What Happened to Hospitality?

I think some of it is a failure to understand the value of opening our homes to others. Beyond the service and the feeding of the meal, there’s something wonderful about the conversations that can come out of having people over.

Just Children: Mobilizing Young People as Peacemakers

Today’s post features guest blogger Michael McGill with Breakthrough Partners, a ministry whose work I deeply appreciate. Eternal Perspective Ministries has supported their work for many years. Through an initiative called Just Children, they’re now working to carry out Christ’s call to be peacemakers and to care for vulnerable children.

Writing Letters to the Suffering

The following moved me deeply. We asked permission to post it. It speaks for itself. My thanks to John Knight, John Piper and Desiring God.

Pastors, Help Your People: The Ministry of a Letter in Suffering
by John Knight

Pastors, Here's a Scenario

You're a pastor and ‘the call’ comes. One of your families have welcomed a child into the world – and that child is significantly disabled. They are crushed.

Writing as Ministry First, Vocation Second

Yesterday I made my February 1 deadline for the Courageous novel. I sent it off 11:56 p.m. Pacific time—hated to waste 4 minutes, but I needed a margin in case it got stuck in my outbox and I had to reboot. :)

Many thanks to all of you who prayed. There’s still much editing to come, but I’m grateful for God's grace and kindness in an exhausting project that has consumed the last four months.

Question and Answer of the Week: How do you enjoy your family and the ministry?

I’m a full-time youth pastor with four beautiful kids and an incredibly supportive wife. It is so hard to juggle ministry and family and do it well. As someone who has reached the other side, and now with grandkids, does it get easier? How did you find the energy and time to really enjoy the kids AND the ministry?

Orphanages Can Be Used Greatly by God

My friend Doug Nichols, founder and international director emeritus of ACTION International Ministries, wrote this article about the importance of orphanages, and why we can't just leave street children on the street. He writes:

It is very discouraging to read articles which are basically negative in regards to caring for orphans and street children in orphanages. Of course, a loving home is better than an orphanage, but does that mean we should give up on orphanages altogether? We do realize that there are some unacceptable orphanages in the world, but creating more loving, God-centered orphanages could bring glory to ...

The Leader's Character; Leadership is a privilege, not an entitlement

The following are my answers to some questions on leadership I gave to Crawford Loritts for his new book called Leadership as an Identity: The Four Traits of Those Who Wield Lasting Influence. 

Third (and Final) on Spurgeon, Ministry and Depression

This is a picture of Charles Haddon Spurgeon at age 23. Only a year previously, an event happened that brought on a severe depression that he nearly didn’t recover from.