addiction to ministry [part two]
![addiction to ministry [part two]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/coffee-with-friends-150x150.jpg)
“We need to get together sometime.” I said this to my friend as I had just finished unloading my stress on her willing shoulders. It’s because of my previous post that I realized ministry had become an unhealthy habit; too much ministry anyway. I had forgotten what it’s like to simply have coffee with a [...]
addiction to ministry [part one]
![addiction to ministry [part one]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/soldier-in-quicksand-150x150.jpg)
What is wrong with me? I came to church with stress hanging on me like an oversized jacket. My heart had focused on people instead of God’s provisions. Ministry failed to excite me. And then it hit me… Like quick sand, the more I struggled the faster the mire sucked me under. Soon, I didn’t [...]
the joys and challenges of working with refugees, part two
Over the past year, as I’ve had a crash course in refugee resettlement, I’ve learned so much. I am grateful every day for the stories I’ve heard and the facts I’ve gleaned about this vulnerable, misunderstood, and often forgotten population. I’ve learned: That only one percent of the 14 million-plus refugees in the world will ever be [...]
the trophy wall [a testimony of God's healing]
![the trophy wall [a testimony of God's healing]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/alexander-dowie-trophy-wall-150x150.jpg)
Jehovah Rapha. Among many other things, God reveals and refers to Himself as the Lord our Healer. So Moses cried out in prayer to God. God pointed him to a stick of wood. Moses threw it into the water and the water turned sweet. That’s the place where God set up rules and procedures; that’s where he started testing [...]
the joys and challenges of working with refugees, part one
As an eleven year-old dreamer in Dumas, a small town in the Texas panhandle, I attended mission classes at our local Baptist church and wondered if God would call me to be a missionary to Africa. The thought thrilled and terrified me at the same time. But I simply prayed, “God, use me as you see best. Wherever [...]
aren’t all souls equal?
Read John 13 “To the wondering patriarch He now says in effect, ‘It’s all right, Abraham. I never intended that you should actually slay the lad. I only wanted to remove him from the temple of your heart that I might reign unchallenged there. I wanted to correct the perversion that existed in your love.’” [...]
they came bearing gifts [a #loveblitz report]
![they came bearing gifts [a #loveblitz report]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/loveblitz-4-150x150.jpg)
We gathered in the church parking lot. Everyone came bearing gifts. Everyone came to bless another in need. Everyone came because we wanted to show the kind of Love that Jesus taught would set us apart. During a time when we remember the birth of Christ and the visit of the wise men bearing gifts [...]
on sacrifice, service, and strength: [saint luke, the winged ox]
![on sacrifice, service, and strength: [saint luke, the winged ox]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/luke-winged-ox-150x150.jpg)
Historically, Luke has been symbolized by a winged ox or bull. It’s a figure of sacrifice, service and strength. These are the three qualities about Luke the New Testament writer that stand out the most as I try to imagine what his life would have been like. Stepping into the work that he was about [...]
how to ensure your efforts land you in the right place
Trajectory. This word has buzzed around in my head all week. tra·jec·to·ry [truh-jek-tuh-ree] noun, plural -ries. 1. the curve described by a projectile, rocket, or the like in itsflight. 2. the path described by an object moving in air or space under the influence of such forces as thrust, wind resistance, and gravity, esp the curved path of a projectile I blame Pastor Steve McCoy of 360 Church for making my head [...]
[reasons they leave #6] the church is unfriendly to doubt
![[reasons they leave #6] the church is unfriendly to doubt](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/doubt-150x150.jpg)
My Thoughts on Reason #6 of The Barna Report They threw leaves into the air on this beautiful Fall Sunday. I wish all our days could reflect such happy abandon. I stood in front of my church across from the courthouse plaza watching those kids. On my mind, like weights, were the names and faces [...]
[video] 60 seconds to significance: why is work important?
![[video] 60 seconds to significance: why is work important?](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/60seconds-doug-barr-150x150.jpg)
It’s all about transforming lives. I’ve seen this in rural Kenya, as well as downtown in the city where I live in here in Florida. We all want to feel like we’re able to contribute to society in some way. In fact, I could argue that one of the greatest sources of shame comes [...]
[reasons they leave #5] the exclusivity of christianity
![[reasons they leave #5] the exclusivity of christianity](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/excluded-chair-150x150.jpg)
“I’ve got good news and bad news,” I announced to the fifteen or so members of my church’s high school youth group. “The good news is I brought cookies. The bad news is I need help with my homework. I’ve been asked to write a blog post about this reason that young people leave the [...]
