Frugality: A Habit for the Steward
by Sarah Lytle Lydia Maria Child called extravagance “the prevailing evil of the present day” in 1828.[1] Her book The American Frugal Housewife taught families how to live within their means. After reading that book, I began to consider the relationship between frugality, as Lydia Maria Child named it, and Biblical stewardship. Over the past few years, I have become interested in nineteenth-century cookbooks and other books written...
The Whole Counsel of God: A Strategy For Preaching All Scripture
by Daniel Mann I did not have a good plan for preaching when I first became a pastor.[1] My first pastorate began on the first Sunday meeting of a church plant. I preached a few topical series that were foundational and useful for our church, but I had not thought carefully enough about how my approach to preaching would shape our church. From the pulpit, I would often state that our church believes that all Scripture, from Genesis to...
Dominion and Care: Industrial Farms and Animal Welfare
by Brandon K. Presley On May 11, 2023, the Supreme Court issued a ruling that many may have overlooked. It did not address abortion, sexuality and gender, gun rights, or any of the other “hot button” social issues that we are accustomed to seeing on our televisions or social media feeds; instead, this ruling deals with a law aimed at bolstering animal welfare. In a close vote that did not fall along traditional ideological lines, the...
God’s Means of Grace in the Preached Word
by Ed Goode Have you ever been bored in church? Of course you have. Have you ever gone home and scrolled through Facebook wishing the preacher at your church was more engaging, the band was more rockin’, and the kids’ program more entertaining? This experience can be a challenge for the church shopper and the committed member, the seasoned pastor and the first-time planter, the new youth guy and everyone in between. What do we do when...
Saturday Night Sinnin’, Sunday Morning Salvation: The Life and Legacy of Johnny Cash
by Daniel Mann One of Johnny Cash’s closest friends referred to him as a “walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction,” and a cursory exploration of his life proves this statement.[1] Cash spent his early years as a son and soldier before embarking on a musical career as a performer and poet. Off stage, he was an addict and adulterer while seeking to maintain his religious persona as a Christian. No wonder his only son...
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