Called to Serve Will Break our Hearts
“If our ultimate motivation for service to God is simply because we love people, we will never be able to sustain the call to service that God has given to us because the very people we are called to serve will break our hearts. It is only the grace of Christ that enables us to persevere.” J. Ligon Duncan and Susan Hunt, Women’s Ministry in the Local Church
-
Church is a Band of Natural Enemies
Just a few scratchings from one of my many listenings of Pastor Tim Keller’s sermon, The Community of Jesus (taken from Luke 6:12-36). This is a sermon that is worth listening to more than once … Why do we have the law of God? To find law and be saved? NO. Exodus shows that is impossible. God does not give them the law and then save them from slavery. He saves them and then gives them the law. So, if God has already saved them from slavery, why did he give them the law? Because He is going to make us into a people; a true human community. A new human community.…
-
Pain Does Its Work … And Grace Takes Over
This is such an amazing essay! I have filed it in my read & re-read & re-read area and I look at it often, including this past week. I hope that it truly encourages you all! Yours — t PAIN DOES ITS WORK, AND GRACE TAKES OVER Written by Ajith Fernando while travelling abroad I left home on a trip abroad feeling very discouraged and hurt because of some problems. This is normal in the Christian life, and these are emotions I must not deny. Sorrow and pain must be permitted to do their work. They – deepen our commitment and mould our character, especially teaching us patience; – lead…
-
Live on WDCX — Lifeline with Kurt Goff
In just a few minutes, I’m going live on WDCX’s program “Lifeline with Kurt Goff.” You can listen in by clicking here. (And if you have even a moment, I’d SO appreciate your prayers because I have to solo the hour-long program due to a scheduling conflict with Cap’n Dave. Yeek! I pray most of all that I lift high the Lord Jesus! And also that I will encourage His people, remain faithful to His Word, and hopefully represent Redeeming Church Conflicts well. Thanks, friends!)
-
Ken Sande’s Endorsement of “Redeeming Church Conflicts”
How blessed we were by Ken Sande’s generous offer to record an endorsement video for “Redeeming Church Conflicts.” A number of other endorsements are also included: Dennis Johnson (Westminster CA), Timothy George (Beeson Divinity School), Glenn Waddell (Birmingham Theological Seminary), Bob Kellemen (Biblical Counseling Coalition), Andrew Zeller (sangre de Christo Seminary), and Nancy Guthrie (author and speaker). (PS—If you enjoy the video, would you please consider posting it on your blog or FaceBook account? That would be super! Thanks!)
-
Trailer for “Redeeming Church Conflicts”
We enjoyed many still photos on our videotaping day. Brooke Moore Photography always goes above and beyond the call to get the shot. We are thrilled with our new professional headshot photos: And chuckling over some silly/poetic shots the photographer wanted to take … But our favorites are the backstage pics. They really give you a sweet peek into our day. You’ll see Ken Sande working hard to prepare: And the team gathering at the beginning of the day to pray: May God be glorified! We did our best. Now we entrust our feeble efforts to the Lord—-may He use them for His glory and the building up of…
-
Videos & Photos (Lord willing!) to Come Soon (Please pray!)
May 1st was the official publication date for Redeeming Church Conflicts, so Cap’n Dave (my coauthor) and I are going to spend the entire day with a photographer (the incredibly gifted Brooke Moore) and a videographer (the likewise incredibly gifted and super-cute Fred Barthel), trying to capture some promotional materials for the book. Ken Sande and some other friends too have generously cleared some time in their schedules to join in the fun. So now it’s time to channel my inner Southside-Fellowship-LTGIR-Creating-Team (no one is helping me with hair! makeup! soaping my necklace! noticing when my collar is sticking straight up! yeek!) and do my best to look presentable. At…
-
Church Conflict Need Not be a Confusing Mystery
I really appreciated the personal nature of this Redeeming Church Conflicts post by Cap’n Dave: Church Conflict Need Not be a Confusing Mystery It inspired me to reach over and grab the Bible next to my bed …