Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Tuesday Roundup: Twelve Articles and Two Podcasts


Healthy Church Trends: A Look Back – Rainer on Leadership #186 [Podcast]

On today’s episode, Thom Rainer and Jonathan Howe take a look back at some healthy church trend predictions mentioned in a 2012 post to see how things have progressed over the past four years. Read More

Joe Sangl on How to Increase Giving At Your Church and Help for Bi-Vocations Pastors [Podcast]

How do you get more money for ministry? Joe Sangl and I have an honest conversation about how to increase givings at your church, why people don’t give and even how bi-vocational pastors can think differently about earning income. Read More

Three Differences Between Busyness and Productivity

Here are 3 ways leaders can spot the difference between busyness and productivity.... Read More

The Pastor’s Third Rail

What pastors in particular may not realize though is the direct correlation between their physical health and their spiritual health, as well as the impact they have on the church they have been called to serve. Pastors, we should be leading the way in caring for our physical health as examples to the flocks we have been called to serve. Not leading the pack toward obesity. Read More

10 Signs You May Need to Take a Day Off

Frankly, this is one blog post I’m writing for myself more than any other reader. Too many people I know—beginning with me—work many days without taking a day off. Based on my own study and conversations with others, here are some signs I need to consider as warnings that it’s time to take a day off. Read More

Plagiarizing and Quoting in Preaching

At the end of the day, we need rules to help guide us through the process of avoiding plagiarism without simply falling into the trap of quoting and citing too much in preaching. Here are four personal rules that help me avoid plagiarism while encouraging me to judiciously and appropriately quote and cite others.... Read More

Reading the Whole Bible in 2016: A FAQ

Justin Taylor put together this list of frequently-asked questions and answers about reading the whole Bible in a year. He has also included a number of helpful resources. Read More

5 Reasons to Read the Entire Bible in 2016

Here are five benefits Jeff Robinson discovered from reading through God’s Word each year. Read More

11 Ways to Write Better

We are all writers now. Whether you write books, blogposts, emails, tweets, or text messages, you are a writer. No matter your preferred medium, here are a few tips to help you write more effectively.... Read More

3 Common Traits of Youth Who Don’t Leave the Church

What is it that sets apart the kids who stay in the church? Read More

The forgotten Christians who faced persecution in 2015

Christian persecution has dominated the news over the past year. From the escalating chaos in the Middle East to the crackdown on churches in China's Zhejiang province, it's been a terrible year for some of the world's most persecuted minorities.Read More

Indonesian churches celebrate Christmas without building - or even tent

Indonesia ranks #47 on Open Doors International’s 2015 World Watch List, which ranks the 50 countries where it is most difficult to live as a Christian. Officially it is a secular country, despite hosting the world’s largest Muslim community. Aceh is the only province given special privileges to enforce sharia and as a result has become one of the toughest places for Indonesian Christians to live and exercise their faith. Read More

ISIS ruling dictates how to treat female slaves

Islamic State theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when "owners" of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females. Read More

Middle Eastern Christians Speak Out on Wheaton Professor’s Actions

...how do Middle Eastern Christians feel about an American Christian publicly supporting Muslims by wearing a hijab? Read More

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