Can A Growing Church Still Feel Like Family? | Adam Jones

Can A Growing Church Still Feel Like Family? | Adam Jones

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/can-a-growing-church-still-feel-like-family/ [https://renew.org/can-a-growing-church-still-feel-like-family/]  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org * Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ [https://renew.org/articles/] In 2012, I had back surgery that left me sidelined for months. I secretly looked forward to the rest—books to read, movies to watch, naps to take. But what I didn’t expect was how isolating it would be. Ministry had always been full and busy, but in recovery, the silence was deafening. That season of unexpected loneliness opened my eyes to a deeper need that runs through our churches: People are aching for family, not just activity—connection, not just attendance. Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ [https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/] Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ [https://renew.org/resources/events/] Get the RENEW.org App -- https://renew.org/app-download/ [https://renew.org/app-download/]  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork [https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork] Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW [https://rumble.com/c/RENEW]

What Is Biblical Manhood? (Part 2) | Mike Ackerman

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/what-is-biblical-manhood-part-2/ [https://renew.org/what-is-biblical-manhood-part-2/]  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org * Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ [https://renew.org/articles/] Editor’s Note: We live in an era of confusion and hurt when it comes to the question of what it means to be a real man. Should we see manhood as a fluid social construct? Should we define it according to societal ideals such as power and machismo? Should we see traditional masculinity as toxic? Does the Bible give guys guidance on these questions beyond just being nice and going to church regularly? In this 2-part series, Mike Ackerman, professor of New Testament and church planting at Ozark Christian College, delves into what the Bible teaches about manhood, showing its answers to be both nuanced and deeply helpful (for Part 1, click HERE [https://www.amazon.com/What-Are-You-Waiting-Changing/dp/1959467425/]). These articles are adapted from a sermon Mike preached on the topic at Ozark Christian College. Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ [https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/] Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ [https://renew.org/resources/events/] Get the RENEW.org App -- https://renew.org/app-download/ [https://renew.org/app-download/]  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork [https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork] Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW [https://rumble.com/c/RENEW]

What Is Biblical Manhood? (Part 1) | Mike Ackerman

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/what-is-biblical-manhood/ [https://renew.org/what-is-biblical-manhood/]  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org * Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ [https://renew.org/articles/] Editor’s Note: We live in an era of confusion and hurt when it comes to the question of what it means to be a real man. Should we see manhood as a fluid social construct? Should we define it according to societal ideals such as power and machismo? Should we see traditional masculinity as toxic? Does the Bible give guys guidance on these questions beyond just being nice and going to church regularly? In this 2-part series, Mike Ackerman, professor of New Testament and church planting at Ozark Christian College, delves into what the Bible teaches about manhood, showing its answers to be both nuanced and deeply helpful. These articles are adapted from a sermon Mike preached on the topic at Ozark Christian College. When God created humankind to be his image bearers, he decided to create them male and female. In his wisdom, he felt that the best way to represent himself in the world was for there to be two genders. If God says that what he made is good, then we should celebrate what he made as good. In Genesis 1:31 after he made everything, he looked at it and said “very good,” and so it’s good for us to do this. In this particular sermon, I’ve been asked to talk about biblical manhood. Let’s just acknowledge this is a difficult topic. This is challenging for a variety of reasons. Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ [https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/] Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ [https://renew.org/resources/events/] Get the RENEW.org App -- https://renew.org/app-download/ [https://renew.org/app-download/]  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork [https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork] Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW [https://rumble.com/c/RENEW]

Our Summer Sun and Winter Fire | Carly Califf

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/our-summer-sun-and-winter-fire/ [https://renew.org/our-summer-sun-and-winter-fire/]  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org * Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ [https://renew.org/articles/] Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter are seasons that we walk through, both literally and figuratively. The most evident seasons are winter and summer. The summer season of life is easy and feels refreshing. The winter season can be a time that may include family drama, hard work, and other life challenges. Add in the snow, ice, and gloomy days that can bring the winter blues. The seasons can be hard to get through with everything in life, and it can be hard to remember to put the hope we have in Jesus Christ to the forefront of our minds. Author G. K. Chesterton said that “Christ is not merely a summer sun of the prosperous but a winter fire for the unfortunate.” Jesus isn’t just with us on the good days, he is with us through the bad days and darkest valleys, too (Psalm 23:4). We are never alone in any season. Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ [https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/] Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ [https://renew.org/resources/events/] Get the RENEW.org App -- https://renew.org/app-download/ [https://renew.org/app-download/]  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork [https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork] Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW [https://rumble.com/c/RENEW]

Household Gods: On Our Tendency to Worship Family | Bob Turner

Click here to read the full article at RENEW.org: https://renew.org/household-gods-on-our-tendency-to-worship-family/ [https://renew.org/household-gods-on-our-tendency-to-worship-family/]  This is an audio version of a written Article from RENEW.org * Check out other great articles on RENEW.org here: https://renew.org/articles/ [https://renew.org/articles/] Have you noticed that parents have been acting a bit crazy? * The parents getting ejected at youth baseball games for harassing the umpires; * The parents losing their minds at school board meetings. * The parents schlepping their kids around suburban hotels that exchange uniformed weekday business travelers with briefcases for weekend uniformed children with soccer balls. * The parents who insist money is tight while throwing birthday parties that look like Circus Circus vomited in the front yard. Child-focused anxiety plagues every region, every social group, and affects both sides of the political aisle. It’s all a bit much. There is a temptation to create lives where we don’t just love our children; we worship them. We arrange our lives around their calendars; we pack social media timelines with their accomplishments; we cancel plans because of their bottles, bedtimes, pickups, and playdates. Nobody will argue with us. Few would have the audacity to call us out for loving our kids too much. But that doesn’t mean we are right. In fact, if our purpose in life is centered around our kids, we might be missing God’s true purpose for us. Listen for more... Join RENEW.org's Newsletter: https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/ [https://renew.org/resources/newsletter-sign-up/] Join RENEW.org at one of our upcoming events: https://renew.org/resources/events/ [https://renew.org/resources/events/] Get the RENEW.org App -- https://renew.org/app-download/ [https://renew.org/app-download/]  Be sure to like, subscribe and follow on social media!  You can find us on: Instagram: @the.renew.network  Facebook: Renew.org  Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork [https://www.youtube.com/@RENEWnetwork] Twitter: @therenewnetwork TikTok: the.renew.network  Rumble: https://rumble.com/c/RENEW [https://rumble.com/c/RENEW]