Articles Tagged 'Past'

Merry Christmas!

We pray the Lord blesses you with the grace of Jesus' presence this Christmas!

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Leaving the Past, Living the Kingdom

How can I escape my past?

Paul Faulkner reminds us that we need to live for the present to help others and keep our focus on the matters of the Kingdom rather than let our lives get filled with regret for the past.

Leaving the Past, Living the Kingdom

How can I escape my past?

Paul Faulkner reminds us that we need to live for the present to help others and keep our focus on the matters of the Kingdom rather than let our lives get filled with regret for the past.

The Pentecost Challenge

We long for the day when we know fully, even as we are fully known!

Ron Rose is back at Black Rifle Coffee Company and visiting with friends about Pentecost Sunday and knowing each other's names.

A Time to Weep

What time is it in your relationship with your older friends and family? What time is it in your own life? Are you ready for closing time?

Philip Gulley talks about his dad's heart surgery and his directions for his funeral service in case he didn't survive and the lasting impact this has had on Phillip's life.

Made for This!

All too often we cringe at the role we find ourselves filling, and filling beautifully, when in fact this is the role God made us to fill!

Melissa Troyer writes about the challenging realities of the roles we have to play and have to fill and then wonders, and embraces, that maybe these are exactly the roles God has made to embrace and fill.

Family in the Fire

Jesus is among the familiar trappings of his heritage of faith and immediate family, both of whom are dangerously toxic to him and his ministry at this point in his journey.

Phil Ware continues his reflections and convictions on becoming a JesuShaped disciple, this time focusing on the dangers and difficulties the Lord faced from his religious adversaries.

ToGather: The Good Shepherd (October 11, 2020)

Imagine the audacity of Jesus to identify himself as the LORD, our shepherd, the one David praises in Psalm 23 as well the God of deliverance who identified himself to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3!

Demetrius Collins & Phil Ware lead through worship in song, the Lord's Supper, a powerful message from God's word about Jesus our good shepherd, along with a closing blessing for worship from home with family and friends in a meaningful way.

Tired, Uncertain, and Opening Our Church Doors, Again

Their buildings might be closed, but their churches were still open and living out their mission.

Phil Ware introduces a series of weekly messages to help us deal with the challenges of the new world we are called to minister in today, focusing on the biblical foundation for answers to these challenges.

ToGather: How Do I Keep My Sinful Flesh in Check? (May 24, 2020)

Those of us who have followed Jesus for any significant length of time know that keeping our sinful flesh in check is a challenge.

Phil Ware and Demetrius Collins invite us to worship God and keep our sinful nature, our flesh, in the past and nailed to the cross and lead us in worship through this practical home worship guide.

Ancient Wisdom, Today's Grace: Finding God's Will

Throughout the Bible, we find great examples that can help us sort through our challenges today.

Phil Ware begins a series for church leaders and congregations in transition which uses Paul's experiences in his ministry to Macedonian churches to help us in our struggles today.

A Good Ending

We don't have to live in the mess of our mess up!

Tom Norvell reminds us that as far as failure goes, Peter pretty much leads the way, but he also leads the way in turnarounds and being called back to significant ministry.

No Turning Back!

We can't go back, so let's go forward with faith and determination and hope!

Phillip Morrison reminds us to focus forward and let go of the past.

My Three-in-One New Year's Resolution

I just wanted to focus on one thing this next year. So here are three.

I stole the idea from the apostle Paul: three ways to focus on Jesus next year.

Neglected Expeditions

What are we forgetting before we try our ultimate ascent?

Phil Ware reminds us that in a search for a new minister, especially a preacher or preaching minister, that we need to know our specific mission as a congregation.

A Way Through the Ice Fall

How do we avoid magical thinking and shortcuts that dangerously risk our doom?

Phil Ware continues his series of articles on churches facing the challenges of the interim season and uses the imagery of high mountain climbing to help us appreciate the challenges.

Willing to Die on This Mountain

What are the mountains you would die on for what you believe and what you are called to do?

Phil Ware talks about finding our theological and missional mountains and how important it is to know them if you are going to call a minister with whom to partner.

But One Thing I Do!

How do we keep from letting the past dominate our future?

Phil Ware reminds us to let the past stay in the past and gives us Paul's advice for moving beyond our past: forgetting, straining, pressing on.

Revisionist History

There is only person who can truely revise your history.

Revisionist history makes us look better but changes nothing about our past. Jesus does.

Warming Up to Love!

What does a little girl do when a stranger from far away shows up at school?

Phil Ware shares more of his recent trip to Fortaleza, Brazil with Compassion International and the Nerd Herd to visit Compassion sites, projects, children, and churches.

You Can Stop Living in the Past

Far too many of us let our past control our future. It does not have to be that way.

Jesus makes all things new, including your past. The "good old days" are still ahead -- no matter what your past looks like.

When You Lead

Serving to bless is also the foundation on which we lead.

Rubel Shelly reminds us of the real definition of a leader as someone who serves others because leadership is always for the sake of others.

Hope in the Wilderness

How do we live in the interim?

Mark Frost of http://www.interimministrypartners.com shares part 1 of a 4 part series on the interim season by comparing it to the journey through the wilderness.

Time to Throw Away the Old Calendar

Love it or hate it... it is sure easy to live in the past.

Do not stay rooted in your past successes or failures. Instead, embrace the future God has planned for you.

Gifts and Mission

How do our spiritual gifts help us determine our mission?

Tim Woodroof continues the series on a church finding or calling a new preaching minister or senior pastor, especially during interim ministry, and the key point is that a church needs to know who it is and what God has called them to do before they try t

Mission and Bible Study

Hey, don't forget the greatest source of information on our mission, the Bible!

Phil Ware continues the series of articles on discerning your mission for churches to work through as they are in a season of looking for a preaching minister or pastor and Phil emphasizes both the universal mission passages and the specific mission passa