A checklist for the church

Posted on September 22, 2015 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

In looking at all of these questions, I realize that there is a gap between my behavior and my belief. I believe in God’s love, I know that I am forgiven, I know that God is in control and I know that I have received and am to give grace. Yet, I do not always live according to that knowledge.

It’s not about do’s and don’ts

Posted on December 21, 2012 Written by Mark McIntyre Leave a Comment

Often, by both believers and non-believers, the Christian life is viewed as adherence to a list of do’s and don’ts. The Apostle Paul offers us a new way.

Stop, Look and Listen – Three Steps to Better Communication

I’m not naturally good at listening. Listening is a skill that has taken effort for me to develop. I have to force myself to slow down and take in what the other person is saying rather than focus on what I am going to say next. Recently, in thinking about the skill of listening, the […]

One flesh and inseparable – does your church view marriage this way?

When the divorce rate in the church is little different than in society in general, we must be honest about how well we support marriage. Church leadership has the responsibility to not allow ministry to be a cause of division in a marriage.

Randy Pope on a Healthy Church

My 50 or so years of church experience has shown me that most churches either have no plan to bring people into maturity or if they do have a plan it is not very effective. This is a shame and there is no good excuse for it.

Prayer: The Best Way to Keep Your Mental Health

While it would be foolhardy to expect to cure mental illness or drug addiction purely through petitioning the Lord, it can be an important part of the overall treatment plan.

Tim Keller on being defectively orthodox

It is possible to get an “a” grade on a doctrinal test and describe accurately the doctrines of our salvation, yet be blind to their true implications and power. In this sense, there are plenty of orthodox churches in which the gospel must be rediscovered and then brought home and applied to people’s hearts.

Water, chisel or dynamite? Choosing the right tool to drive change

For effective change to take place in an organization, the leader must understand the needs of the organization and select the proper tool to drive that change. The analogy of using water, a chisel or dynamite to change rock provides some insight as to the proper speed and amount of change that is needed.