Barna Group recently highlighted three research studies showing signs of growing faith among the young, and young men in particular. The communications asked, “Are We Seeing Signs of Renewal?” It can be tempting to see favorable trends and declare victory. But we need to be careful not to define our optimism by the fickle hearts of unpredictable people. Paul wrote, ...
Jason tells of a period early in his work life, when he worked in food service. One feature of that experience was that he frequently came home smelling like the food from the restaurant. Later in his career, he committed that when he went to work, his colleagues would “smell Jesus” on him. Acts 4:13 describes: “When they saw the ...
In his book, Soul Keeping, John Ortberg writes that we are created with souls that crave to be loved, secure, and significant. Given the time and energy we spend at work, it can be easy to turn to our work to meet those needs. But Ortberg writes that only God can satisfy the needs of our soul. “My soul yearns, ...
Wheaton College’s Center for Faith and Innovation performed a multiple-year research project to explore how faith manifests itself in business. They categorized faith activities into three distinct categories. The final category is Internalized Faith. This category is more challenging to identify. Being a company that is family-oriented, compassionate, or merciful may all be examples of internalized faith. The heart and ...
In the latest American Bible Society “State of the Bible” report, we learn that Bible engagement continues to decline. In the decade before the pandemic, roughly 50% of adults used the Bible at least three or four times a year. But since then, Bible use has slid to 38%. There is hope, however. American Bible Society discovered that those ...
In a 1967 sermon, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Before I was a civil rights leader, I was a preacher of the Gospel. This was my first calling and it still remains my greatest commitment. You know, actually all that I do in civil rights I do because I consider it a part of my ministry. I have no other ...
As we begin a new year, many people have pulled out their strategic plan, their marketing plan, or their financial plan for the year. How many businesses, however, have ever considered developing a ministry plan? If you’re sincere about your faith, wouldn’t it be helpful to have a plan as to your ministry goals and how to best minister to ...
A 2021 study by Lifeway Research found that 66% of Americans are at least open to discussing the Christian faith with a friend. Forty percent said they were very open to the conversation. That compares with a third of respondents who said they were not at all open to a social media conversation about Christian faith. People prefer a personal ...
For years, I’ve contended that the best mission field is the workplace. From an evangelistic viewpoint, the importance of the workplace is rising dramatically. According to the Christian Post, from 1937 until the 1980s, about 70% of Americans said they were members of a church. However, a recent Gallup poll reveals that church participation has declined to 30%. Since the ...
Cabrini is a true movie of an Italian nun who came to America to help orphans and the sick. It’s an inspiring story of what Mother Cabrini accomplished, including establishing 67 institutions globally. My concern with the movie, however, is what was missing. There was no clear answer as to why Mother Cabrini did what she did. In the movie, ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
