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Dec, 01, 2009 0
A perception exists that if there is a problem between a pastor and congregation, the district superintendent can fix it. I have found that many people are afraid to speak to their pastors about an area of their ministry or an issue in the church until the situation spins out of control. My…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Among the many legends that come from the Greek myths is the story of Orpheus. He was so blessed by the gods with the gift of song that nothing could withstand the power of his beautiful singing. The story of Orpheus is of course a myth, but the Christian Church has a real "Orpheus." His name is…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
What do you do when the word "church" carries all the wrong connotations? When "Christian" is either something one is by cultural heritage or something society has recently moved beyond by becoming "post-Christian?" When "love" means sex, warm feelings, or an anything goes approach to life?
Well…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
It has always been a favorite Christmas story of mine: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It so beautifully illustrates the outreach of a local church to the rowdy children of a neighborhood family, the Herdmans. But it became even more dear to me one Christmas when I saw it in real life on the…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
We expect to hear about the inappropriate use of finances in the secular world—big business and government. But misuse of money in the church by Christians? Surely that is an oxymoron.
All too regularly media reports relate the misdeeds of one church leader after another with respect to church…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Grandma died December 15, 2005, at 93 years old. Her lengthy name, Ninah Mae Mitchell Eyre Simmons, revealed her southern roots, Scotch English heritage, and two marriages ending in widowhood. In her lifetime, she moved less than 75 miles from her Louisiana birthplace residence in Montgomery to her…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Eugene Peterson (EP) has written more than 30 books on spiritual themes. He was a pastor for 29 years and recently retired from being professor of spiritual theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, so he could write full-time. He is perhaps best known for writing The Message, a…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
Have you ever experienced a Christmas when there were no gifts under the tree and perhaps not even a Christmas tree because there was no money for such things? In the past four years I have talked to many who would have had that very experience if it had not been for Christians like those at the…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
In 1976, the general assembly of the Church of the Nazarene amended its Tenth Article of Faith describing the distinguishing doctrine of the denomination, entire sanctification:
"We believe that there is a marked distinction between a pure heart and a mature character. The former is obtained in an…
Dec, 01, 2009 0
In the early 1960s, my wife, Elsie, and I attended Grace Church of the Nazarene in Kansas City. Melvin Shrout, and his wife, Marcella, were the pastors of Grace church. As years passed, we became best of friends. They had one adopted son, Stanley.
Several times through the years I met with Stanley…