Three years ago, Trudi and I adopted two precious girls out of the Los Angeles County foster system. They are now 14 and 12 years old. We are deeply grateful for these precious young ladies God has brought into our family. But we encountered a few things that we wish someone had told us about foster-adoptions before we started the process. Here is a short list of issues that might be helpful for you to know if youre considering embarking on such an adventure.
2013 is the inaugural year of an innovative biblical commentary series edited by John Walton and Mark Straus (published by Baker Books). Its called Teach the Text because that is what it is about: helping people to teach the biblical text effectively. It combines literary, background and exegetical analysis with theological, pedagogical and homiletical discussion. But it does this in a surprisingly concise and accessible manner.
Yesterday I spent about 45 minutes talking and praying with one of my current students. Four months ago he was invited to step into the role of youth pastor in his church, and now finds himself responsible for preparing and teaching a message every Friday and Sunday. Two messages a week! And this for someone who has only done a bit of preaching in the past He shared with me (and I share this entire post with his permission) that the single hardest thing he has faced in his new role as youth pastor is the agonizing decision of what to preach each week.
A mind is a terrible thing to waste. This slogan, first broadcast by the United Negro College Fund in 1972, has become something of a John 3:16 for educators seeking to evangelistically rouse students out of intellectual slumber. If I could tailor this slogan for our 51蹤獲 community as we embark on a new semester, it would become: The mind of Christ is far too precious to not cultivate. While lacking the elegant phrasing and bumper sticker quote-ability of the original, it does express something I hope we can pause to ponder as we enter our classrooms.
Hace ya varios a簽os escuch矇 una frase que me ha hecho pensar constantemente y que refleja uno de los mayores peligros que enfrentan los l穩deres cristianos. La frase dice as穩: es importante no estar tan ocupado en la obra de Dios que nos olvidemos del Dios de la obra. El problema no es el servicio a Dios sino el enfoque y, en muchos casos, la motivaci籀n que nos mueve al servicio. Estoy convencido que uno de los pecados principales de muchos l穩deres es el 矇nfasis obsesivo por el trabajo y, por lo tanto, el descuido de lo esencial y verdaderamente importante como Dios, la familia y el cuidado personal.
The most recent issue of the Journal of Spiritual Formation & Soul Care carried an article I wrote on the relationship between spiritual formation and mission. Here's an outline...
One of the little known facts of church growth is that pastors can stay too long. Long pastoral tenure can actually harm the growth of a church. Generally, the first twenty years of a pastors tenure are quite healthy, but it is very rare for a pastor to lead a church through a third decade with vitality and growth.
聶Por qu矇 las cosas son como son? 聶D籀nde est獺 Dios cuando el mundo lo ignora a l y a sus principios? Cuando Dios act繳a, 聶por qu矇 hace l lo que hace? Todos nos hemos hecho alguna vez preguntas dif穩ciles respecto a Dios y a nuestra fe. En muchas ocasiones, lo que vemos aparentemente no concuerda con lo que creemos acerca de Dios. 聶Qu矇 hacer en estas circunstancias? En Habacuc encontramos un libro b穩blico que nos muestra un modelo para enfrentar estos momentos y acrecentar nuestra fe en el Dios que sostiene el universo con su poder.
I love my office. There are many reasons that I love my office. One is that I can store the many books that I own in there. Second, it is a place for study or reading in a quiet setting. But what I love most is that my office is a place for ministry and discipleship to occur. In other words, it is a safe place to meet students who are not only facing the challenges of academia but also the hardships of life. For this reason, the value of my office hours is priceless!
My wife Trudi and I spoke for a parenting seminar this past weekend. We offered 14 tips for nurturing the spiritual lives of ones children. Ive included the 14 teaching points here for your own consideration. Our prayer is that many parents will take on the call to intentionally train their children in the ways of the Lord. If you want your children to grow up to be passionate followers of Christ
There is a pressure that is constantly battling around us to give people whatever they want. When you are younger it was labeled peer pressure. However, as we grow older the peer pressures continues throughout life, we just call them Expectations
A search of the Internet will reveal several different kite parables, including one in support of the (un-Christian) idea that by holding tight to the string of Gods commandments people can fly themselves up into the heavens. Id like to suggest a different kite parable, one that is more in keeping with Christian orthodoxy. My parable focuses on the kite itself (not the string) as the gospel of salvation through faith in Christ alone, but not a faith that is alone.
Looking over a resume in order to hire a person for ministry can be trickier than one realizes at first. This is especially true because they typically want to give the benefit of the doubt to ones accomplishments and experiences as listed on a resume. However, it has been the experience of this writer that what is often listed on a resume may not actually be the truth. There are those who like to stretch the information or possibly embellish the facts to point in favor of the applicant. Then there are those who just flat out lie about who they really are and what theyve done. This blog will highlight some clues or signs of red flags that may show up in ministry resumes.
