Simply ChurchWhen I worked as a doctor, there was a diagnosis I never liked to make. “Hemiplegic” is the medical term used to describe paralysis down one side of the body that occurs, for example, after a stroke. If the condition was severe, it was potentially a devastating diagnosis for the person involved, who had to… Read More
Women are often undervalued and sidelined in the church, especially when it somes to strategic thinking and planning. Leadership equals servanthood (Matthew 20:25-28), and we, the church, are supposed to be listening to our head, Jesus, and following what he says. Since women are used to serving, and they often hear him more clearly, it… Read More
The body of Christ in the West is hemiplegic. Hemiplegia is a medical term used to describe paralysis down one side of the body, for example, after a stroke. The body of Christ is present in our churches, but half of it–the female half–is significantly weakened. Where are the women apostles? Where are the women… Read More
Ricardo with veteran missionary to Venezuela, Buck Smith Puerto Ayacucho Prayer at dawn overlooking Pto. Ayacucho Here is another story about Sophie Muller. (For more information about her from people who knew her, check out the comments on the post, “The Amazing Story of Sophie Muller.“) Again, this is in Ricardo’s own words. “I was born in the… Read More
I’m currently in Taiwan speaking at a conference so the next few posts will be reposts. Looking over the Orinoco River to Columbia Earlier this month I had the incredible privilege of visiting the Amazon jungle in Venezuela. Many of those living there were tribespeople recently out of the jungle where they still live very primitive lives.… Read More
God is at work across the nations, and I see many positive signs that he is at work here in the West too. Here’s a little of what I see going on currently (in no particular order of priority): People understand the importance of listening to God and doing what he says. The prayer movement… Read More
Photo credit: maudandoscar In India a few years ago, we were taken to visit a church building that had twelve paintings, each portraying the death of one of the 12 apostles. (I think it was St. Thomas Mount in Chennai, but I’ve been unable to verify that via the Internet.) Those images have never left… Read More
While waiting for a plane in Heathrow airport and pondering my next blog post, I found myself wondering what a “wanted ad” for 5-fold ministries would look like. Here’s my first take on it: Wanted: apostolic leadership Job description: This Kingdom-motivated and foundation-laying person will be sent to break new ground in order to… Read More
The church is built on the foundations of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20). How do they work together? Neil Cole says prophets see the destination; apostles develop the route to get there. Prophets hear from God. They are visionaries who see what God is doing. They often receive divine intelligence that informs the strategy… Read More
After the last post on women apostles, I received a comment raising a number of questions about women in leadership. I thought it might be worthwhile to respond a little more publicly, so here goes! I blogged extensively on the subject of women a few months back. There are around 20 posts, beginning here. These… Read More