Why ‘Eaters’ Must Turn into ‘Feeders’ and ‘Feeders’ Must Always be ‘Eaters’

In a church family there are three types of people. There are “eaters”, “feeders”, and those who are neither. An “eater” is someone who comes to church and church events ready to be fed. They are eager to learn, eager to grow, and ultimately desire to be guided along the way to a deeper, more mature relationship with God. This is the ideal new Christian or new church member. A “feeder” is someone who is involved in church and church events with the goal of ministering to others. They are there to “feed” eaters.

God's Challenge to the Extrovert

My wife and I got married and moved to a new town in the summer. The first few weeks in our new home were very slow, quiet, and filled with alone time. That probably sounds awesome to most couples, and it was. But it wasn’t always easy. We weren’t alone by choice. We had just moved to a new town and didn’t know anyone and weren’t apart of anything. My wife is a teacher so she didn’t start work until the fall and I didn’t start my job until after that. So for the first few weeks, we had nowhere to be and no one to see.

God's Challenge to the Introvert

If you are like me, you value your alone time. Though I am not naturally an introvert, I do often find myself enjoying time alone over time with others. That’s not a knock to any of my friends, it’s just the way I am. I imagine most people have been glad to be alone at least once. And that is ok. Alone time is great, even encouraged. In the Gospels, we see Jesus alone a lot. But a love of alone time doesn’t come without dangers.

A Call to Pray and Pray Well

This time of year marks the beginning a busy time for many. The next several months will be drenched in routine and schedules and the never-ending struggle of time management. And this is a good thing. This summer was the first summer in years in which I really had no routine or even much responsibility. And if there is one thing I discovered, it’s that man was designed to work.

Personal Salvation, the Politics of Jesus, and the Kingdom of God: (A Response to a Guy I Know)

Jesus was indeed a political figure. I wouldn’t dare to give Him a right or left label, but there is no doubt that Jesus had a lot to say about the political system of His day.

The world into which Jesus was born was one ruled by emperors who were seen as gods on earth with there own “gospels” and their own divine authority to bring peace and prosperity to this earth. Some Roman emperors even claimed to have the power to forgive sins.

So I have little doubt that the terms and phrases such as “good news” and “Kingdom of God” used by Jesus were in some ways politically charged. Perhaps it was Jesus’ humble way of saying, “Now the real God is here.” But we cannot limit the Kingdom of God to a political platform.