In my first year of being a district licensed minister, I served as part-time youth pastor. Before one Wednesday night service, I was talking with parents while several children were running around playing hide and seek in the foyer of the church.

Eventually, I noticed a little boy in the corner. At first, I thought he was counting for hide and seek, but then I noticed he was crying. His name was Oscar, and he was six years old.

Act One of "Living Cross" neared its conclusion. The set was covered with period-costumed actors straining to touch "Jesus" as He passed their way. I noticed one of the outstretched hands belonged to a lone Asian cast member.

During intermission, I learned that "Berry" was a 16-year-old Chinese exchange student being hosted by a family at my church in Ohio. Originally, Berry had been hosted by another family. As she worked on assignments in her school's library, she was befriended by library assistant Wendy Godbey.

Trendwatchers and authors Reggie McNeal and George Barna have written recently of the impending challenge facing the Christian Church. Both are pessimistic about the Church's ability to survive without incorporating systemic change as soon as possible. Barna's book, Revolution, and McNeal's work, The Present Future, posit similar themes. Each author believes that traditional church growth and development strategies no longer work and that present organizational and operational models are inadequate for the postmodern era.

When women gather, they create a unique dynamic that enhances the overall impact of local church ministry. We can harness that power by meeting their complex needs. Then we can release these women for effective ministry. Ministry to and through 21st century women must be fresh, relevant, and transformational. Here are five keys to help your church create meaningful connections with women that will spark a vibrant, contagious spiritual energy in your faith community.
 

We stared in disbelief as the doctor spoke. After just one week of severe headaches, a CAT scan revealed that my presumably healthy husband, Tom, had a malignant brain tumor with a prognosis of only three months to five years of life left.

There is much of seeking that meets with disappointment because we do not heed the admonition "Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." We are told in Romans 14-17 that the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

You have a dynamic new preacher coming and you want to invite your entire community to the event. But you don't know how to approach your neighborhood newspaper. Or, you know your community health fair would be of interest to television news viewers-but the thought of contacting the TV station is a little unnerving. What should you do?
 

In the contemporary world, the phrase “you are not your own” sounds almost offensive to many people from the post-modern culture. Advertisements keep telling us that we are the owners of our lives, we have to choose the best for ourselves first, and that nobody is allowed to tell us what to do with our bodies or our lives.

What is the apostle Paul trying to tell us in his epistle to the Corinthians and particularly in these verses? Why should we lose some of our freedom and trust our lives completely to God?

The Church of the Nazarene's approaching centennial is a good time to consider the role of congregational archives. A congregational archive has a distinct purpose: to preserve essential records and additional documents necessary for telling the congregation's story.

I once heard a Catholic priest tell a joke about a scene in Heaven. Jesus walks up to a Protestant and a Catholic and says to them, “I am glad to see you two getting along so well.” Then Jesus turns to the Protestant and says, “I would like to introduce you to my mother.  I don’t think you two have met!”

We Protestants in the crowd laughed, but it challenged me to take a closer look at what we as Christians – both Protestants and Catholics – can learn from Mary.   

Based on the Gospels, here are a few lessons that come to mind: