Church & Home Leadership
Casting Out Post-Election Fear
Casting Out Post-Election Fear
Whatever the results of the election, God tells us not to fear.

“There is no fear in love, for perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18, ESV)

At the time of this writing, many people in the United States are fearful about the outcome of the 2016 presidential election. They’re anxious about what ...

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What You Need to Know About Depression, Suicide, and Mental Illness
What You Need to Know About Depression, Suicide, and Mental Illness
11 resources to help those who are suffering

Any time suicide is in the news, we're filled with a sense of loss. We mourn the loss of what might have been, and we grieve the loss of gifts and talents. Whether it's a celebrity or someone closer to home, suicide is always a tragedy.

Let's ...

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Leading with Integrity
How to live a life that matters

I first truly understood integrity the day I was laid off due to budgetary reasons. That might seem like a strange time to recognize something so universally praised as integrity. Don't get me wrong: It was painful. Losing my job in a bad economy was ...

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Introverts in the Church
Introverts in the Church
Finding a quiet moment in an extroverted place

The first three-quarters of the sanctuary were occupied by people who had attended the church for years, stretching back to their days in Sunday school. Over the years the church settings had changed—from classroom to youth group room to traditional ...

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Evaluating Group Discussions
Evaluating Group Discussions
How well do you practice these principles of great small-group discussion?

The first small-group discussion I led took approximately 15 minutes. No one had explained to me how to get a discussion going. Instead, I was handed a list of questions and several Scripture passages to look up. My goal was to get through it as quickly ...

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A Footwasher to the Footwashers
A Footwasher to the Footwashers
The first shall be last, and the last, first.

The mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, respectfully approached Jesus. She had a small request for Jesus. "Grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your kingdom" (Matt. 20:21). ...

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Sunday School That Really Works
Thoughts on how to make this long-standing church institution effective

"It doesn't work!" I have heard this statement often in my ministry. A leader is doing all he or she knows how to do, and yet the Sunday school is struggling. A Sunday school teacher works hard at preparing and delivering a lesson and wants the class ...

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Why So Many Christian Leaders Ride
What's the attraction of motorcycles?

My husband wanted a motorcycle. He'd been talking about one for almost a year, probably thinking about it long before that. I wasn't so thrilled with the idea, but then I found out we were in good company. Author and speaker Lisa Harper has one. So do ...

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Patriotism and Christianity
Patriotism and Christianity
What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism?

For American Christians, there might not be an issue more complicated or wrapped in history and politics than patriotism. Even saying the word patriotism in a gathering of Christians is likely to garner as many responses as there are people. A love for ...

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Bonhoeffer's Legacy
Bonhoeffer's Legacy
Taking a stand for the right can cost everything

Peace had at last returned to Europe. Her familiar face—once evilly contorted and frightening—was again at rest, noble and fresh. What she had been through would take years to understand. It was as though she had undergone a terribly protracted ...

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Holding on to Hope in Your Small Church
Holding on to Hope in Your Small Church
Don't lose heart by playing a numbers game.

Linda Carlblom works in the Lakeshore Bible Church children's ministry in Tempe, Arizona. About 70 people attend worship each week. Sometimes she teaches as many as a dozen children. Other weeks, there are far fewer.

One week, only one boy showed ...

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I'll Be Home for Christmas
I'll Be Home for Christmas
Someone may be waiting for you to reach out to them this holiday season.

Christmas is such a melodic time of year. Everywhere we go, we are uplifted by—or patiently endure—musical selections. For many people, "I'll Be Home for Christmas" blends warm memories and a promise. Other holiday songs aim ...

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Myths in Parenting
Myths in Parenting
If only I'd known then what I know now.

Perhaps losing my mother when I was 16 intensified my desire to have a family, but whatever it was, I totally obsessed about the day someone would call me "Mom."

Scary parenting stories failed to dampen my anticipation. I was one of the happiest ...

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Resolving Church Conflict
Resolving Church Conflict
When should you bend, and when stand strong?

They were a homey-looking couple. He was a large man with work-worn hands. Children loved his jokes and easy-going way. A charter member of the church, he served on the board. She was dainty with freckles on her face, everyone's favorite Sunday school ...

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Stewardship Is More Than Giving Money
Stewardship Is More Than Giving Money
We are all ministers.

R. Paul Stevens' mission is to empower ordinary people to good stewardship by integrating their faith and life from Monday to Sunday. A Professor Emeritus of Marketplace Theology and Leadership at Regent College, he does this through teaching, coaching, ...

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The Most Romantic Thing My Husband Ever Said to Me
The Most Romantic Thing My Husband Ever Said to Me
I happened to be throwing up at the time.

We have funny ideas about romance. We think of it as candlelight, being showered in gifts, and a stolen kiss. That may be sort-of romantic, but at my age those things have worn kind of thin. And I think they have for a lot of people.

Take Mr. Darcy from ...

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Tell Us Your Stories
Young people learn mistakes to avoid and how to face challenges with grace by listening to older people.

Sometimes younger Christians give the impression that we have things figured out. We're the future. We've found the old methods wanting, so we've developed new ones. We're the generation that will strike the right balance where our forebears fell over ...

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A Culture of Life
A Culture of Life
What should society do with the unborn, the disabled, the dying, the abused?

When my husband and I were expecting our first child, we knew it would be miraculous. But nothing could have prepared us for the bizarre wonder we experienced when she made her appearance in the visible world. After her birth we spent a lot of time pointing ...

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Celebrating the Empty Nest
Celebrating the Empty Nest
How to survive—and thrive—after your kids fly the coop

As the mother of three growing children, I used to dread the thought of living in an "empty nest." The term sounded so dismal and empty, as if my purpose in life would be over once our children had flown the coop.

Today, I'm happy to report, ...

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Realize Your Encouragement Potential
Realize Your Encouragement Potential
Could you be a Barnabas to someone?

Human beings are social creatures instilled by God with an innate desire to spend time with other people. That is why isolation is such a powerful form of punishing antisocial behavior. Disruptive prisoners are placed in solitary confinement. Disobedient ...

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