by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 7, 2019 | Book Reviews, Conflict, Leadership
When I first received a review copy of The Politics of Ministry by Bob Burns, Tasha D. Chapman, and Donald Guthrie, I knew I needed to read this book. Why? Because I have become convinced that so much of the conflict, the pain that exists in the church is the result...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Oct 1, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
While we are comparing, consider this. What we call “poverty” today would have been considered middle class just a few generations ago. In 2000, the average “poor” family had goods and services rivaling middle-class families of the 1970s: 60 percent had microwaves, 50...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Sep 24, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
I witnessed a ritual sacrifice in the middle of a cool, third-wave coffee shop the other day. It’s the sort of place that attracts herds of bearded hipsters and where they brew your coffee by hand, one cup at a time. I was sitting at a long row of benches against the...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Sep 17, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
In his book, Soul Keeping, pastor John Ortberg describes his first conversation with Dallas Willard, who would eventually become his spiritual mentor. In this early conversation, Willard begins to re-route Ortberg’s life direction, helping him see that more...
by Stuart Strachan Jr. | Sep 10, 2019 | Sermon Illustrations
The typical American response to pain is to take an aspirin at the slightest ache and silence the pain. That approach only deals with the symptom of the problem. We dare not shut off the warning system without first listening to the warning. A tragic example of...
