The Invite

If you are like me, you may have grown up with an image of stranger to stranger evangelism.  You dress up in your best clothes (plus tennis shoes) and go from door to door with a partner inviting your friends and neighbors to an evangelistic meeting at church or asking them if they'd like to the study the Bible. 

The Chapter Summary Method of Bible Study

In November, we took a look at the devotional method of Bible study, a method you can do when you have little time but you still want to apply the Scriptures to your life.  This month, we are going to be flexing our scholarly muscles to really dig into the Bible.  The Chapter Summary method of Bible study will give you a good chance to really soak in the Word of God.

Long Distance Evangelism

A few weeks ago, Helene talked about reaching out to share the gospel with the people we see every day. I agree 100% that that is the best way to start the hard job of evangelism.  Yet, as she listed the people  in our lives we could tell about Jesus, I realized that I had very few people close to me (geographically) that fit the bill.  We moved to this state three years ago, and the only friends I've really made are church members. Today we'll share some tips and tricks for sharing the gospel with people who are close to our hearts, but may not be close to our homes. 

Back in the Saddle

Happy Monday!  Lately on Mondays, we've been sharing ways to make a difference in our lives as Christian women.  Today will be just a little different.  This time we would like to share with you, but we would also like your feedback.

A year or so back, I decided to start a Ladies' Bible study with my congregation.  It was every other week, and it started off great!  Thirty ladies met the first week, and the discussion was good. We were using a 13 week study book, and everyone seemed excited. It didn't take long, though, for the bloom to fade.  By the end of the study, I was lucky to have four other ladies. One week, no one showed up.  I was discouraged. 

Being a Mommy Like Jesus

It's an image so common on social media today as to be clichéd.  Mom desperately needs some time to herself, so she locks herself in the bathroom with a book, despairing over the little fingers that find their way under the door.  I've been there.  I'm a stay at home Mom with a three year old at home and a six and eight year old at school.  Those hours between school dismissal and bedtime are precious, but they can be tough, with too much to do and not enough time to do it. I literally cry when my littlest one skips her nap because that means I won't have any time alone that day.  Being an introverted parent of extroverted kids is not easy, but it doesn't do me any good to worry about the rest I'm not getting.

Gray Phantasms

I recently read a wonderful novel, Ted Dekker's AD 30.  In fact, I devoured it in a single day-a delightful luxury. I liked the premise: a Bedouin princess, doubly shamed, herself illegitimate and the mother of an illegitimate son, goes to Herod's court on a mission from her father and encounters Jesus.  I loved the fact that I didn't even once want to gag over the sappiness or poor writing.  However what lingered with me wasn't the plot or the well-drawn characters or even the interesting look into the life of Jesus.  It was some things the author said in the introduction.

Quick Start Guide to Evangelism

You're convinced. 

You know you are supposed to be calling the world to come to Jesus.

We've talked about the fundamental ideas that lead to successful evangelism.

You've read the story of a sister whose life was changed.

Maybe you've felt a little guilty thinking of the lost around you.  Or worried  Or sad.  Maybe you've felt a stirring of excitement.  How wonderful it would be to see the Kingdom of God grow and know you've had a small part in it! Maybe you simply feel scared, as if God is asking for something you don't know how to give.

Are you willing to try?  let me offer you a quickstart guide (like for your computer) to evangelism!

4 Fundamentals of Evangelism

We spoke recently about how imperative it was for the church to take God's call of "Come!" out into the world.  Yet, I'm afraid we left out how.

That question is an ongoing problem for churches.  Some assume that it's no longer possible to effectively reach out in our increasingly secular society.  "People don't want to hear it anymore!" they say.  Perhaps worse, others assume it is possible but a perfectly professional job.  They'd like to hire "out-reach" ministers or call their minister an "evangelist" as if the title will get the job done.  Most dangerous of all, we have a wealth of women out there, submissive godly women, who assume that it's some man's job and not their own. 

Today I'd like to share 4 fundamental ideas that make a difference in our evangelism.  Next week, I'll be going over practical suggestions to be an effective and feminine evangelist!

A Long Journey: Carin's Story

It wasn't the tidy story I wanted to hear, but real stories rarely are.  When you read a novel, watch a movie, or even craft your own tale, you can tie up all the ends, assign parts- villain and hero, and point out all the causes and effects.  When I asked my sister Carin (pronounced like the more commonly spelled Karen) to tell me the story of how she became a Christian I was hoping for a simple story that I could sum up with three points on how to be an more awesome evangelist.  What I got instead was the messy-wonderful tale of how long God will seek a person, how long a person will seek God, and how despite mistakes and missteps there is joy in heaven and on earth when the two come together.

One Word

If you had only one word to answer the question, "What does the Church say to the world?" what word would it be?

"Don't!"

Or perhaps "Repent?"

In Revelation 22, the church, the lovely bride of Christ, does have a single powerful word to say, "Come."

10 Steps for Defeating Gluttony

I need to start this post by reminding you that I write as a sinner.  I have suffered the ill effects of  a sin-soaked lack of self-control in many aspects of my life.  I have done stuff like sit in the living room floor and eat an entire large pizza as an after dinner snack. So please know that everything I share here is as a recipient of forgiveness and grace.