Have we ever stopped to think about how churches are made or how they should be made? More importantly… Did Jesus Even Command Us To Make Churches? What did He command us to do? If we rely on program and method to “plant” big exciting churches, we risk two things: Firstly, overshadowing smaller yet effective churches …
Churches – Let’s go back to the drawing board…
“That’s not how you mentor.” A seasoned pastor once told me. “You have to take them out, show them how and then turn them loose.” This was a challenging statement. A statement which has been the prevailing wisdom I’ve heard from western culture, churches, schools and even teaching workshops over and over again. Now, I …
Joyful Trash
Proverbs 27:18 “Whoever tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who guards his master will be honored.” The more grey hairs I discover, the greater the reality hits me, that time continues its relentless march. Don’t get me wrong, I do understand that time is relative. However, for my human body, death …
A Birthday To Remember
Living by faith is hard. Very hard. Learning to trust in what you feel God has said you are to do workwise or ministry wise, versus looking at man’s wisdom and understanding is a daily struggle. The pearl of wisdom given in the verse below, is the one I wrestle with the most, in my …
Gray Family Missions Update – March Video Blog
Church Decline – Physics & Spiritual Giftings…
Did you know, every time a shooting star streaks across the sky, another church closes its doors? Actually, I just made that up, but let’s be honest, a lot of churches are splitting and closing down to the tune of around eight thousand a year*, and I would like to venture a guess that most …
A Computer Celebration
When we began working with St. John the Divine Orphans and Outreach in December 2018, all forty staff, including the Program Director were sharing three old computers. They were in desperate need of new ones, in order to get all of their reports done in time. They also desired additional computers so that they could …
Precious Miracle
My mother-in-law runs a guesthouse in Johannesburg. One of her recent guests was an elderly couple visiting from Scotland, as their brand new grandson was born several months premature and was in intensive care at the hospital nearby. The doctors estimated that he would need three more months in the neonatal intensive care unit. Then …
Inconveniences Save Lives
“Sir, can you please help me out, I have to provide for my family, and we have no food. Please, is there anything you can do?” The young man was desperate, his eyes searched mine for hope, and his body language showed stress and strain that didn’t belong to such a young man. This young …
Love The Individual – Transform The Community
Why is it that in cities with the largest churches or church populations we see some of the highest crime rates, levels of poverty, etc.? Why does such a small percentage of churchgoers participate in church and community volunteer activities? Why do we spend much of our money on church buildings that sit empty most …