Church-Planting Shifts

CONFESSING GOD

When God's Mercy Sounds Like Bad News
The patience of the Lord can be a heavy burden.
Derek Rishmawy
Moses was well-acquainted with the patience of God. He pled for Israel when they betrayed the Lord with the Golden Calf. For years he dealt with the Israelites in the desert, their complaining and recalcitrance. They "vexed the Holy One of Israel," and still God bore it, restraining his wrath and refusing to cut them off. God's patience is a central, defining feature of his character. But this wasn't always a comfort to Moses. Rather than being left to deal with the grumbling and sin of his people, he asks God to kill him outright. continue reading >>

Gleanings Trump's Revised Refugee Ban Won't Prioritize Persecuted Christians White House softens executive order; Andy Stanley joins evangelical leaders urging compassion. Kate Shellnutt

News Why Rio Was Upset a Pastor Didn't Come to Carnival Evangelicals have mixed feelings about mayor Marcelo Crivella, the latest symbol of Protestant ascendancy in Catholic Brazil. Marcos Simas and Carlos Fernandes in Rio de Janeiro

Under Discussion The Benedict Option Isn't an Evangelical Option Our movement thrives when we build outward, not inward.

The Exchange Church-Planting Shifts, Part One: The Launch Consider your people group and the time of year. Ed Stetzer