10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:10-11, NIV). I don’t have much of a question about these verses. They are a beautiful […]
“After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. … The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:1, 17). The seventy-two returned to Jesus with joy. Their […]
There are some strange and wonderful stories about the prophet Elijah. Here is one example from 2 Kings. “Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed the captain and his men” (2 […]
How do we help people live fruitfully in their day to day life? Ultimately, the church is not about keeping a variety of interesting programs running and giving people something that to do that is segmented from the rest of their lives. We are about equipping people to live fruitfully in their every day life […]
How do we separate busyness and fruitfulness? Fruitfulness leads to the fruit of the spirit are evidenced among the people. Another way to consider this is to see lives changed, communities transformed and the church renewed. Busyness does not lead to evidence of the fruit of the spirit. Busyness does not lead to changed lives, […]
I found it fascinating to read about how the new governor understands the situation behind the man who is on trial in front of him, Paul. 18 When his accusers got up to speak, they did not charge him with any of the crimes I had expected.19 Instead, they had some points of dispute with him about […]
I was glad to be able to share the story of Resurrection Online with Beth and Brandon from NBC Action News yesterday morning. They put together a great story. You can find the entire story at http://bit.ly/jf3zYr and see the segment that played on the 5:00 PM news. Will you please share the story with […]
I continue to appreciate the work of Lovett Weems and the entire team at the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. The offer a great number of resources for pastors, congregations, students and denominations at http://www.churchleadership.com. I wanted to draw your attention to Leading Ideas – a biweekly newsletter from the Lewis Center. You can find more […]
Nearly every class I have taken, seminar attended or and piece of guidance that I have received about preaching has encouraged me to craft a sermon that is well written and smartly crafted. However when Paul reflects on his ministry, he writes: For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel—not […]
No matter how you refer to this day, it is one on which we remember the pivotal event in human history – Jesus of Nazareth was crucified, suffered and died in a way that was redemptive for all creation. I am looking forward to participating in the Good Friday Prayer Vigil at Resurrection. How will […]
I have heard these words from those who were officiating at Holy Communion, but for some reason had not realized that they were from scripture until recently. They are beautiful and true. “Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread […]
I have enjoyed Pope Benedict’s message on World Communications Day over the past few years. I wanted to share a small portion with you today from the Message of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI for the 45th World Communications Day – Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age: “The task of witnessing […]
Rev. Andrew Conard 