Christward Collective

What was lost in the Fall? One could answer life, innocence, righteousness, freedom, or a host of other things, and be correct. Yet none of these garners the label "greatest loss." The greatest loss incurred by the Fall was lost communion with our Creator. But what man lost by sin, God...

A local millionaire is leaving on a round-the-world yacht race and he’s looking for trustees to manage his estate for a year while he’s sailing the seven seas. “Trustees Wanted” says the headline of his advertisement in the local newspaper. Read some of the smaller print and...

In all of the New Testament, no book gives us so many descriptions of the Person and work of Jesus as does the book of Hebrews. In it, Christ is said to be "God's final Word" (1:1-2), "the One through whom the worlds were made" (1:2), "the brightness of the Father's...

When I moved to Philadelphia in 2007 to begin my interneship at Tenth Presbyterian Church , I was excited about entering in on a work that had a special focus on mercy ministry. I knew Philly well enough to know how many opportunities there were for mercy ministry in the streets. If you walked...

Regrettably, conflict is a reality in the church. Often that conflict is between a congregant and the pastor. After all, he is--in many ways--the focal point of the church’s public ministry. A good pastor is hard to find. A good congregant is equally hard to find. How then should you seek to...

On July 6, 1924, during the Summer Olympics in Paris, France, the “flying Scotsman” Eric Liddell was nowhere to be found on the track for the 100-meter sprint. Liddell’s best distance had traditionally been the 100-meter, and it was predicted that he would win the gold. However,...

I've noticed a growing trend in ministry. I highly doubt that it is something new. It manifests itself in things written or said by pastors in large, seeker oriented churches that have been "successful"--from the world's point of view--and it surfaces in things written or said by...

Some accuse the Protestant emphasis upon the preached Word as pastor-centric and non-engaging, but such an accusation assumes too little about the listener's responsibility in corporate worship. Every individual in the congregation has responsibilities when the Word of God is preached. As we...

Grand Rapids, 1840. Freida heaves water up from a deep well to carry home for cooking, cleaning, and drinking. A long line of others wait for their turn. The village Alderman catches up with her as she begins her long walk home and asks her: “What do you think about the new well, Freida?...

As I sit in Starbucks, Bible open, commentaries next to me, trying to focus on the rich theological contours of the Tabernacle--the world is bustling all around me. Music (pretty good jazz) is playing, people are talking, business is constant and noise is unrelenting. Among the flurry of the world...