Discipleship is one of those things that everyone wants but many struggle to pursue or even understand. And, yes, healthy discipleship is difficult as it takes intentionality, time, and effort. However, we often make it much more difficult than it really has to be. In fact, many analyze it to such an extent that they have trouble getting started. We don’t want to fall into this trap and we’d imagine that you don’t either. Thus, in an effort to help, we’ve recently surveyed some of the nation’s leading … [Read more...]
When Darkness Reigns
That’s a scary thought, right? When darkness reigns? That’s what Jesus said as He was being led off to trial and crucifixion. He chided the chief priests, officers of the temple guard, and the elders in Luke 22: “Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.” Is there anything more frightening than to hear the Son of God confess that this is the hour when darkness reigns? I don’t think so. In fact, just reading the verse, … [Read more...]
What Is Discipleship?
Over the next few weeks, we’ll be addressing the idea of discipleship at threadsmedia.com and in our upcoming newsletters. Last week, we started the conversation by establishing that discipleship is much more than a program we add to our already busy calendars. Instead, it’s a way of life. You can read that article HERE. Although we have opinions as to what successful discipleship looks like, we certainly don’t have all the answers. As you know, discipleship is one of those things that everyone wants but many struggle to pursue … [Read more...]
Present Peace: Experience Family Forgiveness This Christmas
In the movie “27 Dresses,” Jane embarrasses her younger sister Tess in the days just before Tess’s wedding by confiding to a newspaper reporter how greedy, demanding, and out of control the bride-to-be is. Tess explodes when the feature story appears, and it seems the sisters’ relationship is ruined forever. But a remarkably brief time later, Tess tells Jane, “I’ve decided to forgive you.” She then checks off a line on a piece of paper she’s holding—as if forgiving her sister was … [Read more...]
10 Things to Know About Leading Young Adults
One of the key attributes of leaders is that they go out in front and show others the way. Leading in the church means maintaining a balance: be above reproach but also remain among the people. Leading young adults is no exception. However, leading the next generation requires an attitude of indebtedness to the followers—leaders don’t exist without followers. So let me share with you a few critical issues from the perspective of these young adult followers. They desire integrity among leaders. Our research has shown that … [Read more...]
Grateful for Authentic Community
Editor’s Note: AnnieLaurie Walters, of McLean, Virginia, is thankful for the intentional community among married couples at her church. Read her winning post below. I’m thankful for my church because of the deep and authentic relationships my husband and I have with other members. Being in relationship with other couples who are committed to God and strive to have godly marriages is a key ingredient to the success we’ve had in the first five years of our marriage. We’re in mentoring relationships with couples … [Read more...]
I Want to Be More Like Joe
Editor’s Note: Continuing on in our series of winning blogs for this Week of Gratitude, we bring you Ed Moncada’s entry. I am so thankful for the testimony, witness, and inspiration of a man named Joe. He is no “average Joe” as the saying goes. Joe took an early retirement as a Math teacher and felt led to find a new job. Joe is an ordained minister and could have pastored a church in our area. He wanted to find more time to serve his home church, so he took up the opening as one of our church custodians. What … [Read more...]
Week of Gratitude
Well, we asked and you answered. Many of you submitted great blogs in response to our Thanksgiving writing contest question: What are you most thankful for about your church and/or its ministry leaders? In fact, we received so many great responses that we couldn’t pick just one winner—we picked five! We’ll post a winning entry to the Threads blog each day next week, so check in Monday morning for the first winner. As we enter this week of gratitude, we hope you all know how grateful we are for the chance to partner with you as … [Read more...]
Making Discipleship a Way of Life, Not a Program
Craig Mintz experienced first-hand what an intensive discipleship experience can do in a person’s life while at the University of North Carolina. So, he took what he learned on the college campus and put it into practice at First Baptist Church, Sevierville, Tennessee. “What’s missing so many times is the relational part of Christianity,” said Mintz, the pastor of discipleship and singles at the church. “Growing in your faith alongside a friend who is doing the same thing really makes a … [Read more...]
Receiving Grace
God’s been teaching me a lot about grace in the past few weeks. Like many of you, I’ve been tricked into setting impossibly high standards for myself, resulting in an overwhelming and ongoing sense of failure. In this mind-set, I never allowed myself to receive God’s grace because, of course, I wasn’t good enough for it yet. It sounds like a personal problem, I know. However, God has shown me clearly that if I don’t receive His grace for myself, I lose the ability to give grace to others. Ouch. I was OK … [Read more...]
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