Five terrible reasons to enter vocational ministry
Thom Rainer gives five truly awful reasons for entering vocational ministry.
Vocational ministry is a calling. It is not just another vocation. If you enter ministry for the wrong reasons, you will not likely do well. Indeed, you will not likely make it.
Can a Christian date a non-Christian?
This is probably one of the most challenging questions many Christians are going to face. The desire for a relationship, to be able to share your life with someone special is huge. There is both the positive desire to meet that special someone and the negative fear of loneliness if we don’t. For me, I found this very hard going through my 20s. At times, it seemed that the only girls interested in me were non-Christians. They seemed “very interested” whilst Christian girls were just not interested at all. So, I remember having to make a painful choice on a couple of occasions to walk away from a potential relationship.
Loving the people you love to hate
Jared Wilson looks to CS Lewis in discussing whether we might revel in the hatred of our enemies.
Do you love to hate somebody? Do you hope for their failure and inwardly delight when it comes? Do you have the slightest inkling that your desire for justice has bled into desire for vengeance?
How to make an effective preacher
As much as I love spending time with my flock, socializing and fellowshipping, counseling and discipling, I frequently remind myself that those tasks are essential, but not primary, and must happen only if/when the sermon preparation is complete for Sunday.
I think McEnroe is taking heat for no reason
McEnroe said in an interview with NPR on Sunday that he believed that Serena Williams would be ranked about 700th in the world if she were playing on the men’s circuit. The anchors suggest that McEnroe is denigrating Serena Willams’s success, that he owes her an apology, and that he made the remark in order to increase his book sales. McEnroe refuses to apologize, and I think he was right to do so.
Apart from the wrong identification of Stella Creasy as ‘Sheila Creasy’, David Robertson helpfully points out the real dodgy deal done in parliament this week.
The Supreme Court recently decided that it was not a human right to have an abortion and that it was up to the Northern Ireland Assembly to determine about abortion. The UK government were opposed to offering free abortions but because they feared that several Tory MPs would support the amendment the government, wanting to avoid defeat on this amendment, found the money to make that offer.
From the archive: four problems with “claiming” promises
Many people seem to make a habit of “claiming” promises from scripture. Here are four major problems with doing so