Creative Ways to Invite Someone to Church
An encouraging study by Lifeway Research found that two-thirds of churchgoers invited someone to church in the last six months.[i] When was the last time you invited someone to church?…
An encouraging study by Lifeway Research found that two-thirds of churchgoers invited someone to church in the last six months.[i] When was the last time you invited someone to church?…
Luke 15:11-32; Genesis 2-3 Aloneness reaches deep into the inner recesses of the human heart. No one likes to be alone. I was flying recently to Orlando: girl on airplane:…
“Returning to God in Unity” Ephesians 4:1-6 Introduction Many fish species swim together in groups called schools to survive. The school creates a tight formation that moves swiftly in perfect…
When I say the word “church” what do you think of? Most Americans probably think of a single building that they might attend or drive by on the way to…
Have you ever walked into a room and felt out of place; like there was a chasm standing between you and everyone else? Maybe it was the way you dressed,…
“After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, ‘Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites to fight against them?’ The Lord said,…
Epaphroditus kind of sounds like a disease, doesn’t it? It’s an unusual name. But in the Bible, Epaphroditus was a dear friend and servant of Paul the apostle. His name shows…
“Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature.” Genesis 1:26 MSG Recent racially charged incidents including the tragic death of George Floyd and others have…
This post was written by Dillon Smith, a Gen-Z team member at CareyNieuwhof.com who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. We’re so grateful to the Citylight team for making the time to share…
While no one can say exactly what the future holds, here are 8 trends I’m watching and would encourage you and your team to consider and process as well. 1.…
What is one way you have seen or experienced UNITY…? What about inside the church? Why would UNITY be important? THE ORIGIN OF UNITY What is the ORIGIN of UNITY?…
Don’t you? Don’t you need some Peace On Earth and Goodwill to Mankind? Don’t you need some Silent Night, Holy Night? Don’t you need the appearance of angels, the…
Do you feel isolated and lonely? God made us to need each other! Did you know that every time a lion pride hunts together it is a lightly organized operation?…
Dear Roger, I recently attended the funeral of one of my best friends. As I listened to the comments, I was surprised by how many people weren’t really…
“Wilson, where are you? Wilson! Wilson! I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Wilson. Wilson, I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Wilson! I can’t!” If you’ve seen Cast Away, this scene is etched in your…
Dear Roger, I was recently asked when people of skin tone other than white as an indicator of racial or ethnic affiliation first appeared in the Bible. Was it before the…
If we aren’t battling our sinful desires…they’ve won. Christianity will always have a bad reputation, unless we prove otherwise by our lives. It all comes down to how we live.…
These are hard days for minorities. I have also asked several African American friends what it’s like to see so much tension and a rise in racial profiling and violence.…
As the world slowly re-opens on the other side of COVID, a question for you today. Are churches behaving like malls in the age of Amazon, just hoping for people…
Jon Acuff writes a hilarious (but truthful) assessment about how churches treat singles: Single adults, I have failed you. Although I’ve written a handful of ideas about being single at…
God wants to bless every relationship you have! In John 15:13 Jesus says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Deborah Haddix…
We’re lonelier than ever, some say. We’re not lonely enough, say others. They’re both right. THE PROBLEMS OF LONELINESS AND COMMUNITY University of California, Berkeley, sociologist Claude S. Fischer writes…
Many things in our culture work against the maintenance of real community. We are conditioned in countless ways to think and act as individuals only, not as members of any…
Facebook recently announced they’ve hit the milestone of two billion users. There are more Facebook members than members of any religion except Christianity. (Just barely. There are 2.4 billion proclaimed…
Dear Roger, I have been deeply offended because my spouse has been mistreated by a trusted friend and I can’t seem to get past it. How do I find it…
Dear Roger, In the past, I have been a part of many short term missions’ trips both at home in the U.S. and abroad in foreign countries. Lately however,…
Did you know that your kids use anger to control the people around them? Anger may be a natural emotion, yet we have seen the devastating effects it can have…
It will come as no surprise to most that the U.S. population has been consistently loosening its ties with church over the past few decades. In the early 1990s, only…
Technology is a tool that when used well extends our natural reach and ability. In fact, these words are an example of how the internet and text can extend far…
There are times when we the best of our logic fails to understand the worst of other’s behaviors. It’s part of the oddity or maybe complexity of the human psyche…
