Call and consecration are two powerful aspects of holiness and they relate to our status in relation to God. Through God's call and our consecration to God, we have been drawn into a special relation—we are God's possession and are dedicated to God's exclusive service.

We have been spiritually transferred from the fallen world into God's presence. Through the Holy Spirit, we have been introduced into the fellowship between the Father and the Son.

Nearly every morning, Annie (my Golden Retriever) and I go for a walk. I’m fairly certain that our walks are different than some: ours is an adventure in discovery. We stop at every telephone pole and every pillar. Every blowing leaf has to be examined and trash is a gold mine just waiting to be pounced upon (she is still a pup after all). While I walk in straight lines, she is a constant back and forth zig-zag. But, she is growing up.

The Church recently celebrated Pentecost. Christians rejoice that the Holy Spirit has been poured out in such a way as to expand the Church beyond all borders and boundaries. Acts 2 (echoing the prophetic words of Joel 2) and the Gospels demonstrate that God seeks to extend His Church and His redemptive love to all creation.

Ann Cubie Rearick and Mary Rearick Paul, mother and daughter, were both raised in ministry homes and are both still in ministry. Here, these women express their perspectives regarding the experience of growing up in a holiness environment.

Ann Cubie Rearick:

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14, KJV)."

Roberta Bustin can't remember exactly when the ecology laboratory became part of the building that's now home to the Nazarene ministry in Tigmandru, Romania. It occurred some time after space was designated for a doctor's office and before the upstairs classroom became a sewing workshop. The church ministries have developed in response to specific needs in the 1,500-person village, so besides space for traditional church ministries, the building needed room for science, health, and employment training.

From grocery stores and airports, to restaurants and the urban intersections of Tokyo, London, Johannesburg, Toronto, New York, and beyond, our visual senses are bombarded daily. Today, video screens can be found just about everywhere: cell phones, mall checkout counters, vehicles, and even fuel pumps. Is it any wonder that a growing number of churches are also incorporating the use of projected video in worship?

I take the Bible seriously.

Society has shifted and changed to accommodate the size and preferences of each generation in its own time. What changes are on the horizon as the baby boomers grow older and, along with other generations, exert their influence?

If the changes that have taken place thus far are the equivalent of small ripples, the alterations to come are of giant wave proportions. Three giant waves are already on the way. We need not wait for the elephants to run.

Nazoomers

Raised as a Jehovah's Witness, I ran from this religion when I went to college in 1969. I became a hippie, experimenting with everything—alcohol, drugs, and sex. Then in 1979, I gave my heart to Jesus. I was so excited I told everyone how He had changed my life and could change theirs. I started learning how to effectively share my faith at home with my six kids. Then I started telling their friends—the neighborhood kids who filled our backyard, our skateboard ramp, and our trampoline—about Jesus.

One Sunday afternoon many years ago, my wife and I asked our sons what they learned in Sunday School. With great animation they recited what their teacher had humorously said during Sunday School: “Dude, man, you got to have faith!” That has become one of our favorite sayings.

Faith. It is scattered throughout the pages of Scripture. We believe it. We have it. And yet we often struggle to understand exactly what faith is. Since we are called to live by faith, it stands to reason that we should have a working definition to guide us along the way.