compassion
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Posted on December 18, 2012, 4:02 pm
Topics: Nurturing Faith
Just a couple weeks ago a friend mentioned how sad it is that her five year old son has code red drills at school. They practice hiding and staying quiet “in case a bad stranger comes,” he told her. Now our hearts grieve with the families in Newtown.
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Posted on November 13, 2012, 10:32 am
Topics: Teaching
We tell a lot of stories about persecution in Sunday school. These stories of perseverance, courage, and God’s amazing power are current and relevant testimonies to persecuted believers who continue to suffer today. But our North American kids don’t experience the daily persecution faced by Christians in other parts of the world. It is easy to forget their struggle and to think of these stories as ancient history.
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Posted on August 6, 2012, 10:50 pm
Topics: Congregation, Roles
Tonight one of my friends asked me how I was doing. I replied "good" in an optimistic voice and continued on with what I was doing. Another friend walking behind me replied, "you know, it's okay if you aren't good". I paused and had to acknowledge that she was right. I had given a programmed response. Are you as quick to lie and prevent authentic conversation?
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Posted on February 24, 2012, 9:49 am
Topics: Global Partnerships
Reports about missions in the news typically feature short term visits by people with big hearts but who sometimes have very little background understanding. Long term missionaries, if attended to at all, are often seen through the lens of The Poisonwood Bible. It doesn't always happen, of course, but
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Posted on December 1, 2011, 11:07 am | 5 comments
Topics: Pastors
Dear lady at Starbucks, I just wanted to let you know that you won't be getting the job. I overheard parts of your interview and you did well. The interviewer asked good questions and you gave good answers. But you won't be getting the job.
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Posted on November 8, 2011, 2:50 am
When we offer help to someone we can have the crazy notion that we need to fix the whole issue ourselves. We would do more for those we offer assistance if we understood our role as referring folks to the resources of our broader community, without abandoning them.
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Posted on October 11, 2011, 10:59 am | 1 comment
Topics: Community, Congregation
As we head into the holiday season, we need to be aware that need doesn't stop. It also doesn't increase exponentially. How can we inspire our congregations to engage with those in need in a meaningful way? And why has Stephen Colbert called Christians out on this?
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Posted on July 18, 2011, 10:50 am | 1 comment
Topics: Congregation, Spiritual Health
I know our journey to wholeness in Christ is a refining process; being purified in thought, word, deed and heart. But what if we find ourselves spinning our wheels in the mud of sin, not able to move forward? There are many people who are in this very situation. People who lay their burdens down, only to
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Posted on July 4, 2011, 9:38 pm | 4 comments
Topics: Community, Spiritual Health
Everything in our being craves shalom. This is why when we see people hurting, we want them to be free of their pain. We know it's not right. It's not what God intended. So, we try to rescue them, perhaps we even try to be their saviour... but is that what we're called to?
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Posted on December 6, 2010, 3:51 pm
Topics: Roles
Mary's song of hope becomes more challenging when it moves beyond charity for the poor to judgment: “…but he has sent the rich away empty.” How are we to participate in the kingdom activity of sending the rich away empty? I can’t say I have ever heard a sermon about that.
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Posted on October 26, 2010, 2:12 pm
Topics: Deacons
Here's a church that has thought long and hard about the role of deacon. Here's a job description that expresses that good thinking. AND here's a job opening you need to check out!
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Posted on October 8, 2010, 1:40 pm | 3 comments
Topics: Teaching
A six year old girl stormed into my class this Sunday with fists clenched. She was angry at a friend--another one of the girls in my class ...
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Posted on September 24, 2010, 1:59 pm
Topics: Youth Group Nights
Not the normal place to find a great activity for your youth group. Check out the Disability Concerns page on the NETWORK and read the blog entitled "Ask Your Youth Group to Do an Accessibility Audit".
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Posted on May 15, 2010, 2:00 am
Topics: Youth
"What if some of your kids could open a window into the lives of the world's poorest children? Would it affect the way they think and live? Quest For Compassion is an interactive journey into four distinct villages. Your kids will explore fun games while discovering some of the stark realities of the developing world. "
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Posted on March 29, 2010, 1:53 pm
Topics: Pastoral Care
Among the vulnerable in any congregation are people who through loss of health have diminished capabilities. Many times their limitations confine them to home or a nursing home. To care for them requires discerning ears and gentle words. In this article, Karen Mulder and Ginger Jurries share helpful pointers in our journey of care.
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