By Brother Stephen Rankin The Bible mentions the heart somewhere in the neighborhood of a thousand times. This is a fact worth pondering. In everyday life, we think of the heart as a symbol for the central and essential. “Getting to the heart of the matter” means getting down to its core reality, whatever the […]
By Sister Cheryl Jacobs “In the beginning, God created …” “In the beginning was the Word” Praise and thanks to God the Father, who through Christ Jesus and Holy Spirit, created us, redeemed us , and beckoned us to begin real life – a life lived out in relationship with our good God and with […]
By Brother Matt Henson As the son of a pastor; the grandson of a pastor; and the brother of a pastor, my calling to ministry was limiting in the beginning because I only knew of ministry in one way: local church Pastor. When I knelt at an altar in response to God’s call on my […]
Brother Matt Henson and Brother E. Stanley Jones “You belong,” is an invitational message I have seen on several signs in my travels over the years. As I consider our vision for the United Christian Ashrams International Ministry, we want our fellowships to be a place where people can find belonging. In Brother Stanley’s ministry, […]
By Brother Stephen Rankin If you’ve spent any time reading leadership books, you’ve undoubtedly run across the central importance of leaders casting a vision. A number of years ago, Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner co-authored The Leadership Challenge, which has become a best-seller. They offer five principles that leaders should embody. The first is “model […]
By Brother Brian Shimer I have this favorite scene in the scriptures: Jesus enters the house of the synagogue ruler, Jairus. He sends away the professional mourners, takes the parents along with Peter, James and John into the room of the girl, and then we read: “He took (the girl) by the hand and said […]
The Sunday bulletin included an announcement, “Join us for a time of fellowship after worship today.” The congregation moved from the worship space/sanctuary to the fellowship hall for coffee, donuts, oatmeal, and juice. The fellowship hall went from a quiet space to a dull roar of laughter, conversation, and people moving around. There was a […]
This weekend while visiting friends, we worshipped at Antioch, Waco! This fellowship has been in existence for 25 years. In that time, they have planted 50 churches in the United States, six in the UK, dispatched 300+ missionaries around the world, and seen God move in incredible ways. Quite remarkable! I walked into the sanctuary […]
By Brother Guy Ames I loved Brother Matt Henson’s word from last week about the importance of “Pursuing Fellowship”. Early Christians saw fellowship as their way of life. Before being called Christians these Jesus followers called themselves “The Way.” They had a “way” of living. Luke described those early Christian practices: “They devoted themselves to the […]
By Brother Gary Wheeler Recently, I spent six days in the hospital while suffering from abdominal cramps, diarrhea, and vomiting. I lost more than a dozen pounds in the process; probably not the best way to lose weight! Three times a day, someone came to my room to ask me what I wanted for my […]
