Workism may drive us to the brink of collapse, but rest keeps us in touch with the healing power of God’s peace. Workism may exhort a striving for success, recognition, and more work, but the Bible exhorts us to strive to enter God’s rest.
Let me say something that might be a bit controversial in the 21st Century West where even some believers have begun to question the moral merits of evangelism: The Great Commission does not say “Go and do good things among all nations.” As a huge proponent of faith...
Fundraising. It’s an unavoidable aspect of missionary life. Some are stars at it, others hobble through as best they can, but all fundraising missionaries have one thing in common - they need good stories. When I was small, my dad pastored a small Assemblies of God...
Has your work become an idol? I'm not suggesting you commissioned a giant golden statue in your backyard (I'm guessing your home owners' association would frown on that). But as fallen human beings, you and I do have a propensity for making idols. An idol...
In Philippians 4:3, Paul mentions a couple of women at the church in Philippi who he says have “contended at my side for the sake of the gospel.” In Acts 16:40, we learn that Paul and Silas went straight to their friend Lydia’s house after leaving prison. In Romans...
We live in Avon, Indiana, a conservative suburb on the far west side of Indianapolis. We are the definition of the heartland, the Midwest, where traditional suburban neighborhoods with basketball goals in every driveway backup to corn and soybean fields. Even though...
This is the final episode of Season 1 of the podcast. We’ve been talking about the role of the marketplace in fulfilling the Great Commission and while that can seem like an “over there” conversation, there are undoubtedly unreached people groups in your local community. The “diaspora,” a term used to describe people groups who leave their homeland and scatter abroad among other nations, has brought those in need of the Gospel quite literally into our own backyard. This is an incredible Great Commission opportunity.
Few people have impacted our missiology like my friend Dick Brogden. In an interview for The Stone Table website, I asked Dick why business has become such a vital mechanism for missions work. Here was his answer: "Business goes beyond pragmatism. The pragmatic view...
This week, we continue our conversation about Business as Missions (BAM) by drilling down into some of the ways the marketplace is being leveraged cross-culturally for global missions purposes. BAM has certainly been abused by some as a less than honest way to deceive...
When I was pastoring in Paris, I invited Erik to come and share with our people about faith and work. Our congregation of engineers, CEOs, HR managers, fashion designers - and a handful of professional hip hop dancers - strongly connected with the message of missional...
The power of prayer is found in this story of finding Jesus at 103. Check it out. Learn more about this year’s priority projects: http://t.ly/0Q5Mr
This week we discuss the misconception that people of faith are always bold and irrational risk-takers. Erik shares a personal story about a partially developed property in southern Indiana that was foreclosed on by a bank. The property was being developed by Christian builders who had a vision but lacked the funds to complete the project. He emphasizes that faith and risk are not synonymous, but faith always requires obedience. Erik highlights the importance of discerning what God is saying and being obedient to His guidance. He concludes by encouraging listeners to consider whether they are being obedient to God’s calling, whether it requires taking a bold step or exercising the discipline of waiting.
What does it look like to be a strong leader? A decisive leader to step into conflict, to deal with difficult situations, and yet do it with the fruit of the spirit? With love, with joy, with peace, patience, kindness, goodness, with faithfulness, with gentleness, and with self-control?