As a minister, I have always loved meaningful, descriptive words. When I first learned the word evangelical, I was impressed by its definition and excited to say, “I am an evangelical!” Though I’m still attracted to it, in recent years I have been more reluctant to state publicly that simple, joyful response from the heart: […]

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Our model for spiritual leadership is Jesus. Seeing Him not only as Savior but as the full expression of the Father, we follow His example.

The post What are the Essentials of Spiritual Leadership? appeared first on Bible Advocate.

We cannot truly belong to Christ if we try to earn our salvation.

The post Transcendence appeared first on Bible Advocate.

There’s something refreshing about having a new baby right around the start of a new year. My second child, Declan Clark, was born almost three months ago on November 17, 2018. I enjoyed a (mostly) slow-paced maternity leave thanks to my servant-hearted husband and our ever-helpful families and friends. Taking advantage of the slower pace, […]

The post Spiritual Decluttering: Sparking Joy That Lasts appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Growing up, my elementary school implemented a merit system. Every staff member carried around little yellow pieces of paper called “bobcat awards” that motivated students to voluntarily complete acts of service. When a student had collected enough, he or she earned a lunch period spent in the “bobcat room” (the band room) complete with a […]

The post Acts of Service Aren’t Enough, Thankfully appeared first on Bible Advocate.

When I think of Jesus’ parable of the “good Samaritan”, an image of Larry the Cucumber wearing a boot as a hat comes to mind. But, the parable is much more meaningful than a bunch of vegetable characters throwing shoes and pots back and forth until one decides to be kind to the other. Jesus’ […]

The post Who Aren’t You Loving, Christian? appeared first on Bible Advocate.

In our click-bait world of tips, tricks, and top-ten lists, #servantleadership is one aspect of leadership that often gets shuffled to the sidelines. Intricate topics—like creating brand ambassadors, promoting individual growth, embracing work/life blend, fostering corporate culture, cultivating employee development, and SMART goal setting—tend to dominate the leadership conversation.[ref] New Trends in Leadership, 14 Leadership […]

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The Church of God (Seventh Day) has observed two ordinances since our inception in 1858. We have always baptized new converts by immersion in water, in the name of Jesus. But our observance of the Lord’s Supper service evolved from “whenever” to annually. Unfortunately, our observance of the Lord’s Supper service has been beset by […]

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Exhausted from a long, demanding day, Joseph feels his body begin to release stress and his mind struggle to let go of its seemingly endless list of responsibilities. It’s almost Sunday, he tells himself. Maybe I’ll finally get a chance to rest. The sad irony is that this is a relatable situation for many pastors, ministry leaders, […]

The post Christ-Centered Rest on Sabbath is for Pastors, Too appeared first on Bible Advocate.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a thousand times: we are in the world, but not of the world. This popular sentiment of our Christian sub-culture (taken from John 17) has come to imply that the Church and the rest of the world cannot and should not mix. We are not of this […]

The post The Leadership Conversation: Why Should We Care About Culture? appeared first on Bible Advocate.

Exhausted from a long, demanding day, Joseph feels his body begin to release stress and his mind struggle to let go of its seemingly endless list of responsibilities. It’s almost Sunday, he tells himself. Maybe I’ll finally get a chance to rest. The sad irony is that this is a relatable situation for many pastors, […]

The post Receiving the Gift of Rest appeared first on Bible Advocate.

In 1664, Stephen Munford introduced the Seventh Day Baptist Church and its observance of the seventh-day Sabbath to North America. Nearly two centuries later, the Sabbath was introduced to, and accepted by, a portion of William Miller’s failed Adventist movement. A member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church named Rachel Oakes convinced Frederick Wheeler, a […]

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