[reasons they leave #4] the church is judgemental regarding sexuality
![[reasons they leave #4] the church is judgemental regarding sexuality](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/kiss-150x150.jpg)
Is leaving the church the same thing as leaving God? Just days ago, I received this text message from a teenager struggling with finding Christian community. God is important to her. She’s a young woman with faith much stronger than many adults. And yet she still wonders how the church and God connect. I probe [...]
[reasons they leave #3] church antagonism towards science
![[reasons they leave #3] church antagonism towards science](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/science-150x150.jpg)
“God, why is the sky blue?” I was eighteen when I finally asked Him; not relying on the answers that I was taught all my life in school. His reply ended up being more deeply touching and radical than anything I’d ever heard, and, from that moment on, I felt in my heart that He [...]
[reasons they leave #2] shallow experience of christianity
![[reasons they leave #2] shallow experience of christianity](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/pretended-indifference-150x150.jpg)
Reason #2 – Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow. A second reason that young people depart church as young adults is that something is lacking in their experience of church. One-third said “church is boring” (31%). One-quarter of these young adults said that “faith is not relevant to my career or interests” (24%) [...]
[reasons they leave #1] churches seem overprotective
![[reasons they leave #1] churches seem overprotective](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/fish-bowl-150x150.jpg)
the back story, my story, and his story (about why young Christians are leaving the church) In Barna’s research on why young Christians are leaving the church, they identify some numbers worth repeating here: 1) the project spanned five years; 2) the research included eight national studies; and 3) nearly three out of five young [...]
why young christians leave church
Three out of five. That’s what the research shows. According to Barna Group, 59% of young adults leave church permanently or for an extended period for one of the six reasons that we’ll be talking about here. Regardless of the reasons, that’s a number that disturbs me. I don’t like it when I think about [...]
to the ends of the earth
I’m standing in a remote village in Haiti on the shore of the massive Lake Azeui. I upload a picture of some of the members of our mission team to Facebook and Twitter. They’re singing and dancing with the locals. There’s a communication gap, but music always seems to bring people together. It’s a special [...]
digging down deep [some thoughts on what we believe]
![digging down deep [some thoughts on what we believe]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/dug-down-deep-150x150.jpg)
Okay, I really have to do this. I ran to the bookstore today and yes (on a really tight budget, LOL) I got Joshua Harris’ latest book titled Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters. The cover’s got one of my favorite contemporary writers ( Donald Miller) writing a recommendation and [...]
light the torches and lower the drawbridge…
“I want to be part of a church that wants to be part of something.” These words came from my 17-year-old daughter, Grace. These words have rattled around in my head since they were spoken. They weren’t said out of anger or spite, but frustration at the circumstances in which our family has found itself, [...]
on ‘untitled: thoughts on the creative process’ [an interview with @blainehogan]
![on 'untitled: thoughts on the creative process' [an interview with @blainehogan]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/blank-page-150x150.jpg)
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat there staring at a blinking cursor. It’s not like I’ve run out of ideas. I can talk about anything. But sometimes looking at a blank page is just intimidating. I don’t know if it’s the expectation that comes with a full-page, or maybe it’s the fear [...]
on the creative collective [an interview with @blainehogan]
![on the creative collective [an interview with @blainehogan]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/creative-collective-150x150.jpg)
I think the word is synergy. It’s the idea that the result is greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, one plus one equals three (or four, or five). That’s a pretty powerful concept if you really think about it. An idea like this really emphasizes the importance of community. Something special [...]
on creativity for every Christian [an interview with @blainehogan]
![on creativity for every Christian [an interview with @blainehogan]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/church-girl-150x150.jpg)
One theme that I’ve seen pop up over and over around here is this idea of the importance of community in the church. I’ve been thinking about how the church has become very focused on the ‘anointing’ of specific individuals as it relates to our spiritual growth. As a result, we overlook the power of the [...]
how churches can be creative [an interview with @blainehogan]
![how churches can be creative [an interview with @blainehogan]](http://bibledude.net/wp-content/uploads/the-preacher-150x150.jpg)
Not every church can have a Blaine Hogan on staff. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t implement a creative vision like his in your church. In part two of this five-part interview with Blaine, we take a look at some of the things that the average church can do to be creative. What I [...]
