The church shouldn’t be a place where people are trying to preserve their favorite songs and rituals at the expense of making the message accessible to outsiders. Reaching people—presenting the message in the most winsome and considerate way—was what the apostle Paul strived for.
How do we build churches and communities where relationships are built and thrive, but are still centered around the study of the Scriptures and following Jesus?
I have adopted the phrase “The Williams Way” to capture prominent biblical traits that have been true of the men and women who have in some way been influenced by our mission.
Being the believer that I am in a Sovereign God who “makes all things work together for good for those who are called according to His purpose,” I have to believe He has plans to bring out the good.
Yes, there were difficult moments, but those things have shaped me and grown my faith in a James 1 kind of way. Navigating last year was like eating a chocolate covered jalapeno; amid the heat, bitterness and challenges, there were some really sweet memories.
I still remember what an older, wiser Christian said to me back then – a sentence his mentor had said to him 50 years earlier: “If you can’t see very far ahead, go ahead as far as you can see.”
A pair of pilots flew 297 passengers from New Zealand to Antarctica on a sightseeing journey. They were supposed to see beautiful mountain ranges and all kinds of wonderful topography.
And in a culture where snarky skepticism seems to be a defining zeitgeist of our times, the church can also feel less than genuine, even if intentions are to sincerely present our best for the Lord.
As Christmas 2020 approaches, I find myself regularly asking, where is our “peace on earth to those He favors?” In the midst of a pandemic in which the COVID virus wreaks havoc on our nation and world, where is peace?
Maybe this pandemic (and other problems we face) is just another step down the path to revival. Could it be that God really does cause all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose? Pray as though you believe it.
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