By John Terrill, reprinted from Made to Flourish. I recently watched with interest CBS Sunday Morning’s featured segment on Bob Ross, the unlikely, yet iconic television personality who, through his 12-year PBS show, The Joy of Painting, inspired Americans from 1983 to 1994. Ross – a denim-clad folk hero with a permed afro bigger than life – was a soft-spoken teacher…
Reprinted from the Chalmers Center. Adapted from When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty without Hurting the Poor…and Yourself, 37-44 Is your church called to help the materially poor in your community and around the world? Most Christians would answer “yes,” but not nearly as many would also root that call in the very mission of the church, seeing it rather…
By Andrew Parris and Don Pope, reprinted from Christian Business Review. Citations have been omitted. Part four of a series. Christian Parallels to Lean Wisdom Given the Japanese manufacturing context of the development of Lean, a Christian leader may be reluctant to adopt Lean personally or in a Christian ministry, out of fear that Lean is only for manufacturing or is culturally or…
By Lisa Slayton, reprinted from Tamim Partners. It has been just over a year since the world changed dramatically. And it has been a hard year, challenging each of us significantly. It has also been a year that has allowed some time to reflect and re-imagine, releasing things that need to die away and creating space to bring new things…
By Jeff Haanen, reprinted from the Denver Institute for Faith and Work. Part two of two. Read part one here. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble,” writes the author of Psalm 46. “Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth gives way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their…
By Fletcher Lowe, reprinted from Living God’s Mission. Over the years in the parishes I have served, I have been visiting members where they work. The conversations usually go: What do you do here? What is the Sunday/Monday – the faith/work – connection with what you do here? This latter question is, for most all of the church members, the first time that…
Reprinted from the Salt & Light Australia Daily Devotional. Part two of two; read part one here. In my Bible study group, we are working through the book Boundaries by Cloud & Townsend. The authors explain that boundaries are biblical limits that we are created with, and many issues that we suffer from are a result of us not establishing boundaries, or other people’s…
By David Gill, reprinted from The 313. Let’s begin with two cheers for technology! I am thankful for the vaccinations I am being given for Covid-19 – not to mention those I have been given to protect against measles, polio and other diseases. And I am thankful for texting, phoning, emailing, skyping and zooming, especially over this past year of mandated, necessary…
By Jim Grubs, reprinted from Minding the Gap. In the 15th chapter of John’s gospel and beyond, Jesus is spending significant time teaching his disciples about the nature of the kingdom of God. Here he focuses on the metaphor of the vine and its branches. Incarnation Church’s pastor Jeanne Hartfield used this text as the basis for her message on a…
By Scott Rae, Helen Mitchell and Matt Williams, reprinted from the Oikonomia Network. Note: Appropriately for the new pandemic reality, this spotlight update comes to you via Zoom video. A transcript, with links to the resources discussed in the video, is provided below. Scott Rae: We’re happy to bring you this update from Talbot School of Theology and Biola University…
The Green Room 