The Words of Women

An Outreach Magazine Article (Published on March 8, 2022)

Not long ago, a publisher asked me to contribute to a Bible study series tentatively titled God Hears Her. I thought, If God hears women, then that would certainly compel men to listen to and read more about the testimonies, wisdom and truth that comes from the mouths of women. 

Unfortunately, that is not always the case. Throughout the world, women are continually marginalized, denied education, violently assaulted, verbally and emotionally abused, stripped of wealth and forced into marriages. Prevailing patriarchy is the norm that keeps the voices of women silent in corporate boardrooms, academic classrooms and, unfortunately, even the church. But our just and loving God is not ignorant of these schemes. God hears women. 

Read the FULL Outreach Magazine Article here: https://outreachmagazine.com/features/leadership/70688-the-words-of-women.html

Worship, Renewal, Redemption

An Outreach Magazine Article (Published on January 7, 2022)

When we think about worship, our minds easily go to the religious songs we sing about God. Worship includes that spiritual practice, of course, but it involves so much more. Worship is intentional embodiment; it is when we lend our entire beings in the presence of God—who is always with us and in us—affirming the reality of our identity. 

All people are created in the image of God. We are people created to worship the creator, God. We—our minds, bodies and souls—are vessels that display that goodness of God’s divinity and beauty of his creativity. With this embodiment and with our work, believers display the good news that the kingdom of God is at hand, that he has rescued us from the snare of our common enemy and is making all things new. God is alive and steadily at work in our broken world, and he has invited us into his great redemption story.

This is the reason that worship cannot be limited to specific songs that we sing in certain settings. Worship is a daily exercise of our faith…

Read the FULL Outreach Magazine Article: https://outreachmagazine.com/features/leadership/70101-worship-renewal-redemption.html

Choose Kindness

An Outreach Magazine Article (Published on November 10, 2021)

LEAD ON PURPOSE

Growing up in the South, certain activities naturally brought people together. I remember the large yellow ribbons that hung on my neighbors’ front porches to show their support for the troops who were fighting in Iraq. My uncle served in the U.S. Army in Kuwait, so whenever I saw those ribbons, I felt as if the country stood with our family and that people cared. The ribbons were a kind gesture.

The Olympics also united us. As a kid, I thought the games were fun, something that brought the entire world together for healthy competition and celebration. We would gather around our televisions and cheer on the athletes. At the Olympics and in our celebrations, people were more kind then than today.

Whenever we were out and about, people tended to be generally hospitable when in public. We opened doors for someone whose hands were full, we greeted each other at the grocery store, and at times we let someone turn first at a four-way stop, even if we got there before them. Strangers were kind.

It was in this environment that I always looked forward to the holidays, because the sounds of Christmas tunes in a public place generally meant that people would up their hospitality a notch. Children would receive candy, fruit and hot chocolate at random moments. People expressed kindness to one another…

Read the FULL Outreach Magazine Article here: https://outreachmagazine.com/features/discipleship/69615-choose-kindness.html

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