New England news & perspectives
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Bells and whistles
When I was serving as the pastor of a local church, I remember how exciting it was to see a young family come into the church. I recall one family that came to us with a lot of challenges. For two years, we poured into their lives and helped them overcome financial hurdles, marriage struggles, challenges raising their kids, and past trauma. Over time, they gradually shifted from being our perpetual mission project to becoming fully devoted followers of Christ. It was exciting to watch.
A dream is a wish your heart makes
I’ve been thinking a lot about dreams recently. Not dreams you have while you’re sleeping, but the dreams or hopes that you have for yourself. You could also call them desires. The other day in the car my daughters and I were listening to a Disney hits mix and “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” came on. And I had the thought, “what dreams or wishes do I have right now? When was the last time I had a dream?”
How do you keep score?
Professionals like to list their accomplishments on their resumes. In fact, LinkedIn is a professional social media platform designed for professionals to continuously update and publicize their list of accomplishments for the world to see.
Church Connections initiative forges missionary relationships
My family’s involvement in Church Connections has provided opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships to be formed between our family and Southern Baptist churches. Through these new relationships, we have been encouraged, prayed over and sent out as we walked through a difficult season of transition to a new field of service in northwest London. As we’ve connected, churches have heard our gratitude for their giving as well as stories of how their generosity has made an impact across the globe.
Four ways to honor marriage
God commands us, “Let marriage be held in honor among all…” (Hebrews 13:4a) The word “honor” is sometimes translated “precious” in the Bible. It is used to talk of precious stones used in the Temple (1 Kings 7:9-11 in the Greek translation of the Old Testament), of the precious stones that make up the walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 18), and of Christ’s precious blood (1 Peter 1:19). In other words, whether married or single, young or old, Christians are called by God to prize marriage. It was created by him for blessing and to be embedded in the world as a pointer to the Gospel (Ephesians 5:22-33 which quotes Genesis 2).
Welcoming the critics
My wife, Natalie, was about to criticize me. She prepared me for it. She assured me it wasn’t personal. She even confessed that she might not be right in what she was about to share. And then she said, “From my perspective, I think you…”
I was busted. She was right – and she loved me enough to say something.
Fighting the wrong battles
In our culture – Western culture – we fight way too much. If you consider the fact that we fight about our politics, at our jobs, within our families and within our communities, it seems that we are addicted to fighting.
The Christian outcast
When we read the Bible we hear about Jesus loving the outcasts of society. When we think of outcasts today, we often think of those outside the church: the homeless, drug addicted or poor people. But I want to talk to you today about the outcasts inside the church – those in the Christian community that feel judged, unwelcomed and looked down upon. I have all too often felt this way as soon as I mention that I am divorced.