When Christians Refuse to Die
Some Christians are willing to die rather than kill. Regrettably too many are not.
Examining My Privilege
Many adults will remember what they were most excited to do when they reached the age of majority.
A Christian Does Christian Things
An old bit of Christian wisdom that is being sorely tested in this pandemic says, you become what you make a habit of.
Following Christ with Children in the Church
Many churches struggle with what to do with their children when they are in church, and yet mourn the exodus of youth and young adults. How do we both have and keep children in church?
The Sneaky Snare of Shame
It is dangerous to discover who you are. Despite all the modern cultural notions we hear about people going on a quest to, “find themselves,” seeing the reflection of one’s identity is a difficult and dangerous prospect that’s fraught with pain.
Examine the Day
As a boy, I picked raspberries for several summers. Whenever I had filled a flat with fruit, the farmer would weigh it on a balance scale to discern two truths: the truth of how much I had picked and the truth that I had not hidden rocks or dirt clods under the berries.
The Path of Hope
There is a short Old Testament phrase that I have found intriguing during these past weeks of this global pandemic.
Paraguay: Old News? Not When Christ is at Work in New Ways!
Paraguay is not a strong tourist destination. It is often overshadowed by surrounding, bigger, and more noteworthy countries when describing beauty, progress and peoples.
Accept One Another
The apostle Paul figured he could be “all things to all people” (1 Cor. 9:22). So, who is Paul for the EM Conference today and in its mission to advance Christ’s kingdom culture?
To My EMC Family: Thank You and a Few Suggestions
Dear EMC family, these unusual times, combined with an online course on missionary care I’ve been taking during lock-down in Eastern Europe, have meant a lot of introspection.
Women in Leadership: Hearing Fears and Offering Thoughts
In 2016 the General Board undertook to collect data and opinions from all EMC church leaderships regarding their views and practices pertaining to “women in leadership” in their local churches.
The Church Wide and the Church Narrow
To be simply Christian is to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ. This is a great mystery.
What it Means to Read the Bible Like the Apostles
We often hear that the Bible divides the Church.
Food Banks and COVID: Generosity in a Time of Concern
Since I started my job working for Many Rooms Church Community in October 2019, one of my regular tasks has been to help an elderly woman named Terry access the food bank.
The Most Critical Text for Today’s Disciples
There are a number of critical texts in which disciples of Jesus in our time would do well to inhabit.
THE PLACE OF EXPERIENCE IN THE THEOLOGICAL PROCESS
When we read the Bible, we come to the Scriptures with predetermined lenses. What we discern to be foundational truths are based on how we read Scripture. In other words, how we come to know Jesus Christ and how we live out the truths of his life in our own lives is a process of receiving truth and thinking about what it means.
YOUTH, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH
After working with youth for 15 years in ministry and then in social services, you get used to hearing a lot of the same questions. The first questions I hear usually go like this. From parents: “Why won’t my child listen to me?” From youth: “Why won’t my parents listen to me?” Even from other youth workers: “How do I get parents and kids to listen to each other?”
10 REASONS WHY I APPRECIATE THE EMC
In the culture in which we find ourselves it is popular to be critical, cynical, and to complain about the deficiencies we see in the world around us. All too often we as the church simply follow suit.
MENTAL HEALTH IN THE EMC, WHERE WE HAVE BEEN AND WHERE WE ARE GOING
Psalm 13 begins with these words, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?” We do not know exactly what the Psalmist’s circumstances were when he penned these words, but we do hear the agony, the feelings of God having forgotten him, of God hiding His face from the writer.
Judy and Dave in Paraguay: The Unfinished Work
A look at the ministry of Judy and Dave Schmidt