This photo makes my heart race… and I don’t even have a conflict with this lady in red! Conflicts are daily occurrences. Maybe not rising to the intensity of angry lady-in-red…but, they are never pleasant. Learning to resolve conflicts effectively will transform your life. Apparently, finding a peaceful end to conflicts has become quite the…
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How to Support Your Missionary — The Ultimate Guide
Today’s article is a guest post by Samuel Werner of the Missions Manual. Serving as a missionary, Sam interacts regularly with supporters. Pause and read his words to learn the best ways to care for your missionaries. Share his words with your church and friends who also seek to encourage, sustain, and strengthen those in…
Connections from the Mission Field
The Missions Manual published a guest post about newsletter from me today. Samuel John’s site is a community of missionaries sharing practical advise and encouragement. Being on a church staff for twenty years, many newsletters have crossed my desk. I’m delighted to share insights for missionaries from a home church perspective. Check it out here…
Principles for Healthy Student Ministry Leadership
As I reflect on twenty years of student ministry, several principles that have helped me maintain a healthy ministry rise to the surface. But first… know that these principles emerge from an ongoing, intimate relationship with the Lord Jesus. It is foundational and critical to seek the Lord’s guidance and wisdom constantly through prayer, studying the…
The Best Fundraisers Ever
It’s that time! If you serve in a church where students do fundraisers for missions and conferences, conversations to plan the year’s events have likely started. Fundraisers can become an effective part of your ministry’s path of discipleship. Leadership and community-building grow out of these events! Here are the best ones I’ve found over the years: After-church…
Beyond the Four Walls…and Borders
When the poor and needy search for water and there is none, and their tongues are parched from thirst, then I, the Lord, will answer them. I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them. (Isaiah 41:17, NLT) Scripture repeatedly reveals that God hears the prayers of His people. Every tear, every muffled lament, even the…
Wanted: Influence for the Journey
CRACK! The gun explodes. Vivid memories of high school track remain with me…especially the 400 meter race. Coming out of the blocks and into the first 100 meters, I hardly had to think. Arms pumping, knees high, cheeks relaxed (both sets!) as my spikes crunched on the cinder track. I flew around the first curve….
How the Church Showed Up One NYC Evening
Dusk fell. City lights flickered on. We walked to Triangle Park … small bit of park between several converging NYC streets. Patches of weeds broke through the hard-packed dirt, thick urban-patina covered the three benches. A couple scraggly trees canopied the whole place. Chris, one of our church members, pulled out his guitar and began…
Moving Student Ministry into Mission Mindset
She came because a friend invited her. She stayed because she liked to serve. She grew because the Lord worked in her heart. Students get connected to our church community in many different ways. One of the most effective has been through missions and outreach … not being the “evangelized” but being involved in the…
Parable of the Sower: The Good Soil
(Part 5 of 5. The series begins here.) Some of the farmer’s seed fall on good soil. The plant grows. Leaves emerge. It yields a productive crop over and over. Essentially, it thrive and multiplies. The seed is God’s Word. The soil is a tilled heart…one ready to receive God’s message of grace. It absorbs…
