Restoring Rapport

In this post I'm going to come against a thought that I've struggled with a lot. If you've ever felt like your giftings and desires don't really count as "ministry", then I hope this helps you. Sometimes, I've felt like I'm not ministering to God's children simply because none of the traditional ideas of "ministry" resonate with my heart. I believe there is this thought in the christian community that suggests that only certain activities count as ministry. If you're passions align with those activities, congratulations! Everyone considers you to be doing God's work! If you sing for church, preach, teach Sunday school, feed the hungry, minister to drug addicts, run a VBS, or go overseas on a missions trip, you're doing what everyone thinks of as "ministry." And if you're passions don't fit into any of those categories, then you better pick one anyway, because that's what ministry is! Right?.........Well I...

Something I've noticed, about the Christian community in particular, is that we've dubbed certain subjects "holy" and other subjects "unholy." It's like we think it's our job to decide what's good and what's evil. (Haha.) And what makes it really interesting is the fact that, everybody decides different things are "holy" and "unholy." One follower of Jesus says that playing cards is of the devil, the other says it's fine. One christian says raffle tickets are gambling, another says they're supporting a cause, even if they don't win the boat. And I understand that everyone should have their own opinion and decide what is wise for them. I'm totally for that! I think it's absolutely imperative that we, as followers of Jesus, work through what we believe about certain things and decide what is wise for us. My problem is when we start saying that the thing itself (whatever "the thing" may be) is ev...

In this post, I'm going to point out a way of thinking that I believe has slipped into the mind of humanity. It's this idea that the "mind" should trump the "heart" (or vice-versa) in any decision making process. Some people believe emotion is better than intellect, others believe intellect is better. I believe both of those ideas are completely false. I don't believe the head is better than the heart, OR that the heart is better than the head. I would like to submit to you the idea that both emotion and intellect are equally important, and that both play vital roles in making you function as the human you were made to be. Emotion isn't better than logic, and logic isn't better than emotion. Without one or the other, we would be half the people we are designed to be. As always, feel free to verbalize your agreement or disagreement in an open way. The Head/Intellect/Mind: As I said just now, there is nothing wrong with the head. It's an am...

In this post, as always, no pressure to agree with what I say. It might help you and clarify a lot and it might not. I hope it's at least thought-provoking for you. If you are for "Dating", or for "Courting", or against them both, I encourage you to think hard and listen to the voice of the Spirit regarding this subject. In this post, I'm simply going to explain what I believe "Dating" and "Courting" are, and list some problems that I have with the former. Ideology #1: Dating When I hear the word "Dating", here's what comes to my mind. A boy or girl (often quite young) has a "crush" on somebody, so they "ask that person out." They go to see a movie or out to eat or something. Sometimes they are middle-schoolers who don't even have enough money and can't drive, so they just say they're "dating" without actually going out on a date. (Haha.) Other times, even when it comes to hi...

In this post, as always, I'm just going to give my experience and opinion. My experience is not necessarily truth, and I'm sure many people have had a much different experience with "altar calls" than I have. However, I am also just as certain that many other people have had my same experience (or at least a similar one) with "altar calls," so I'm really writing to them as my primary audience. Feel free to ignore this post if you don't fit in that audience. The term "Altar Call" really first began to gain popularity in 1830s. So it's a fairly recent invention. But it's become an irremovable tradition in many church institutions today. It's been known by many different names. In his anti-revivalist tract (1843), theologian John Williamson Nevin called it the "anxious bench." It's also been known to some as "hitting the sawdust trail." Charles Finney is credited with inventing "the anxious seat,"...

Honest, open, considerate communication is one of the most important skills that we, as Children of God, need to practice. Jesus models it perfectly for us. We have a totally open channel with the Godhead that never gets shut off. There's never a time God won't receive your broadcast, because He knows that good communication = good connection, and good connection with his children is always at the center of His heart. If you've ever heard of Danny Silk (he's one of my favorite authors and speakers of all time), then you've heard of "Maintaining the Connection" and "Making Relationship the Priority." Relationship MUST be a priority for us because it's one of reasons we were created. We were designed to be in relationship with God and others. And that's why communication is so important! Because without communication, connection dies; without connection, relationship dies; and without relationship, we're missing the very thing we were c...

Now, I AM NOT trying to degrade youth groups in this article. In this post, I'm just going to give you my opinion and the reasons why the "youth group" never worked for me personally. I am sure that youth groups work very well for some people and teach them a lot. I'm not slamming the idea of youth groups in a malicious way or anything like that. Some of my very best friends were youth ministers! I have no ill will against people who are positively affected by them. I'm just going to give my experience and explain WHY it didn't work for me. Youth groups are probably great for some people, and not so great for other kinds of people. It really all depends on the person. I should also point out that all youth groups are probably different. But I believe most of them have several things in common. Here are the main reasons that "Youth Groups" were not a good fit for me. So if you're a parent, your child might be different or similar. The idea that...