bondChristian

How a slimy, bald man encouraged me

The service was over. I remember I played drums in the worship band that day. I don’t remember the sermon. Everyone’s filing out the doors at the back of the sanctuary. Everyone’s cheerful. “I think we’re having lunch downstairs,” I hear someone say. “Hey, Marshall, can I talk to you for a moment.” I turn to [...]

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What’s the hardest part of missionary life? Being forgotten?

The other day, I read through some answers, given by missionaries, to the question, “What’s the hardest thing about life as a missionary?” I’ve said before that I’d rather be hated than forgotten, so this response immediately grabbed me: A. Being forgotten. When I left for the field, I predicted we would be forgotten within [...]

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Answering specific questions: A case study of Practical Shepherding

I love finding underdog blogs. You know, those blogs that aren’t insanely popular but have something wonderful to offer. Practical Shepherding has something wonderful to offer. Pastor Brian Croft shares counsel for other pastors or upcoming pastors on the day-to-day life skills of ministry work. In particular, I’ve noticed many of his posts so far [...]

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What I’m learning from questions, Monkey Town, and questions about Monkey Town

Evolving in Monkey Town is about a southern, church girl, Rachel Held Evans, who grows up in fundamentalist Christian culture, enters a doubting phase in college and then… well, moves into a still-unsure-but-very-different perspective. Whew. Sadly, the general story is pretty unoriginal. And I don’t say “sadly” because I want something new – I say [...]

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Evolving and doubting and monkeys, oh my! – with Rachel Held Evans

Rachel Held Evans won awards for being a good Christian and knowing the right answers. Seriously. But like many Christians who grow up in the church, she didn’t struggle through many of the questions on her own. She just knew the answers. So when she grew up and those questions stopped looking so general and [...]

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