Category: Identity
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“I press on” – a message to pastors, ministry leaders, and anyone else struggling with uncertainty and insecurity in the face of a global pandemic
Above all, the most pervasive feeling I’m wrestling with, these days, is uncertainty.
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What’s My Purpose?
What’s your purpose? What are your particular “roles,” and how does your sense of purpose align with your list of commitments, obligations, and duties? What is your identity? Who are you, when all of the external trappings are stripped away? What does it look like for you to “be,” and…
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“I am” or “I am not”
When I’m specifically asked about my association with Jesus – by friend or foe – I want my response to be consistently faith-affirming, truth-filled, love-laced, unwavering, and invitational!
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Anticipated Restoration
I find remarkable comfort and encouragement in these stories from Holy Week. If Jesus couldn’t find twelve better disciples than these, then maybe there’s hope for me and my ministry. If Jesus, knowing the disciples would fall short when he needed them, still planned to forgive and restore them afterward,…
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SuperSoul Question #8: “What do you know for sure?” (Part 8, of an eight-part series of posts, based on interview questions Oprah typically asks on her SuperSoul Conversations Podcast.)
God exists… God is good… God is for us, not against us.
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SuperSoul Question #4: “What do you believe is the purpose of life?” (Part four, of an eight-part series of posts, based on interview questions Oprah typically asks on her SuperSoul Conversations Podcast.)
We’re made to know and enjoy God. There’s joy in knowing, serving, and loving God. There’s joy in discovering our purpose.
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SuperSoul Question #1: “What is the Soul?” (Part one, of an eight-part series of posts, based on interview questions Oprah typically asks on her SuperSoul Conversations Podcast.)
I understand the soul to be my deepest, truest self. My soul is the core and center of who I am, and always have been, and always will be. My soul is not separate from any other aspect of who I am, but is not limited to my physical, material…
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Exploring Shadows
Some of my recent study, for personal growth and development, has been around the idea of the “shadow.” Psychologists like Sigmund Freud and Karl Jung believed every person has a “shadow-side,” where key aspects of an individual’s personality are consciously and unconsciously concealed. Proponents of this philosophy teach that we…
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Recalibrating Your Soul
Whether or not you’ve found a time, place or activity that uniquely settles your heart and soul, I think we all need it. I know we do. It’s just so easy to get out of whack. Just like a motorcycle engine operates at an ideal speed and RPMs, but may…
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Let it rain
My particular brand of Christianity is Methodist. One of my favorite things about Methodism is our belief that, following conversion, God begins a new work in us, growing us toward full maturity in Christ. We believe, with God’s help and our active participation, we will become like Jesus.
vancerains.com 