Simply ChurchFor some time, I have wondered why the Lord has placed an emphasis on small groups meeting in homes. (According to a survey by the Pew Forum in 2009, nine percent of Protestants in the USA “hold services” in homes.) In other nations, the rise of house churches is often in response to persecution. But… Read More
During World War II, my father was a prisoner of war under the Japanese. He, and those with him, endured unspeakable atrocities for more than three years. Although I was protected from all the details as I was growing up, it dominated our family in many ways. Looking back on it now, I’m fairly sure… Read More
I’ve spent the past two years compiling a book on women. Definitely a labor of love! The book should come out on April 1st next year. But now it’s time to finalize the book title. The main title is going to be “The Black Swan Effect.” Here’s the rationale behind the title, taken from the… Read More
Consider the following: 17.6 million adults–1 in every 12–suffer from alcohol abuse or dependence 8% of people aged 12 and older have used illegal drugs in the past 30 days Every 40 seconds, someone in the world dies by suicide. Every 14 minutes in the US. The US divorce rate is the highest of any… Read More
A recent fascinating article describes an advertising campaign put out by UN Women (a branch of the U.N.) that demonstrates that sexism and gender bias flourish in today’s world. The ad shows four faces of women with some of the most popular Google search terms. For example, on the search term, “women cannot…” the most popular search… Read More
“I would have given her [the Church] my head, my hand, my heart. She would not have them. She did not know what to do with them. She told me to go back and do crochet in my mother’s drawing-room; or if I were tired of that, to marry and look well at the head… Read More
One of the most common communications I get is this: “I live in ——. Do you know of a house church in my area?” It can be difficult to find a simple/organic church. We don’t put a sign outside our house saying “Church Meets Here.” We’re not listed in the Yellow Pages under “Churches.” Contact… Read More
Like it or not, we were born again into a world at war. Photo credit: The US Army (Creative Commons) I often recall a story I was told of a soldier, fully clad in all his combat gear, sitting at a table outside a restaurant drinking a cup of coffee. He was killed by a… Read More
Over this past month, I’ve had the privilege of writing a foreword for a book written by one of my mentors in the faith, a church planter in India named Victor Choudhrie. The book, due out in September , will be available on Kindle and is called Greet the Church in Your House. It describes… Read More
Last Friday the church in our home had one of the most beautiful times together that I ever remember in more than 20 years of meeting in house-church sized groups. The presence of Jesus was so real, it was almost tangible. Young kids (three of them aged around five) were there, watching spellbound as things… Read More