Category Archives: church life
Is ‘Evangelism’ the Christian’s Greatest Fear?
“Why are you afraid of evangelism?” ********** Lets get serious now, why does it frighten you? Is it flesh, or maybe is it demonic? What do you think? What does God desire? ********************** Bad experiences Door to Door- My first witnessing experience happened in 1984, we went out 2×2. I was paired up with Jody, a [...]
Eldership is Crucial!
Our elders shelter us I’ve been asked to put down in print the message I shared when Pastor Dennis McNally was here in Homer, Alaska several weeks ago. So here it is, in a nut-shell. I first preached these concepts in Sheffield, England. Sheffield is good place, but it has a reputation throughout the UK. For [...]
Sophisticated Sheep
”Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages. He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives. When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke. So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. “What a huge [...]
Overcoming the Darkness: An Interview with Philip Mitchell
Professor Mitchell, what is the difference between being depressed and just feeling bad about yourself? Sometimes it’s easy to tell the difference; sometimes you’re not certain. I look for clinical indicators of depressive illness:whether the person’s life is becoming impaired by these bad feelings, when it’s starting to interfere with people’s sleep, appetite and weight, [...]
A Peace That Teaches
“Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using [...]
Wrong Things Said in Church
“There must be something wrong with your spiritual life.” Yes, depression CAN be a result of sin. BUT depression is NOT always a result of sin! If it is, God will tell you loud and clear what the problem is. This saying piles on the guilt for the depressed Christian. It’s unlikely that their depression [...]
The Curse of Social Isolation
Quite a few studies now out, revealing the reality of social isolation. It seems more and more people are veering away from social contact. A Duke University study found that Americans are choosing to become more solitary than ever. Many are eschewing all relations all together. This is a problem. I’ve seen some of the statistics– fully 25% of [...]
A Response to “Missing It”
Someone made a real good effort to put up this billboard. Essentially it expresses a lot of humility without any compromise. My gut feeling is that it touches a lot of frayed thinking in a very good way. Ministering grace can be a definite challenge, especially when the scorner and mocker are heavily involved. I [...]
Our Hearts Plead for Good Pastors
Within issues of vulnerability, there are usually great problems. These are tender areas: Alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illnesses, homosexuality, sex addiction, porn and chronic depression are all substantial issues of pain and conflict. Strugglers are very often intimidated by leadership in the Church. It seems all we can see is a position of authority, and [...]