That word, “clique” – people don’t like it. And they don’t like being described with it because they associate it with cattiness and backstabbing. But that’s not the way I mean it here. When I say “church clique,” I’m simply referring to a group of Christians with a shared history whose culture (often unintentionally) is more insular than inclusive. [Click title to read more.]
We as believers need to make it possible for people to express, to discuss, and to interrogate their discomfort without punishing, ostracizing, or condemning them for doing so. [Click title to read more.]
When people with authority speak, their words carry a lot of weight. An insult or a slight can crush. A discouragement can stop a growing ministry in its tracks. A baseless criticism can wound a tender soul. [Click title to read more.]
It’s true that people need a rest after the emotional intensity of Easter. But it’s also true that “rest” shouldn’t mean “take a vacation from God until fall.” [Click title to read more.]
I think sometimes that “inviting someone to church” is so encouraged and so ideal precisely because we don’t think it takes a lot of effort. You invite someone and boom! You’re done. Except that you’re not. [Click title to read more.]
The key is to understand what “criticism” really means before we tell people not to do it to the pastor. Because when we simply toss out “don’t criticize the pastor” as some unquestioning edict without thinking through the nuances of what it actually means, we create a space where corruption, sin, darkness, false knowledge, and destruction can grow unchecked. [Click title to read more.]
Over time, I’ve learned that there are five factors that determine the structure of godly friendships. Where one or more of these is absent, acquaintance-ships tend to reign over anything much deeper. [Click title to read more.]
