Whether it’s with a ministry team at church or with our own family, we regularly find ourselves trying to discern God’s will with others. In this blog, I will outline ten principles for helping us find God’s way together. 1. Encourage spiritual growth It’s important that we recognize that what people bring into a decision-making […]
Growing up as an evangelical Protestant, I knew a little bit about Lent. It meant renouncing something superfluous like ice cream or movies. If I thought about it, I might also spend a little time in prayer and contemplation of the passion of Jesus. But Lent was mostly an exercise in restraint. For early Christians, Lenten fasting served the larger purpose of repentance. Lent began as Christians fasted alongside new converts, or catechumens, who […]
The God Who Loves Us Christians believe that God rules with love, justice, and gracious care over the humans he created in his image, and all of the created order. The Mennonite Brethren Confession of Faith (CoF) begins with this statement: “We believe in the one, true, living God, Creator of heaven and earth. God […]
Looking for a new pastor can be a daunting challenge. Many churches can feel overwhelmed by the urgent need and can easily forget critical elements in the search process. Here are a series of tips I recommend to help your church prepare for a successful pastoral search. Pray much We cannot underestimate the incredible importance […]
Do your silent prayers sometimes get ambushed by your overloaded brain? For example, when you pray for your friend, do you suddenly think of his smile and it reminds you of how happy he looks when his mouth of full of his favourite candy? And this image then reminds you of the sweet taste of […]
Hard work is not the same as smart work. Years ago, I spent a summer tree planting in northern British Columbia. One day, I decided that I would plant as many trees as fast as I could. I was flying across the planting area! At the end of the day, my boss checked my work. […]
I believe most small group leaders spend too much of their prep time on the study. I don’t say this because I don’t believe group studies have value, but because they don’t hold more value than other parts of a group meeting. Jim Egli and Dwight Marable’s research findings show that time spent preparing lessons […]