The Buddy System

1967. We were at war with Vietnam. And there I was, at the U.S. Army Ranger School at Fort Benning, Georgia. It was brutal.

I can still hear the raspy ...

Tragic Loneliness

We need to see that universal sickness, that innumerable throng of men and women laden down with their secrets, laden down with their fears, their sufferings, ...

The Welcoming Church Grows

No matter how much the church wants to reach out, growth will not happen if the building and the people fail to say "Welcome!"

How to Be a Friend

Often the most loving thing we can do when a friend is in pain is to share the pain--to be there even when we have nothing to offer except our presence ...

Keeping New Members

Ninety percent of the new members will stay in their congregation if (1) they can articulate their faith; (2) they belong to subgroups (such as a choir, ...

The Comforts of Friendship

Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they ...

Fellow Thinkers

Without doubt, Lewis's creative and theological genius was stimulated by his weekly meetings with the "Inklings," a collection of thinkers ...

The Help of the Body

Alone I cannot serve the Lord effectively, and he will spare no pains to teach me this. He will bring things to an end, allowing doors to close and leaving ...

Warmth Rather than Light

People join churches more because they want warmth than light. We like to think it's our stunning proclamation of the truth that keeps them in the ...

Silas, Paul's Co-Author?

Silas is first mentioned at the Council of Jerusalem (49). As "one of the leading men among the brethren," he was chosen as diplomatic envoy ...