"Peter, do you love me?" "Yes, Lord." "Tend my sheep." (John 21) A remarkable reminder that Jesus experiences love when His under-shepherds tend to His sheep.

Just a reminder that "gentleness" in Paul's letters is not presented as a "feminine" quality, but a Christlike one.

If the greatest commandment in Scripture is rooted in love, the greatest sin (or the very essence of sin) must be a failure to love.

The Word became flesh and dwelled among us. The Word didn’t become a religious system. The Word didn’t become a theological checklist. The Word didn’t become a political movement. The Word didn’t become an estatic experience. The Word became flesh. Loving embodied existence.

When we Christians reduce the gospel of Jesus to only caring about people’s spiritual needs, and not their mental, physical, social, economic, and political needs, we do an injustice to both the gospel and others. Jesus came to care for whole persons and called us to do the same

For all church leaders/elders out there….worth a read.

We forget that anything done in the name of God that does not bear his character through and through is not of Him at all. In our forgetting, we are more loyal to the words of humans than to the commandments of God.

Pastors are not CEOs. Churches are not corporations. Members of the community are not investors. We are shepherds. We are a new family. We are a community of servants.

You cannot treat people like garbage and worship God at the same time. This includes bullying, gaslighting, manipulation, and ect.

Instead of measuring a church by its attendance & budget… Let’s assess it by the quality of community that disciples people to love well; a culture that equips individuals to have a 1st hand life w/God & a commitment to work for healing in all areas of life in the way of Jesus.

The work of the church is not the call to ministry. Our true work is that of manifesting likeness to Christ in all things, whether in success or failure, criticism, or praise. If numbers, growth, and fame were God’s measures, then Jesus would be deemed a failure.

When your friend never reaches out to you to hear your side of the story, in that moment you have learned two things: they weren't your friend and they are not a good one. Pass it on.

Be patient when it gets weird. The angels explained things to Joseph after he talked to Mary, not before.

New rule for 2024?

Selah….and Amen.

Selah. Thankfully, I have experienced all 3 of these since being at my current church. It’s so hard to find churches these days that do all 3.

A word about nominal Christians at Easter. It’s fascinating that after raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus didn’t unwrap the grave clothes from him, but told the people around him to “Unbind him and let him go.” Jesus saves and frees us, but Jesus’ people help us walk free. 1/2

Grateful for your and Beth’s courage and wisdom to speak up about such a painful experience for so many, Matt Redman. Let there be light.

I’ve heard the phrase too many times in churches in relation to other leaders who are damaging people. If your behaviour is hurting others, you don’t get to get away with it just because you’re a leader! It should never be allowed to get to that point.