Maybe you've heard the common expression, "church is a hospital for sinners, not a hotel for saints." If you got into ministry thinking that the church is a utopia inhabited by "good Christian people" and free of inappropriate sexual relationships, addictions, and embezzlement, we hate to be the ones to tell you, but it's not. If we take sin seriously, we know that the church ...

To God Be the Olympic Glory

It's July, which means we now have less than a month until the 2012 Olympic Games begin in London. The quadrennial celebration of sport and global goodwill kicks off three weeks of swimming, track and field, gymnastics, and team handball on July 27th with an opening ceremony directed by Danny Boyle (of Slumdog Millionaire fame).

Among the female ...

Sharon and Tracy had worked extremely well together for many years. Both were surprised when Sharon was promoted, effectively leaving Tracy under her supervision. Sharon didn't notice the initial subtle changes to the relationship, she was just so pleased about the promotion and the opportunity to try out her ideas. So it took her a while to recognise the signs of aloofness ...

Image: Jens Lelie | Unsplash

Discernment is much more than mere decision making; it is, first of all, a habit, a way of seeing that can permeate our whole life. As it makes clear in John 9, it is the movement from seeing things merely from a human perspective to seeing from a spiritual vantage point, continually looking for evidence of the work of God in order to join him in it.

Discernment is a quality ...

Image: adl21/Getty

Do you ever wonder why some things seem invisible? Why don't you see the salsa in the refrigerator door? How can you walk right by someone you know and not see them until they say your name? You see right through them. It is an irony, I suppose, that even the sighted can be blind. And the hearing can be deaf, too. You tell a friend, "I didn't know!" They ...

Scripture is full of one-liners. I'm not referring to jokes, although there is humor in the Bible. The one-liners I'm speaking of are people.

Significant people who are summarized in single sentences show up all over the Bible. But we don't notice them the same way we gravitate toward characters whose stories fill chapters. When we talk about examples of faith, we talk about ...

There are a lot of things about God and Christianity that are a worthwhile debate, but the fact that we all sin is typically not one of them. I have never met a person so brave as to say he was perfect, but I have met a lot of people who think they are good people.

What do they mean by that? Do they mean they have good motives, do good things? Or do they mean they are just ...

Image: iStock

Feeling underappreciated and overlooked, I decided to talk with my team leader. I'm embarrassed to tell you I allowed my frustration to fester for several weeks before I said a word. I didn't want to be "that" girl—whiny, needy, and demanding.

As I nervously asked for what I needed and even wanted, I was surprised to hear "yes" to many of my ...

As I mentioned in my previous post on Gifted for Leadership there's a movement rising up within this generation of young adults. Among these young people are committed Christians who are determined to remain faithful to Jesus and make a positive difference among their peers. Not all of us know what this movement is calling us to do, but we do know we have an itch to participate. ...