God has given pastors a very clear job description in the Bible. Central to that role is shepherding. This post explores the five critical functions of a shepherd: know the sheep, feed the sheep, lead the sheep, protect the sheep, and gather the sheep. God’s call to shepherds is to pay careful attention to the flock. The business of the shepherd-leader is the sheep. May it be reflected in how we function as a pastor and operate as a church.
My Story Groups are designed to help Christians write their faith story and capture meaningful memories that will strengthen their children’s and grandchildren’s faith in Christ. My Story Groups were created because many individuals have the best intentions to write their story, but sometimes struggle to accomplish this goal on their own. The My Story Guidebook is designed around community. Gathering in community with other Christians helps us complete the task of writing our story because we are cheered on by others, inspired by other people’s stories, and supported when we get stuck. The My Story Guidebook can be used in a small group setting, a Sunday School class, or even by Zoom. The guidebook provides details about how to launch and lead a My Story Group. It walks you through how to facilitate, plan, and promote your group. The resource provides sessions and topics of discussion, a group covenant, tips to start and finish writing your story, resources, and some ideas about how to share your faith story with your children or grandchildren.
Three resources to help you disciple your children or grandchildren. Learn about doing math to the glory of God, the importance of indoctrinating your children or someone else will, and a video that points out 7 lies children are encouraged to believe in our society.
Stand to Reason offers an unmatched student conference that equips young people to understand and defend their faith from some of the biggest challenges today. Stand to Reason has conferences in California, Washington, Minnesota, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. If you live near one of these locations and have children or grandchildren in this age range, you should consider attending.
Critical race theory is infiltrating corporations, Christian organizations, and educational institutions all over American. We are beginning to hear organizations state that critical race theory isn’t present in their school or church. I thought it would be helpful to provide a quick list of terms and buzz words. If an organization is using any of these words or phrases, they may be teaching critical race theory.
I would appreciate your prayers that God would do a divine work in the hearts and minds of those I have the privilege of speaking to over the next three months. I have more than 35 talks and 15 trips, so it’s going to be a very busy stretch. Here is a quick summary of my summer and fall speaking calendar. If I’m coming to your church, city, or state, I would love to connect!
The Review is a full-color magazine filled with insightful articles that present and defend biblical worldview and the importance of training the next generation to know, love, and serve Christ. This issue features over a dozen powerful articles including: How to Help Children Understand and Defend Their Faith, Foundational Principles of Biblical Earth Stewardship, Navigating the Digital Landscape, What is Justice, and more.
Learn about single parent statistics in your state, education alternatives for public school, and factors that may cause children to drop out of the church and walk away from Christ.
Literature stretches a reader’s moral imagination and ethical muscles. That is where problems arise with Scholastic books. Children are reading books for fun, but in the process the morality of the author and publishing company is shaping the reader through the characters that walk onto the pages and provide a model how to respond to the life situations they face. Learn about some helpful publishers and books.
If you are looking for an idea for a future family vacation, why not do something that is fun and purposeful at the same time? There are lots of options, but this post is going to highlight two ideas that are impactful and enjoyable.
