Here are a few articles I found extremely interesting recently.
Ministry
No One Can Keep Us From Helping Each Other by Rick Davis
There are other pastors or staffers with a spare room in the house. I urge you to make these available to persons in need of a retreat. I make my spare room available to you. You can come and we can talk. Or you can some and fall sound asleep in the back bedroom and be bothered by absolutely no one.
The Loss of Community by Rick Davis
Tell me, what is harder. Is it harder to get a church member or to get a church member back?
Who Takes Care of the Minister? by Rick Davis
Please understand what happens to a Free Church minister when he or she is suddenly unemployed, for whatever reason. Do not sugarcoat your dismissal of this person. In so doing, you ruin his life.You do not do this thing for him or for his good. You simply ruin his life.
When Jesus AIDS Others – World AIDS Day by Todd Littleton
“Do you see this woman?”
My cousin died of AIDS before we knew much about the disease. Emaciated and wracked by the disease he was a shell of his former self. He died in relative obscurity. No doubt his family felt stigmatized.
Several years later I would sit in an Ethics class in seminary. By this time, the latter 1980’s, churches were scrambling to understand what to do and how to protect themselves. One fellow, a member of a large church in the DFW area, brought the church manual designed to help inform people and protect themselves.
Anticipation – First Sunday of Advent by Jamie Arpin-Ricci
As we consider the Advent of Christ’s birth, can often get swept up in the romance of the story. The beauty of the nativity as we portray it is deeply moving. Few hymns of praise are more universally enjoyed than those we sing during this Christmas season. The majesty of the angels, the quaint and simple reverence of the shepherds, and the mystic devotion of the magi from distant lands. What magical story! After all, we know that this tiny child will be the salvation of all Creation.
Life
Focus On What You Control. Let Go Of What You Don’t. by Dumb Little Man
The average person starts the personal development journey in order to gain more control over his or her ability to make changes in their lives. But, somewhere along the journey they forget that there are certain things we really don’t control.
Twelve Surprising Uses for Vicks VapoRub by Dumb Little Man
Vicks is an age-old mentholated topical cream intended to relieve head, throat, and chest stuffiness. It uses menthol to elicit a response from receptors in the nose and chest and can work wonders on children with colds or chronic bronchitis. Vicks has been around for over one hundred years and is one of the most widely used over-the-counter decongestants. Lately, there’s been a lot of buzz about unique and unconventional ways to use this odoriferous ointment. You’ll be surprised to learn that Vicks VapoRub is a supposed treatment for so much more than just a congested chest.
Viewpoints
It’s time to reconcile science and religion by SHELLEY EMLING of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Exiting the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., a few weekends ago, I found myself caught in a science-religion crossfire.
A handful of Christians had gathered across Constitution Avenue, most carrying placards imploring the museum’s visitors to forgo the evolutionary leanings of Darwin. A spirited gaggle of museum visitors had decided to take on the Christians, standing on the steps of the museum while chanting Darwin’s name over and over.
For several minutes, the two sides traded insults and it wasn’t long before the hoots and hollers reached a frightening crescendo.
Enjoy the reads…
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David is an entrepreneur, pastor, coach, and author. He has his doctorate from George Fox Seminary where he studied under Len Sweet, his M.Div. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and has done post graduate work in communications from the University of Alabama and the University of South Florida. He lives with his wife Brenna Phillips in Smyrna, DE. 
