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"During my training at the police academy, I was taught to aim for the heart or head when firing my weapon. No exceptions," says Carlos Amaza, choking back tears. "I just can't do that anymore." For the past 22 years, First Sergeant Carlos Amaza has served as a police officer in the city of…

Many years ago, the Church of the Nazarene had an advertising campaign titled, "Our church can be your home." It was a catchy phrase and as a pastor during that time, I welcomed it as a useful tool with which to adorn Sunday worship bulletins, midweek newsletters, church stationery, and so on.…

God has always liked community. In the book of Genesis, God creates not just one human being as the “image of God,” but two: a community (Gen. 1:26-27, NIV). He then calls this couple to “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28, ESV), enlarging their community. Through Abraham, God chooses a specific…

People are always talking about finding their comfort zone. What does that mean? What is a comfort zone? A place where you don't feel threatened or judged. A place where you feel things are under control. A place where you feel loved and understood. A familiar place you want to return to.…

On May 27, 2006, the words of a well-loved chorus, "Though the earth may shake and the mountains may rumble," took on special meaning for Indonesians as a 6.3 magnitude earthquake rocked the island of Java. For weeks, Indonesians had been carefully watching Mount Merapi, the world's most active…

The radical ministry of Jesus created a much larger, brighter, and more optimistic horizon for daily living than His listeners ever imagined. He certainly did that in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. The teaching pattern went something like this: “The law says . . .but I say . . .” Jesus…

The concept of holiness literature as a form of art had never occurred to me until the day I walked across Goree Island with a young Senegalese man named Daniel. I had been attempting to share my dreams for literature ministry in Africa when Daniel began telling of the change literature had made in…

The Church of the Nazarene, while being a well-respected denomination, has also been referred to as a family. It is true, we are family, and our family benefits when we get together. Looking back to the formation of this family, we see that the bonds of unity were formed by people and groups…

When we speak about God's amazing grace, His unmerited favor extended to all people everywhere, we generally think of ourselves as recipients. Indeed, we receive God's grace throughout our lives—prevenient grace that draws us to Him, grace that saves and sanctifies, and healing, restoring, and…

Sometimes people ask me how general superintendents survive the demands of the assignment, referring to the thousands of miles we travel, the countless decisions we make, and the basic acts of serving in such a confusing world. Since my retirement begins in August, I have been thinking. How do any…