The three biblical symbols for the Spirit at work are the dove that sat on Jesus’ shoulder at his baptism, and the tongues of fire and rushing wind at Pentecost. Jesus described the wind as unpredictable. Consider the following interpretation of what those symbols represented. The tongues of fire suggest energy, the kind associated with […]
Read MoreWhen I was teaching Organizational Behavior, I used a scheme that focused on how a worker learns expectations for his or her role contributes to the work of that organization. A role is the set of expectations for what the worker will say and do while on the job, like what an actor says and […]
Read MoreWhat would an ideal fellowship of the Spirit look like? Start with informal fellowships. It might be three couples dining out and sharing what God is doing in their lives. It might be four friends at a coffee shop talking about a new faith insight one of them had. It might be a Christian caregiver […]
Read MoreA keen insight recently from psychology is that people have differing personal spiritual temperaments. Recognizing these differences opens up more valuable ministry opportunities. A spiritual temperament is the way each of us personally relates to God best and most naturally. Spiritual temperaments influence where and how we most often sense God speaking to us, refreshing […]
Read MoreAvailable on Netflix, the multi-episode series Greenleaf is very good at addressing some of the basic issues in church life. It is about a fictional African-American megachurch in Memphis. The Greenleaf family that founded and leads this congregation has all sorts of difficulties brought on by the failings of everyone in this family. Portraying those […]
Read MoreFor most of the history of the institutional Christian church, women were not eligible for leadership, especially for ordination. There are many sociological reasons. But be aware that, properly understood, Paul’s prohibitions at his time are not a reason for excluding women from church leadership today. A grace-focused ministry should have a lot to do […]
Read MoreClassical theology has much to say about the means by which the Gospel is conveyed to those who need to hear it. Martin Luther listed these five means of grace: the Word, Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Confession of Sins, and Mutual Encouragement of the Brethren. Consider those to be input through which the Holy Spirit […]
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