Articles Tagged '' (Page 36)

Honesty with God on Our Journey of Faith

Thankfully the Bible is honest about the flaws of our heroes so we can know that we can be a person of faith useful to God, too!

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us that Abraham's journey of faith wasn't easy, his life was not perfect, and his questions for God were real.

Primal Fears

Instinctive? Maybe. Pervasive? Absolutely! Primal fears have plagued humanity for as long as we have told stories and laid awake at night... afraid!

Phil Ware looks at Jesus and how he brings us victory over our worst fears as adults.

We'll Never Be Happy Here (And That's Okay)

We love glorious moments, but they don't last that long... until, with Jesus, they last forever.

Michele Howe reminds of that glorious moments are precious and fleeting, until they last forever with Jesus in glory.

Sharing Good News

There's nothing more natural than sharing good news

We forget that the story of Jesus is good news, something that should be naturally shared with people we know.

Aren't the Trees Nice and Full!

We are called to be a group of mustard seed people — folks who know they are GATHERED to be TRANSFORMED and SCATTERED.

Phil Ware introduces us to the concept of TRANSENDING.church and calls us to be a people who gather to transform and scatter.

Let the Water Be Your Friend

It was with fear and trembling that she made her unsteady way down the steps and stood, shaking like a leaf!

Phillip Morrison shares some beautiful insight on unity, baptism, and how the water can be our friend if we let it!

I Will Pursue Unity

For the sake of making 'every effort to pursue the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace' (Ephesians 4:3).

Rubel Shelly gives us a practical, yet very challenging, set of practices to help us pursue unity with other believers without compromising our own faith and commitment to Scripture.

Not a Patch, but a Whole New World

Pursue Jesus. Completely pursue him. You will notice that while you are not religious, you are being drawn to a holy character and gracious compassion that religion longs to impart, but cannot!

Phil Ware continues looking at the gospel of Mark and reminds us that Jesus isn't a patch on religion or a new joy to infuse old and stale religion; he is an altogether all new thing.

Promises! Promises?

Is God good enough and big enough to make all of his great promises come true?

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us that God keeps his promises and Jesus is the ultimate proof that God's promises can be trusted!

Dinner at Levi's House

They're unsettling. They're uncomfortable. They're troubling. So, we don't ask, at least not out loud!

Phil Ware asks a bunch of troubling questions as he looks at the story of Jesus and his call of Levi and the party Levi had at his house afterwords.

God Made Touchable

That is God with curly dark brown hair and wood shavings in his hair and callouses on his hands. That is God come live among us.

Phil Ware challenges us to remember that Jesus was God made touchable and that Communion makes God touchable to us again.

Freedom to Choose

While we can get frustrated by our lack of choices about some things in life, the most important choice of all is ours because of Jesus!

Max Lucado reminds us about our freedom to choose Jesus and eternal life or not.

I Will Believe for You Until You Can Believe for Yourself

During times of cascading badness, friends sometimes need to believe for those caught in the crush of seriously bad stuff.

Phil Ware reminds us of Mark's story about Jesus and the four friends who dug a hole in the roof to get their buddy to Jesus.

My Response to God's Call

Will I follow on the journey, or will I choose to let where I am, where I'm comfortable, and what I have hold me in bondage?

James Nored and Phil Ware remind us of the call of the Lord to leave and follow no matter the cost.

More Mess than Ministry?

When we choose our way, when we think we must be true to what we feel rather than what Jesus said, we find ourselves opposing the work of Christ.

Phil Ware reminds us that authentic ministry involves listening for the will of God in time in God's presence, genuine compassionate and personal care for those who are broken, and obedience to Jesus as our Lord.

Until...

We wait in eager expectation until we share in our reunion with Jesus in glory!

Phil Ware reminds us that The Lord's Supper is not a time to just look back, but also a time of great anticipation and eager expectation for the Lord's return.

Sharing Jesus Is not Like Selling Ads, but Still...

What I learned about sharing Jesus from selling ads.

A parable is a story that illustrates a spiritual point -- like selling phone book ads and making disciples.

Preparing Hearts for Jesus

The sequence of grace — serving before saving!

Phil Ware shares insight on the beginning of Mark's gospel and how salvation is preceded by service, serving comes before saving, and the gospel always begins with a servant.

Dinner with Abba

Communion is a reminder of why we belong at the Father's Table of grace.

Phil Ware reminds us that the cross was personal to Jesus and to us and because of it, we come to God as our 'Abba Father.'

Simple Oil Changes

Why is it so hard to let our Father help us?

Max Lucado reminds us that God wants to help us through our hardest challenges.

Viewing People as Jesus Did!

Too often as human beings, we tend to view people in ways that demean their value to God and reveal the diminished value we place upon them.

Phil Ware reminds us of the four ways we often view people that are very crass and treats them as less than human, then he compares that to how Jesus views people.

Rebellious Confusion

The story of the Tower of Babel is a reminder of the confusion that ultimately results from refusing to obey God's will.

James Nored and Phil Ware share in thought and video several important truths about the Tower of Babel story and the human resistance to the will of God.

Ancient Wisdom, Modern Grace: Passing It On

How do we learn to live with broader horizons and greater risk-taking for the Kingdom of God?

Phil Ware completes his four-part series called 'Ancient Wisdom, Modern Grace.' He reminds us of our need to be a risk-taking group of Jesus followers

Eating and Leftovers

Why the connection between Jesus and 'the leftovers' and why does the modern church not have the same relationships?

Phil Ware reminds us that our times at the Lord's Table should be filled with the same kind of people who joined Jesus at the table when he was on earth!

Is Anything Sacred?

Why do we try to change God's standards?

Max Lucado reminds us that God's holiness standards do not change and that we must not compromise on what we feel called to do.