When Christians meet…their purpose is not—or should not be—to ascertain what is the mind of the majority, but what is the mind of the Holy Spirit—something which may be quite different.

— Margaret Thatcher, former British Prime Minister (1925—)

Pentecost, the day on which we are indwelt by the Spirit, sweeps us up into the dance of the Trinity. We are summoned to the dance floor, [and] the music is grace and love and holiness and peace… The music is supplied by God, and his people are invited to sing and dance along.

Pentecost, my friends, is an invitation to a dance. And it gives us the energy and power to pull it off.

It is an image of the Trinity as a plant, with the Father as a deep root, the Son as the shoot that breaks forth into the world, and the Spirit as that which spreads beauty and fragrance.

— Tertullian, Church Father (c. 155–230)

As our plane ascended out of San Antonio, it passed an enclave of mansions. These homes had to contain at least seven to ten thousand square feet of space, with immaculate lawns and gardens, large pools, and huge garages. But from two thousand feet in the air, it's amazing how small these homes looked. Another few thousand feet, and they became mere playhouses.

And then it hit me: not a home on this ...

In a 2007 edition of Newsweek magazine, author and radio personality Garrison Keillor was asked to choose what he considered to be the five most important books. Some readers were probably surprised to find that he ranked the Book of Acts at the top of his list. When describing the Book of Acts, Keillor offered this concise but potent summation: "The flames lit on their little heads and bravely and ...

I made my pastoral calls in the county hospital and walked back to my car in the parking lot. Just as I reached out to the car door to get inside, I heard, "Go see Bob." Bob was a retired fireman, seriously ill with heart problems and confined to a bed because of his ailment. He had recently made a decision to accept Christ and was making wonderful spiritual progress. I took what I heard to be the ...

Chiropractor Perry Hefty and his wife, Arlys, wanted to be in what they considered "ministry" for many years. One day when Perry was crying out to God about this deep desire, he heard God speak: "Begin with what you have."

So instead of getting the $2.5 million he would have needed to start a healthcare ministry and retreat center for missionaries, pastors, and other full-time Christian workers, Perry ...

One Friday night, while I lived in San Diego, I threw my guitar in the back of the car and headed out for some time alone with God. My destination was a quiet beach north of the city, but I never made it there. Instead, as I was northbound on a dark stretch of Interstate 5, I saw a solitary man beside the road waving a white rag.

Immediately, two thoughts crossed my mind. The first seemed clear and ...

In Abundant Gifts, Diane Eble writes:

Jack Stone is a musician who teaches at a large university on the West Coast. He feels God has called him to be involved in many kinds of music, including leading a church choir and conducting the university orchestra. But Jack began to grow uneasy because his responsibilities left him little time for his greatest love: performing as violinist. He began to wonder ...

Ideally, when Christians meet, as Christians, to take counsel together, their purpose is not--or should not be--to ascertain what is the mind of the majority but what is the mind of the Holy Spirit--something which may be quite different.