Saturday Links
Links for your weekend reading:
Here are three observations on becoming an everyday evangelist.
Practicing Biblical Hospitality
True hospitality is sacrificial, uncomfortable, and does not seek to impress others.
Pastors should be intentional about leading their congregations to be centered upon that which is timeless.
Five Questions to Ask to See If Your Church Is Dying
- Has worship attendance declined in at least seven of the past ten years?
- Has budget giving declined in at least seven of the past ten years?
- Does my church look more like the community or less like the community than ten years ago?
- Are church conflicts significantly more frequent today than past years?
- Is your church’s budget decreasing its focus on reaching and ministering to others beyond the church?
Some Reflections on My Brief Foray into Reactionary Writing
When I’m being reactionary, the things I say aren’t being dictated by what the word says, what the gospel is, or what my people need to hear.
The question that hides under most questions regarding hell is “Isn’t hell unfair?”
Basic Hermeneutical Principles
Our approach to interpretation is called the Grammatical-Historical method…
Nine Ways to Become a More Boring Writer
- If a book with a unique concept or message makes the New York Times bestseller list, copy it.
- Read everything your peers write.
- Spend all your free time consuming “pop culture.”
- Read the people you want to imitate, not the people they learned from.
- Publish right away.
- Spend all your time on social networks.
- Never miss your chance to chime in on a controversy.
- Be a contrarian.
- Always strive to be first.
God Loves to Take Ordinary People and Do Extraordinary Things
My personal experience, coupled with what I have read in history and in my Bible, confirms the fact that God loves to take ordinary people and do extraordinary things.
