Identifying, Promoting, and Supporting Churches and Individuals Engaged in Holistic Ministry to "the Least of These"
Too often we think of “kingdom” work as only happening in the Church, probably because too many of us equate the Church with the kingdom. When Jesus preached, He didn’t say that the Church was near, but the kingdom of God. Jesus’ work among the sick, poor, and outcast created kingdom outposts, places where God …
Continue reading “Don’t Get it Twisted-The Kingdom and the Church”
In our small city of 65,000+, there are multiple places to get food assistance if you’re hungry. From the giant non-profit to the small neighborhood church, resources seem abundant. Even with all that, there are still those struggling to get by. The pandemic and the economic crisis have driven many people to food pantries and …
Church basements can be places of transformation. Just think about all the AA/NA meetings, community meals, clothing closets, food pantries, and support groups–not to mention Bible studies and Sunday Schools–that meet in church basements. Both my own youth group as a teenager and the first youth group I pastored had our rooms in a corner …
Continue reading “Ugly Church Stories: Hope in a Church Basement”
Poor communities face a lack of internet connectivity, which is of particular concern when it seems that every kind of interaction has gone online. Work, church, and schools have been virtual for months and even with the return of some in-person gatherings, we are still heavily reliant on our internet connections. But what if you …
When I took over management of a homeless shelter, I had never stayed in a homeless shelter. I had never slept on the street. As a young man I had experienced homelessness, sleeping in my car and surfing couches, but my life was not impacted by addiction, mental illness, or the myriad other contributing factors …
Continue reading “Listening, Learning, Lifting Up, and Laying Down”
In the wake of coronavirus/COVID-19, there has been a lot of contemplation, concentration, and consternation around preserving our churches in the pandemic. Anything that could be reproduced digitally has been, regardless of the size or expertise of churches. Services are streaming from empty sanctuaries, living rooms, and outside spaces. Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Zoom, Google and …
In the ugly church we talk a lot about physical presence in messy lives, situations, and circumstances, modeling our ministry after that of Jesus. We want to be about the business of touching “lepers” and breaking bread with “sinners.” With the coronavirus pandemic, our usual modes of connection have been cut off. Visits to the …
I’m naturally a visual person, which means I tend to think in pictures. As I was thinking about the way the Church typically approaches outreach and evangelism, it struck me as, well, backward. And the picture of a funnel came to mind. Based on what I understand about Jesus’ ministry and the way the modern …
“What do you want for Christmas,” my wife asks me before Christmas. My mind goes blank. What do I need? What do I want? I need to lose (quite) a few pounds. I need to call my parents and my brother more often. I want to slow down and be more present. These aren’t things …
“Giving isn’t really giving until it interrupts your lifestyle.” – unknown person wiser than me I have a history of gaining and losing weight. Clothes are bought and then donated as they become too large or (usually) too small. It feels good to bag them up and give them to a local concern or ministry …
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