General
We Must Revive the Triune Role of the Church on Earth
I was listening recently to a news anchor lament people leaving the Catholic Church. His theory about the exodus? The priests giving boring sermons that didn’t relate to people’s lives.
He’s right. Many church gatherings are routine, messages put people to sleep, and they lack a “God encounter” that excites and changes a person’s life.
But there’s more to it. The people of God–the Church–has at least three distinct roles to play in human life and culture. When any of them is missing or unclear, people wander from the faith and God’s work is diminished.
We must revive the triune role of the Church on earth.
We Must Change the Language to Renew the Culture
Many weapons are used in a cultural or civil war. But the vanguard always involves a “war of words.”
God used words to create the cosmos out of nothing (Genesis 1:3-31). His language possessed creative power. When humans (made in his image) use words, they create mental realities, passion, and momentum for societal change. They also give meaning and authority to the ideas behind them.
Right now we are losing the war of words in America’s cultural war.
We must change the language to renew the culture.
The Blessing of Spiritual Fathers: Remembering Pastor Steve (1931-2021)
Saturday afternoon I received a call from a daughter of my teenage pastor. She informed me that her beloved father–Steve Watkins–had passed away and was now in the presence of Jesus (Philippians 1:23).
I was sad for our great loss, but also happy because of his graduation to glory.
“Pastor Steve,” as most of us called him, was an important spiritual father to many and a link in the chain of salvation that stretches to the nation of Mongolia.
Here is our story–and why spiritual fathers are so needed in our lives.