A blog designed to develop missional leaders
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 →
“So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon. When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to... Continue Reading →
“One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples. He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone... Continue Reading →
By Scott Armstrong I was a squirrelly little seventh-grader when they broke me the news: the new youth pastor was going to be at church this Wednesday. Some guy named Ed Belzer. I had heard he was nice, funny, and really loved teens. But I wanted to see for myself. That Wednesday I was talking... Continue Reading →
"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.'" (John 9:1-3) By Scott... Continue Reading →
A devotional adapted by Claudia Cruz Martínez from William Barclay’s commentary: “The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?’ (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)” John 4:9 The story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman is well-known. There are so... Continue Reading →
By Ed Stetzer How does the word "contextualization" make you feel? Free or fearful? The $64-million dollar question about innovation and change is this: How far is too far? I can't think of any question in the church much more controversial than this one. We've been asking it for two thousand years and rarely ever... Continue Reading →
Scott Armstrong Ready for a quiz? What period of the Christian calendar are we in right now? If you answered, “Easter” or “Eastertide,” congratulations! I admit that I have written quite a bit about Advent and Lent, and both of those are very important periods in our spiritual walk. But Eastertide is just as important,... Continue Reading →
Scott Armstrong Lent and Holy Week have been pretty important in my life and my spiritual walk through the years. And there is nothing better than when the fasting and solemnity they bring finally culminates in the massive outburst of joy at Easter. Christ is risen! There is no better celebration than Easter! Or at... Continue Reading →
By Frederick Buechner It's at the end that she comes into focus most clearly. She was one of the women who was there in the background when he was being crucified—she had more guts than most of them had—and she was also one of the ones who was there when they put what was left... Continue Reading →
Transform the Globe 