Esta semana se conmemoran los d穩as m獺s importantes para el cristianismo y, por consiguiente, para todo el mundo. La muerte y resurrecci籀n de Jesucristo marcan el eje central de nuestra fe. Durante la semana santa recordamos la muerte de Jes繳s en la cruz por nuestros pecados y su victoria sobre la muerte a trav矇s de su gloriosa resurrecci籀n.
Breaking up may be hard to do, but starting over in ministry can be scary. No one enjoys change and often our worst mistakes happen in the stress of transitions.
Forming the right kind of pastoral staff or leadership team can be a very challenging endeavor. Getting the right people to work together for the long run is much more difficult than people imagine. Sometimes great individual leaders do not necessarily mean they will work well together in a team. So, how can this be remedied? But before this question can be asked, there is another important preliminary question that needs to be raised. What elements need to be in place or need to match in order to build a strong and cohesive staff? This blog will examine three aspects that need to match well in order to build a good, strong, and cohesive staff.
Recuerdo que el pastor de la iglesia donde crec穩 repet穩a constantemente esta frase el amor es un producto de la voluntad. Estas palabras se convirtieron en una expresi籀n com繳n en la iglesia y se mencionaban constantemente en diferentes contextos. Me parece que lo que el pastor quer穩a comunicar era que la acci籀n de amar est獺 basada principalmente en una decisi籀n y no solamente en emociones. Nuestras emociones cambian, pero cuando decidimos amar a Dios y a nuestro pr籀jimo independientemente de nuestro estado de 獺nimo entonces estamos as穩 cumpliendo la ley de Cristo. Estoy de acuerdo con la idea general, pero creo que el amor va mucho m獺s all獺 de nuestra voluntad. El amor se centra en la persona de Dios y nosotros tenemos el gran privilegio de participar y demostrar el amor divino.
This post is for people who are praying seriously about the possibility of serving overseas in long-term cross-cultural missions. It may help you assess where you presently stand in terms of readiness for such a ministry assignment.
There is poignant scene in the movie Amazing Grace that pans onto a country field in which William Wilberforce is lying on the wet grass contemplating the magnificence of God. He is mesmerized by the dew on a spider web as evidence of Gods handiwork. In this instant he feels the inner tension between staying in the moment, meditating on God and returning to ongoing struggle in politics. He cannot discern which is better: to sit in solitude with God or enter the realm of politics where he is seeking to bring Gods justice? It is only later that some abolitionist ministers suggest that he could do both: seek to be with God and serve God at the same time. It is this special combination that I believe is the key to living for Gods Kingdom - not at a glorious future in heaven above, but now in this broken world in need of Gods redeeming justice and hope!
Talbot faculty members share some of their picks for the best books released in 2012. Read about their recommendedations here, listed in alphabetical order:
As we near the outset of a new academic semester, I thought this comment from John Frame was a fitting word of encouragement for Talbot faculty and students alike concerning the nature of our engagement with Gods word.
I am very excited to announce that Talbot School of Theology will be launching a new Doctor of Ministry track in Asian-American Ministry in June of 2013. This is a 2-week residency that will run from June 3rd to the 14th, 2013. This track will be taught and guided by some of the most experienced leaders, instructors, and practitioners in Asian-American ministry. The track is geared towards anyone who pastors or leads Asian-Americans in a church or parachurch.
Al mundo paz naci籀 Jes繳s es el inicio de un popular villancico navide簽o que resume magistralmente esta temporada de fiesta por la llegada del Hijo de Dios entre nosotros. La navidad celebra el cumplimiento de la promesa de la venida del Pr穩ncipe de paz (Is. 9:6). La segunda persona de la trinidad se hizo hombre y habit籀 entre nosotros para despu矇s darnos vida a trav矇s de su sacrificio expiatorio en la cruz. Por lo tanto, la navidad es un acontecimiento digno de celebrarse.
Bueno, pero Dios sigue estando en su trono es una frase que he escuchado bastante veces en los 繳ltimos d穩as. Los que la pronuncian generalmente lo hacen con un tono de resignaci籀n al ver que las cosas no se han dado como inicialmente esperaban. Me da la impresi籀n que recuerdan que Dios est獺 en control de las circunstancias solamente como un premio de consolaci籀n al ver que su candidato perdi籀 las elecciones o enfrentan otras decepciones en la vida. Tristemente en estos casos, estas personas se olvidan que nuestro Dios siempre es victorioso, siempre est獺 en control y que nada ni nadie obstruye su soberan穩a sobre todo. Dios no deber穩a ser el premio de consolaci籀n de los perdedores sino el premio mayor de todos los d穩as sin importar lo que est矇 sucediendo a nuestro alrededor.
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