It's Tuesday: 'A Church Only Explained by the Gospel' and More

A Church Only Explained by the Gospel

Friendship begins, as C.S. Lewis wrote, when one says to another, “You too?” But in the church we say to one another, “You and I are not alike at all. We have no reason to be together. Except Christ. That makes us family. So even though we have nothing else in common, I’m with you. I’m for you.”

COVID Church the Sequel?
Just as we thought everything was going back to normal, we’ve discovered that normal is not so normal. COVID seems to be returning. While I’m not an epidemiologist and don’t want to weigh in on the politics of the pandemic, COVID is yet again making a real impact on life and ministry. From empty Olympic stands to empty seats in our churches to an increase in mask wearing, uncertainty appears to be our biggest obstacle. But, not for small groups.

Because we are meeting in a small group does not mean that we can relax our guard and be careless. The main advantage of an inperson small group meeting is that it limits the number of people who may get infected at such a meeting and the number of people who can spread the virus to others. However, if we ignore the necessary safeguards, they can spread the virus like large gatherings. Safeguards are: 1) all participants are fully vaccinated. (2) All are wearing face masks and social distancing if their county has a high or substantial transmission rate. (3) The room in which they are meeting is adequately ventilated. The doors and windows are open and fresh air is flowing into the room. Just opening the door a crack as I observed one Sunday school class doing will not do!

What Does the Delta Variant Have in Store for the United States? We Asked Coronavirus Experts
The United States is standing at a dire inflection point, with pandemic coronavirus cases surging and only 50% of the population fully vaccinated. Driving the latest wave is the highly contagious Delta variant, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) caused between 80% and 87% of all U.S. COVID-19 cases in the last 2 weeks of July—up from 8% to 14% in early June. The variant’s exceptional infectiousness has driven cases from a 7-day average of 13,500 daily cases in early June to 92,000 on 3 August. At the same time, an internal CDC document that leaked last week says the variant may make people sicker, citing published reports from Singapore and Scotland and a preprint from Canada.

3 Necessary Skills to Strike the Right Tone in Ministry for the Next Decade
Pastors often spend hours each week making sure the detail of each message is right, each exhortation is correct, and the wording of every point is truthful. But just as much care needs to be given to the habits of how the truth is shared. Pastoring in this decade requires the right perspective and right mindset, but you also need to develop the right tone for your ministry.

Five Neuroscience Techniques that Improve Brainstorming
Several years ago I started a small side business for a time to create ‘white board’ animations for companies that wanted to communicate difficult concepts, train employees, or market their products. I managed the process, created the script, and did the voiceover for the animation (done by an animator). With clients I spent a half-day with four members of the company that had hired us to create a three-minute animation to explain a very complicated proprietary brokerage service they offered. I used several neuroscience techniques in that meeting that you might try the next time you lead a brainstorming session. I unpack what I did using those techniques below.

The Top Three Digital Engagement Mistakes to Avoid
Mistakes are not entirely bad if we are careful to learn from them. Building a culture on your team—where failure is viewed as a necessity—is crucial to a team’s success. While I do agree with that, I also believe that we don’t necessarily have to make all the mistakes ourselves. What if you could proactively avoid many common digital faux pas by reactively learning from others?

If All My Sins Are Forgiven, Why Pursue Holiness?
Sanctification does not save us by replacing our justification; it saves us by confirming our justification.