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What Is ‘Revival’?

Understanding when revival begins...

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There are church buildings everywhere in North America, but why aren’t they all full of passionate believers? We all seem to have the answers – create new programs and use new methods; or hold on to old ideas and traditional methods. But any success is marginal compared to past ‘revivals.’ We live in a world that is looking for authentic experiences, so does the Church have something to offer?  The answer is simple – YES! God is longing to connect with all of humanity!  The question is – is the Church ready to be revived?

what is revival

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Dear Congregation

My Letter of Resignation

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To say the past six years have been some of the best years of our lives would be an understatement. We came here six years ago with nothing but a passion to pastor, a small car, and a few possessions that somewhat filled the parsonage. Since then, we’ve been blessed with two beautiful children (who you have welcomed and embraced as your own), a lovable dog, and a board and congregation who earnestly explored what ministry could, and would, look like in the Bay Roberts area. We are beyond blessed and continue to see the future of Bethel as a bright light in the area.

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Church Conflict: 3 types of conflict and how to navigate them

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It’s inevitable. Conflict will happen. The question is: will you let conflict sink you? If there’s one mistake we make when leading change, its pretending conflict doesn’t exist. We’d like to think we don’t avoid conflict, but more often than not, we don’t address it. Instead, we make a big deal out of the small stuff and ignore the awkward situations.

Church Conflict

Here’s how I understand conflict, and how I’ve attempted to navigate them:

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Are Science and Miracles both from the Hands of God?

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Science and miracles are a common topic of interest when people ask me about God. Usually, the conversation expects a debate of sorts between Science and God. If Science, for example, can prove or disprove something miraculous, then it is no longer a miracle. Likewise, if science cannot speak to a particular miracle, then God must be at work. And the conversation goes back and forth. The question that I often ask is: can God be behind both the explainable and the unexplainable?

Are Science and Miracles both from the Hands of God

I came across an interesting YouTube video recently and it laid out a number of explanations of biblical miracles. The point of the video isn’t to say they didn’t happen; rather, that we can now provide an explanation as to why they happened.

Here’s the video:

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5 Things the Church Needs to Know About Mental Illness

Guest Post

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Sitting in my Church pew, dressed in my Sunday best. I could play the part like an Academy Award-winning actor, with face all aglow. But inside panic and sadness flooded my being to a point of just wanting to run. When I unveiled my mask, the truth came pouring out; DEPRESSION and Anxiety. But how could that be? I’m here sitting in Church. Christians cannot feel what I’m feeling. Aren’t Christians supposed to be happy, joyous, and have perfect peace all the time? But I was broken, the pieces of my mind falling apart. If only someone saw through my facade; the stigma, the shame, the humiliation I would have to endure.

Sitting in the pews of many of our Churches today are people just like that, so never judge a book by its cover. People are searching for hope, acceptance and understanding.

You would think that the one safe place that a person suffering from a mental illness (such as depression) could find support, would be the Church. But sadly to say, that’s not always the case. Just as prejudice, stigma, ignorance, misunderstanding, and lack of knowledge is found in our society today, so it is found in our Churches.

Harris Tucker, someone who blogs about his struggle with mental illness, shares the following 5 things that every Christian needs to know about the struggle.

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