A blog designed to develop missional leaders
Reflections on the Liturgical Year by Joan Chittister As I mentioned in the previous article, I have recently been reading a book that has proven impactful in my understanding of the Christian calendar. It’s written by Joan Chittister and entitled, The Liturgical Year: The Spiraling Adventure of the Spiritual Life. As we near Ash Wednesday, I... Continue Reading →
The season of Lent is almost upon us, and every year there are at least some Evangelical Christians in different countries who contact me out of their concern or confusion with this period in the Christian calendar, or the concept of a liturgical year in general. Phyllis Tickle explains that the Christian calendar has been... Continue Reading →
I recently had the privilege of reading a wonderful little book, called Opening the Bible, written by the renowned Trappist monk, Thomas Merton. His thoughts on reading the Scriptures were written decades ago but remain poignant and relevant as much today as in his time. Just to offer a taste, I will share three quotes. First,... Continue Reading →
By Carla Sunberg "Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen... Continue Reading →
By Charles W. Christian “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?” — Matthew 5:13 Salt has, in some ways, developed a bad reputation these days. It can cause high blood pressure and heart issues when it is over used. Part of... Continue Reading →
In the previous post, we heard from Pastor Rich Villodas as he taught us about how Advent is a season for “Wait Training.” In part two of his article, originally published at Missio Alliance, we now look at four practical ways we can learn to bear fruit in our spiritual lives as we wait during... Continue Reading →
By Rich Villodas (originally published on Missio Alliance) There’s nothing that unites us in the experience of being human quite like waiting. No matter our age, our education, our accomplishments, or time spent following Jesus, we will have to wait. This is why the Advent season is necessary for the shaping of our lives. Each... Continue Reading →
The following excerpt is from “Advent is a Season of Longing,” written by Carolyn Arends and published in Christianity Today. People are rarely neutral about the approach of Christmastime. Some of us reside at a North Pole of intense anticipation and excitement, while others of us hole up at a South Pole of irritation and... Continue Reading →
By Rev. Ernesto Bathermy As we analyzed and interpreted the images of a shepherd/pastor from the Old and New Testaments in the previous article, those texts shed light on our work and responsibilities as pastors: Feed the flock When we speak of feeding the sheep, we refer to teaching and instructing the believers in the... Continue Reading →
By Rev. Ernesto Bathermy The Bible teaches that God calls individuals into different ministries for the benefit of the community of faith, which is the Church, and for building up the Kingdom of God. This calling is obvious in the close relationship between the spiritual gifts and the One who gives them. Nevertheless, we must... Continue Reading →
Transform the Globe 