Following Jesus, Leading His Church
Recently NBC News posted an article titled “Are We Living in a Simulated Universe? Here’s what Scientists Say.” In the article, Dan Falk suggests that we may be living in a such a simulation, behind which stands an “architect” or a “programmer.”
I don’t have a one-sized-fits-all answer for what you do at church the Sunday after a mass shooting. I do know what happened at Immanuel.
I think our volunteers and staff would agree with me when I say, after five days of games, songs, crafts, and controlled chaos, I was exhausted. VBS requires a tremendous amount of work!
On a practical level, what would it look like for our churches to embrace the responsibility of sending missionaries and missionary teams to the ends of the earth? I think a church that wants to be a “sending church” must embrace these four responsibilities.
Regular pastors are tempted to chase a number of ministry goals. These goals can include platform building, a strong social media presence, denominational recognition, publishing contracts, speaking invitations, and even quasi-celebrity status.
If you’re involved with the strange, online world of evangelical Christianity, you may have noticed a trend over the last several years. Many websites, social media platforms, blogs, and podcasts have taken a page right out of the playbook of American politics.
“I think my child is ready to be baptized.” Regular pastors hear these words regularly. Little Johnny has asked a question about heaven, angels, death, or something remotely spiritual, and now Johnny’s parents think he’s ready to be baptized. Setting all skepticism aside, this is an encouraging and exciting development in the life of any child.
Genesis 3 is a story of sin, transgression, rebellion, defiance, and treason. It’s also a story of fig leaves, hide and seek, and blame. Rather than taking the path of confession, Adam and Eve chose the path of sewing fig leaf clothing, hiding from the presence of God, and blaming others for their sin.
Human beings instinctively long for justice. Our definitions of justice may be rooted in different value systems, but we all long for justice. We want things to be set right.
