It’s that time of year when many people are buying special gifts to thank those that have helped them throughout the year like their mail carrier, hairdresser, or child’s teacher. And many also consider a special gift for their pastor.
Christmas Eve lands on a Sunday this year. I understand the temptation to scale back, but the reality is this year may be one of the biggest ministry opportunities you have for several years to come.
If we take our role as Christ’s ambassadors seriously, we should make sure we aren’t so caught up in our own celebration of the holidays that we miss ministering Jesus’ love to those who are seriously hurting around us.
Have you ever had a sinking feeling that there’s a bigger problem lurking around the corner?
Here are some self-reflection questions for church leaders — especially those who are preparing to preach or teach this weekend — to consider…
For decades, Chicago Tribune columnist Joan Beck memorialized each year with a poetic column of thanksgiving. The verses below are our attempt to follow her example and remember the blessings of 2023.
“Thanksgiving is more about WHOM we give thanks to than WHAT we give thanks for,” shares Adam Dooley, author and pastor of Englewood Baptist Church in Jackson, Tennessee.
It’s Thanksgiving, which unfortunately sometimes gets lost in between Halloween and Christmas. Thanksgiving yard decorations don’t get the love the other two holidays do.
We have so much for which to be grateful today. I fear, though, that we too often limit our expressions of thanksgiving to only this day.
A church in our community hit a rough stretch several years ago. The staff, already ministering to members after a series of tragedies in the church family, suddenly faced the pastor losing his wife and infant during childbirth …
