Thoughts from other people, shared because they made me think…
Things No One Tells You About Going on Short-Term Mission Trips
We have both seen the good, the bad and the ugly of short-term missions. And we continue to feel this tension with the short-term mission teams that we host. Do they do more harm than good? Do they perpetuate the cycle of poverty? Do they contribute to feelings of superiority? Or inferiority? Our work with families and communities in Guatemala, as well as churches and schools from the U.S. has forced us to ask these questions daily.
Amplifying Evangelism—Show and Tell
“Don’t tell me what you believe, show me what you do and I will tell you what you believe.” If that’s the case, I think an argument can be made that Evangelicals have abandoned any actual belief in evangelism. We have become a missionary people without a mission. We have turned evangelism and mission into bywords that are used incessantly but are buttressed with very little actual engagement or action on the part of the typical Christian.
When Your Preacher Becomes THE Pastor
Elders haven’t fulfilled the responsibility of being a shepherd by making the preacher do the work of a shepherd while they ignore that role. It is inconsistent to make the preacher do most of the teaching, most of the visiting of visitors and newcomers to the community, be the primary minister at all deaths, go to reclaim those who have strayed from the fold, make regular hospital, nursing home, and shut-in visits (and hand in a report), work with troubled marriages, minister to those who have problems with their marriages and children, rebuke those who are in sin — then get upset when someone calls the preacher the pastor.
Everything My Church Taught Me About Sex and Marriage Is Wrong
Well-meaning as they were, speakers used these lines to preach the Gospel, but the main thing I took away was a shallow understanding of sex and marriage. I found myself believing in two lies: “marriage and sex are completely different” and “sex is about me.”
- Come Expecting
- Come Giving
- Come Forgiving
- Come Ready
The comment—particularly the part about an unborn person not having constitutional rights—was immediately seized on by both critics and supporters of abortion (but for different reasons). Advocates for access to abortion took issue with the term “unborn person,” whereas pro-life advocates see her denial of a person’s (by her own definition) basic rights as an obvious problem. Most pro-life advocates view the unborn as people who should be protected by the law. Clinton’s comment acknowledges’ that’ personhood, but strips them of rights afforded to other Americans.
Tim Duncan becomes 3rd player in NBA history to win 1,000 games
“He’s got a lot of miles on his body, and he still comes in day in, day out, first guy in the gym, last guy to leave,” guard Danny Green said. “Same routine every day, lots of energy, great focus. It’s tough to do, and I don’t know how he continues to stay motivated playing 20 years, winning so many championships, and making whatever he wanted to make. But he does it every day.”