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“Leading a local church in a pandemic and coming out of a pandemic has been filled with both pain and beauty. God has done exceedingly more than I could ask or imagine.” - Eric Gieger
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4 Lessons Learned Through Sickness
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“I’ve learned a lot while on my back and I want to share some of those lessons I’ve learned by leading in sickness.” - Treg Spicer
On the Fruit of the Spirit, Part 3: Joy
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“If you scan through the uses of this word in the NT, you can’t help noticing something that you may find surprising—the frequent connection of joy with trials.” - Olinger
On Healthy Minds in Troubled Times, Part 5: Focus
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“…we’re not obligated to think about, let alone agree with, any old thought that pops into our heads. We can direct our minds. We can take charge of our thoughts.” - Olinger
From the Archives – Finding Happiness in Difficult Times
We’re a week or so into February, so today’s article has a bit of romance for Valentine’s Day and much application (finding happiness in life) for the other days of the year. I came across this true account from Reader’s Digest:
My cell phone quit as I tried to let my wife know that I was caught in freeway gridlock and would be late for our anniversary dinner. I wrote a message on my laptop asking other motorists to call her, printed it on a portable inkjet and taped it to my rear windshield.
When I finally arrived home, my wife gave me the longest kiss ever. “I really think you love me,” she said. “At least 70 people called and told me so.”
Trust the God Who Provides (Not the Means He Uses)
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“If you have had a stable and steady job for 5, 10, or 20 years, it’s easy to get the idea that the job that is what provides for you. No, God provides for you. …You may say—God has provided a small group for me, a dear friend for me, a healthy church for me, a wonderful ministry for me. These are the means of God’s supply.
On Healthy Minds in Troubled Times, Part 2: Confidence
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“On the day Christ commissioned Saul as apostle to the Gentiles, he told him he would suffer. He told Ananias, the believer who healed Saul of his heaven-sent blindness….And Saul, now Paul the apostle, tells the believers in the little church at Philippi that this is the common fate—no, the ‘privilege’—of all believers” - Olinger
On 2 Corinthians 1:8 – “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength.”
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“When we’re overwhelmed––perhaps by many changes, or by one major change with seismic effects––Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 1:8 will resonate with us: ‘We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength.’ What an apt description of a full load and a heavy heart: utterly burdened.” - TGC
The Upside of an Interrupted Life
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“Yet interruptions—even life-altering intrusions—are a normal part of the history of mankind. Floods, famines, wars, and pandemics have punctuated the lives of our predecessors. How did Christians of the past respond? How should we today?” - Rooted Thinking
Roller Coaster Faith
From the archives…
There are basically two ways to ride a roller coaster. The first is to resist the ride. You can press your feet against the floorboard and arch your back. You can grip the handle bar so hard your knuckles turn white. You can tense your jaw, tighten your abdominal muscles, and scream bloody murder as you descend the precipitous drops and are flung around the death-defying turns.