Daring to befriend someone takes courage. Jonathan humbly protected and encouraged David. We are capable of loving others because we are loved by God. Part Two of the Daring Greatly…
Narrow-minded, judgmental Christians. That’s how many people view Christ-followers. Often we do not convey God’s love, mercy and compassion as we ought. However, Christianity is not simply a set of…
In Leo Tolstoy’s novel The Death of Ivan Ilych, the protagonist, Ivan Ilych, is a smart, competent attorney dying from an unknown cause. Tolstoy describes a scene in which Ivan…
Are you happy or unhappy with your life? If you sat down and made a list of reasons why you are happy or unhappy, chances are, you will be able…
Last week we announced that the U.S. now has at least 8,000 multisite churches, a phenomenon growing in churches worldwide (www.leadnet.org/world) and which Leadership Network tracked in a recent survey.…
1. Porn causes men to feel like they “need” sex. The journal Human Brain Mapping published a study demonstrating that while many men and women have similar regions of the…
Children are arrows from the Lord, not darts, according to Psalm 127:3. “They are a reward from Him.” Cherished gifts. Our future and our joy. You can make your…
Rape is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure. Rape and violent death are among the experiences many women fear most. Sexual assault is a very complex…
Humor is like seasoning on food—everything is flat without it. But something was amiss here. I began to ask myself, the gospel have an effect on our sense of humor?’…
“Ninety-five percent of all the decisions you’ll ever make in your career could be made by a reasonably intelligent high school sophomore. But they’ll pay you for the other five…
When you are dealing with someone, be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Differentiate between the Holy Spirit’s revelation and your manipulation. Don’t ignore red flags. Don’t internalize, verbalize. And finally,…
Who is this God to whom your prayers ascend? Belief in what God can do will give you strength and more confidence in your prayer life. When unbelief takes control,…
Most early signs of anorexia center on preoccupation with food or dieting. Behavior may appear obsessive or compulsive, and begin to consume more time. Eventually, disordered eating patterns will become…
Peter’s take on God’s plan for the church includes how effectively it relates to the community, how genuine Christians are in loving and accepting others. Peter writes, “But you are…
Christ set us free to be part of His life-giving community-God is the source and strength of all we produce and we’re invited to do something constructive with our freedom.
The service begins with the baptism of a young girl who was supposed to be dead in the womb after a DNC. Instead, she survived and became a powerful testimony…
What is commonly known as DNA today was originally called “so pretty!” When DNA was discovered years ago, this divine design also informs Gods blueprint for the church. In this…
The concept of keeping covenant with God seems to be one not much considered by the modern Christian. Yet the Bible demonstrates in its pages that the idea of a…
Do you struggle with losing weight? Every day is a battle, one calorie at a time. And then there is that wicked cupcake, that seductive pizza, that chocolate milkshake that…
Our culture is so busy we are quickly replacing face to face time with texting, tweeting, voice mail, email and other forms of technology. Especially at Christmas, let’s make sure we give…
Christmastime… that peaceful, everybody-gets-along time of year, right? Not necessarily. Harmony in relationships can be challenging year round, but as activities increase with holiday celebrations and we encounter more people,…
With so many alternatives, why should we attend church, live in community and serve God? The church is God’s means for growing up His children. God gives gifts to His…
Jesus’ final prayer was that the church might be unified in the same way the Son has unity with the Father. A unified church focuses on God’s priorities, rallies against…
Every Christ-follower needs to claim their place of belonging in God’s family, the church. God has gifted us uniquely to serve in the body and meet the needs of others.
We must invest care and compassion into the lives of those who need to know Christ, and simply invite them to experience Christ with us in church.
Our purpose is to live for Christ, a life of noticing others so we can minister the encouragement, compassion and comfort Jesus first showed us. As our love shines in…
Paul poses four questions. If we are encouraged by Christ, can we give that same encouragement to others? If we are comforted by Him, can we comfort others? If we…
Closing the gap in our spiritual lives means moving from where we are to where God longs for us to be — experiencing the abundant life. It is possible to…
FRIENDSHIPS ARE ESSENTIAL TO LIFE From the beginning, in the Garden of Eden, God declared, “It is not good for man to be alone” even though He walked in fellowship…
Life is tough. A support system is indispensable, so be proactive in cultivating and maintaining friendships. Resist the temptation to be self-reliant. The individualistic life in lonely. Instead, turn to…