Meaning, Ministry & the Word
Beyond the mic: Articles and blog posts from Wednesday in the Word. The podcast about what the Bible means and how we know.
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Beyond the Mic: Blog Posts from the Podcast
7 Things to Remember When You Invite an Event Speaker
Here’s advice from an expert on how not to burn out your retreat speaker.
Measure What Matters: A Ministry Evaluation Framework That Works
Discover a proven framework for evaluating ministry effectiveness beyond attendance numbers. Learn 20+ questions to assess spiritual impact, leadership development, and gospel-centered growth in your church programs.
I’m Confused, You’re Annoying, and He’s Pig-Headed. To God be the Glory!
Can God use less-than-perfect believers without also perfecting them at the same time? Do their failures negate the good examples of Abraham and David? Apparently not.
Loving someone with cancer
In an 11 month period, my mother died of breast cancer and both my mother-in-law and her mother died of lung cancer. Here’s what I learned about how to love, help and support someone living with cancer and their caretaker.
7 Habits of Spectacularly Unsuccessful Leaders
Failed CEOs shared these 7 habits. What about leaders in the church?
Servant Leadership in Practice
Putting servant leadership into practice: thoughts on leading from moral authority rather than hierarchy.
Mary & Martha: A lesson for Women’s Ministry
Martha chose to serve physical food while Mary chose to receive spiritual food. Mary chose wisely. When Jesus comes to town, all of us should drop everything to listen.
Drawing the Doctrinal Line
Which of our many doctrinal differences should Christians worry about? After all, one person’s heresy is another person’s minor difference of opinion.
What if I failed my Bible reading plan?
Approximately one-third of those who started a Bible reading plan in January abandon it by February. By May that number will drop to half. What if you are one of the statistics?
The Dividing Line
The Apostle Paul divides humanity by one thing: those who belong to God and those who don’t. It is the only distinction that matters.
Why I reject Emergent Theology
Emergent Theology claims theological certainty is an idol, but Paul claims the authority to speak on behalf of God.
An exceptionally good Christmas
Alone and cold in a German prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: “I think we are going to have an exceptionally good Christmas.” As I sit in warmth and comfort, I wonder at his words.
Cats and the End of the World
The day our cat died our daughter changed her Facebook status to “starting over from the end of the world.”
Role Playing
To compare roles is to count paper clips. Neither is a valid measure of our worth.
Barnabas: Playing Second Fiddle
Barnabas is an great example of the incredible good you can do when you don’t care who gets credit.
Love & Hate
How can the apostle John say love is a mark of believers and hate is a mark of non-believers? Even a cursory examination reveals that believers hate and non-believers love.
5 Questions to Identify a Cult
How do you recognize a group which claims to represent genuine, apostolic Christianity but in reality does not? Here are 5 questions that separate “the sheep” from “the wolves.”
7 Marks of False Teachers
I blog frequently on tips and tools for improving your Bible study skills, but what about discernment when listening to others?
Judging other believers
If a local church developed a schism such that it divided into opposing camps, both camps might be tempted to judge the other side using 1 John 2:9-:11. But the Apostle John did not write these verses to be a club to condemn each other.
God is light
In 1 John, the Apostle John is writing to clarify the true gospel from the false gospels spreading through the early church. His first point is God is holy and you are not.
Are older women invisible in the church?
Is “youth focused Christianity may be sidelining the gifts of older women”? In a sea of artful hipsters, older women feel invisible and overlooked.
Why calling does not begin with marriage
Does God have a “one-plan-fits-all” calling for women: marry, conceive children, raise children and become a grandmother?
The purpose of 2 John and 3 John
2 & 3 John contain the same ideas as 1 John. So what was the purpose of these short letters?
What does it mean to abide in Christ?
Understanding what it means to “abide in Christ” is one of the major themes of 1 John.
Agreeing with Young Atheists
When Larry Alex Taunton of Fixed Point Foundation explored why many American college students are atheists, a “composite sketch” emerged — which I found I agreed with.
Who are you listening to?
Today we often seek preachers who tell us stories, make us laugh, and tickle our ears with poetry and platitudes. We would rather listen to Jon Stewart than Jonathan Edwards. We ought to think critically about how far we have slipped down the slope of valuing style over substance.
Observations on the Empty Nest
Random comments on life after children fly the nest.
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