Center Stage

Tim Schmoyer’s post of a post about worship teams resonated with me. There are two thoughts there; the one I am interested in here is the way we present the worship team. (Although the cross icon really bugs me, too). Read the rest of this entry »

A Man of His Times

I was interested in what a former pastor of mine had to say about some things I had read that John Calvin had done that did not impress me. This pastor is an enthusiastic Calvinist and had recently written a tribute to Calvin, in honor of the day of his death (May 27, if you’re interested).

Now, the details of what Calvin did aren’t relevant to my discussion; my pastor’s response is what I want to focus on. His explanation, or perhaps excuse, for Calvin’s behavior is this: he was “a man of his times”. Read the rest of this entry »

Short-term Missions

Here is a link to a recent USA Today article. I guess in my anti-news bias I clearly hear the digs against missions, instead of a clear message of what good kingdom work is being done.

However, I will agree that all short-term missions require good managment and training. As someone who has gone to the same area repeatedly, I would hate to find you are servicing the same needs over and over again and ignoring others. Or as stated in the article, you are “saving” the same kids many times. So we as stewards need to know the area we are going to, to the best of our ability. We also need to find good organizations which are truly following God and seeking His will and finding all the needs, not just the easy or the greatest reward for us.