Prayer Walking: A Way to Pray Specifically for Our Neighborhoods
We had only met the day before, but there we were—a Filipina and a Texan standing in a village on the outskirts of a strictly Muslim city. We had a singular purpose in common, though, when we each flew in to prayer walk the city along with a few other women. Together, we prayed for the Lord to make his name known among the people who lived in this city. What Is Prayer Walking? Prayer walking is exactly what the words imply: walking...
The Easter story compels us to sacrifice everything
It is the week leading up to Easter Sunday. Many of us wake up on that day in our warm and comfortable homes. We dress the whole family in our “Sunday best” so we can take a yearly family Easter photo. Then, we go to church with everyone on their best behavior (or at least pretending to be), making sure we present the image of the picture-perfect family. On the way into the church service, we exclaim, “He is risen!” and wait for the...
The power of the resurrection
Jesus’ resurrection has changed the world. Nothing has been the same since the disciples discovered the empty tomb and Easter happened. The empty tomb means Jesus has defeated the cosmic powers, the spiritual forces of evil that rule over this present darkness. The empty tomb means that age old barriers between Jew and Gentile, slave and free, rich and poor have been demolished. The empty tomb means that Jesus removed the sting of...
Three ways to preach Easter all year long
Before I was a senior pastor, I served on staff at a couple of churches. One of my pastors liked to refer to Easter Sunday as his “Super Bowl Sunday.” Indeed, most preachers relish the annual celebration. Church attendance is high, numerous visitors are present, and the worship team typically is at its best. I’ve sometimes wondered what would happen if preachers treated every Sunday like Easter. After all, is it really much different...
Seeing death, speaking life: An Easter meditation
If Jesus stood above our city, as he once stood above Jerusalem, he likely would observe the crowds from the perch of the pedestrian overpass stretching toward the Golden Horde bazaar. He would see the one-legged beggar asking for money at the traffic light and the young prostitute going to work in a side building. He would notice the wrinkled woman sitting on a plastic crate beside a cut-up pumpkin she is selling in hopes of buying a...
How the local Church can prepare single women for the mission field
Months ago, I sat in a coffee shop chatting with two other women who served on mission overseas as single women in difficult areas of the world. One of the women had recently talked with a missions leader at her church. That leader pointed out the high number of single women on the mission field and asked her how church leaders can prepare single women to go overseas as missionaries. As a single, female missiologist, I have walked...
