I received an email yesterday from a man who visited a new church only to be confronted by the pastor because the man’s wife brought a drink into the “sanctuary.” Lest you think that this is uncommon, it was not long ago that I attended a church where the pastor made a huge deal out of anything other than water being brought into the auditorium. Presumably, such rules are in place because of fear that coffee or other drinks might get spilled on the carpet and result in a stain.
An encouragement to love
The church is to up the ante by going beyond love for the members and loving those who are enemies (Matthew 5:43-44). We are to be identified by our love for those both inside and outside the membership ranks.
Leader vs. Bully
Over the last few years, I’ve seen a lot written about leadership in the church. A quick Google search reveals an abundance of websites geared toward promoting leadership in the church. The question is why do we have such a perceived lack of leadership?
What church should be
I know what hurt has come from some of my own church experience. I have seen the damage done to others by inappropriate treatment within a church. Quite frankly sometimes it makes me want to find the reset button and see if we can begin again with this whole thing we call church.
On beauty and worship
While I enjoyed touring the churches, my visits were a mixed bag for me. For example, one of the more disconcerting things that I encountered was a commemortive to Charles Darwin in Westminster Abbey. I hope that I will not offend anyone when I say this, but for me Westminster Abbey was more museum than house of worship. I was awed by the rich history of England as I toured, but little about what I saw around me pointed me to worship of God
We’re all in this together
A guest post by my daughter Meagan McIntyre . . . “The ropes course also taught me a valuable lesson about the church, a group of people who have made the risky choice to follow Christ.”
What Nehemiah can tell us about apologetics in the church
I have heard that there are those in the church who do not feel that apologetics should be part of the discipleship process for believers . . . A statement in the book of Nehemiah got me thinking about defending our faith and the need for such defense.
Selective grace in the church
We all want grace, but sometimes struggle to give it when it is most needed. We are in constant danger of offering selective grace by offering it to some and withholding it from others.