"Service" Tagged Content
Living Our Vision: Glorifying God Through Love and Faithful Service
A few years ago, I gathered our church leadership to walk through the development of a vision statement. This statement would become the focus for every future ministry decision made. We even had a sign company come in and place our vision in vinyl letters on a prominent wall. We said, “Whatever was on the wall, must be happening down the hall!” Armed with a large dry-erase board, we got started. The process centered on several questions. I would ask…
Why ‘Showing Up’ Matters in Living Out Your Faith
As a long-time United Methodist pastor, whenever someone desires to unite with our church membership, I ask the historical questions that make up our membership vows. By doing so, we call Christian believers to an active faith rather than a passive one. When we vow to uphold the church with our prayers, presence, gifts, service, and testimony/witness, we commit to “show up” in tangible ways for God and His people. This act of showing up demonstrates our dedication to building…
Service Lasts a Lifetime
Another wonderful week of Vacation Bible School has finished, and I’ve had a few days to reflect on all the amazing ways I saw God moving during that week. Children came into the church building with excited faces and left smiling, laughing, and singing each day. I overheard children telling their parents about all the cool things they learned and did during Bible story time, the fun games they played outside during recreation, how they liked the snack they ate,…
Becoming God’s Living Vessel: Eight Ways to Serve Others
Becoming God’s living vessel signifies our willingness to allow His divine Spirit to indwell within us, guiding our thoughts, words, and actions in alignment with His will. It involves surrendering our desires and ambitions and, instead, seeking to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives. Here are eight biblical ways we can do this: Forgive Others: Becoming God’s living vessel entails embracing the Spirit of forgiveness. Ephesians 4:31-32 (NLT) instructs us to “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, slander, and…