Mustard Seed Actions
We are living in a world that is hostile to God and His Word. It says that you can be great and do big things with your own strength, and you don’t need God. People value and uphold the ‘strong,’ [...]
Getting Started: Who to Help
Put a face to that label. That is the challenge I face today. I know “who” to help, that one is rather easy: the vulnerable. But I sometimes struggle to really know who to help. Let me explain. The Bible [...]
Ministry to the Vulnerable Through Prayer
Monique and Ricky drove their battered Dodge minivan from the western edge of Phoenix to our church in the Southeast Valley for a free fence. They saw it on Craigslist: “Free chain link fence. You take it down and haul [...]
When Love is Enough
“Heidi, please come,” Samir said in the best, broken English he could muster. “We need your help. I want to fill out a job application. I need a job. But I can’t understand this form.” Since English is something I [...]
Himalayan Community Mission Church – A Ministry of and to Refugees in Phoenix
I walked into the auditorium at the end of the “youth fellowship time.” In other words, I walked in on 15 teenagers somehow managing to simultaneously text on their smartphones, run laps, flirt and eat junk food. I might have [...]
4 Ways the Church Can Respond in a Disaster
In April, a cyclone devastated a small village along the coastline in northern Myanmar. Every family in the village – 65 families in all –suffered damage to their homes. Their roofs were gone. The school as well was damaged and [...]
Responding to Poverty: Who’s right, Luke or Paul?
Luke 3:11 says: “And he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.” 2 Thess. 3:10 says: “For even when we were with you, this we [...]
The Reintegration of Church and State: Serving Schools Like TCT Churches in Asia
As the school year starts, now is a great time to look for ways to partner with your local school. Separation of church and state notwithstanding, most schools have needs, know of needy families, and will accept help from anywhere [...]
The Church’s Role in Helping the Vulnerable
Several years ago I was involved in a ministry at a local church that gathered food and distributed it to various ministries in our city. These ministries sought to serve the low-income families of the community. I remember the first [...]