A blog designed to develop missional leaders
By: Scott Armstrong Have you ever seen the Christmas movie, The Polar Express? It was a mainstay in our household when our kids were little, and we still watch it most years when December comes. Without giving away the whole plot, there’s a seemingly peripheral character who has a few scenes that are hard to... Continue Reading →
By: Rob Prince The following article was taken from https://robprinceblog.com/2021/12/16/the-pandemic-and-the-last-candle-in-the-advent-wreathe/ The last of the four candles of Advent wreathe will be lit in churches all over the world on Sunday. If it’s like at our church, somewhere in the service a family or individual will read a passage of scripture, remind us of the candle’s... Continue Reading →
By: Daniel Pesado Advent and Christmas are totally related. Advent ("adventus") means "coming" or "arrival." The synonym used in the Greek is "Parousía", which also means "coming" or "presence", although we mostly use it to refer to the arrival of Jesus at the end of time. In Advent we prepare to celebrate the first coming... Continue Reading →
A few days ago, I read a story that sparked my curiosity for the term Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a compact term in Zulu, a language spoken in South Africa, and when translated, it means "I am, because you are"—like the children in the following story believed:"An anthropologist proposed a game to children in an African tribe.... Continue Reading →
By Leonard Sweet (European Nazarene College, January 18, 2011) I was reading Psalm 51:10 to my mother when she died: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a right spirit within me.” Now the key to the holiness movement is a clean heart. So give me an image for a clean heart. ... Continue Reading →
By Scott Armstrong September 1993. I was 15 years old. My dad and mom call a family meeting after supper. My brother and I came down from our rooms, wondering what’s going on. We usually had the famous “family meetings” once a year when some new rule was being enforced or when a vacation needed... Continue Reading →
We begin the Christian calendar with Advent. From my perspective, no one expresses the meaning of this reality better perhaps than Joan Chittister en her book, The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life. Every year is a distinct growth point in life, the shedding of another shell of life. Each year brings... Continue Reading →
By Hiram Vega The gospels tell us the story of the birth of the promised Messiah, placing it in the context of the Israelite people with historical details and long genealogies intended to prove that he was a legitimate descendant of King David. The book of John shows something different. John pulls back the curtain... Continue Reading →
*This is part two of the previous article. To everything, there is a season (turn, turn, turn) Human beings are “time-bound” creatures by Divine design. We naturally tend to organize our lives around rhythms that play out in time. Depending upon our vocation, different seasons bring different expectations and demands. I come from a line... Continue Reading →
By Brannon Hancock The season of Advent—a word that means arrival—is the season of waiting. “We can hardly stand the wait! / Please Christmas, don’t be late.” Most of you can hear the song in your head immediately, can’t you? Those squeaky, aggravating chipmunk voices singing the Christmas song we all love to hate. The... Continue Reading →
Transform the Globe 