“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:14).

We certainly have had strange weather lately where I live in northeastern Pennsylvania. Due to a strong November windstorm last night, most of the leaves have now fallen off the trees in my yard. This morning I noticed the results of another strong storm we had this past spring, almost seven months ago. You see, one day last March, a spring storm carried my family’s garbage cans down the block with the contents spilling out and blowing all over our neighborhood. Now that the leaves are down, I realized again that there are still plastic bags higher than I can reach in the trees in front of our house.

God’s Word uses the vivid illustration of being “carried about with every wind of doctrine” as an apt depiction of the importance of teaching doctrine and theology in our churches. The Biblical objective of local church ministry is to produce people with the spiritual maturity for a life of service for Christ. (more…)

Most readers are probably familiar with the hit television program Extreme Makeover: Home Edition where Ty Pennington and his team of designers and builders find a family that needs help and within an incredibly short period of time actually build them a completely new house. I’ve often wondered if some of our churches could use an “extreme makeover” as well. Are many of our churches so out of touch and irrelevant that it’s time to rebuild? I’m not necessarily referring to the buildings, but rather to our overall approach to ministry. I’ve been wondering if Extreme Makeover: Church Edition might indeed become necessary. (more…)

Perhaps you’ve read the news accounts recently that chronicled the exploits of the Army Ranger and American hero, Pat Tillman, who was killed by “friendly fire” in Afghanistan in April 2004. The original reports stated that this former pro-football player, who turned down millions of dollars playing professional football to enroll in America’s armed forces following 9/11, had been killed in battle as a hero rushing to the aid of his fellow soldiers. In the three years following that original news report, the truth of what actually happened may be finally coming to light. It now seems that Tillman was actually shot and killed by other U.S. soldiers who were confused and disoriented in the wartime chaos of that encounter with the Taliban soldiers in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan.

This particularly saddening incident reminds us that it is critically important that we tell the truth and not “sugar-coat” the facts. The original account of Tillman’s death just wasn’t true. That story was made up in an attempt to put a positive spin on a disastrous and heartbreaking tragedy. (more…)

Mel Walker will be leading Next Generation student ministry seminars this fall in Springfield, MO, Eyria, OH and Flint, MI. These seminars are designed for youth pastors, youth workers, Sunday School teachers, parents of teenagers, and anyone else who cares about students! Click on this LINK for more details and to register.

Many people are familar with the legend of the young Native American brave named Falling Rock who became lost during his first solo trip into the vast American forest. Even though his family searched and searched for him, he was never found. As a result, warning signs that read, “Watch Out for Falling Rock” line the United States interstate highway system.
Perhaps it’s time for youth workers everywhere to post signs at the entrances of our churches that display this wording, “Watch Out for Shifting Paradigms.” (more…)