Guest Commentary

Rick Warren’s soft complementarian position, echoed by more than a handful within the SBC, will push the SBC to further define its stance on women in ministry. It is dishonest to connect this with the “battle for the Bible.”

I have almost nothing beyond words and sorrows to offer the people who lost children today, yesterday, or tomorrow, except this...

The mission that Jesus entrusted to us is not just to send and support missionaries but to make disciples of all nations. It costs, on average, $300,000 to send and support a missionary family for five years. With the same amount of funds, we can equip around 2,000 indigenous pastors and church leaders who already know the language and culture. From a financial and strategic standpoint, you can see the value of Crossing Cultures International's mission.

Similar to what had happened at Asbury University, pastors and believers across America are praying for similar revivals to happen on their campuses. As believers, we need to also be praying for more revivals to occur across the globe.

The tragedy of modern education, perceived with such brilliance by G.K. Chesterton, is that it has left us perilously ignorant of who we are, where we are, where we have come from, and where we are going. We are lost and blissfully unaware that we are heading for the abyss. Such is the price we are doomed to pay for our blind faith in nothing in particular.

Without that chronological map or without an accurate chronological map, we, as a nation, have no direction. We know neither where we have come from nor where we are going. We wander aimlessly from one theory to another, getting more and more lost and disoriented when, if we would only stop and look backward—honestly and humbly—at where we came from, we would be able to decide where we are going.

What if we decided that the holiday treatment we restrict to a season would become year-round? What would our communities, families, and lives look like then?

The war in Ukraine has resulted in the largest refugee crisis since World War II. The UN Refugee Agency reports that more than seven million Ukrainians have been displaced within their country and an additional seven million displaced across borders. The coming winter will only increase the already vast humanitarian needs, as well.

Looking around my hometown of Los Angeles, my heart soars with gratitude. My home is safe, my bills are paid, and I am fortunate to be able to serve my family an ample Thanksgiving meal. And yet, I am fully aware that hundreds of thousands of Angelinos face a constant struggle just to have their basic needs met. My heart especially goes out to the valiant mothers who fight poverty every single day for the sake of their families.

The stillness of Thanksgiving is followed by the frenetic motion of the pre-Christmas holiday shopping days:  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and then the unexpected day arrives. It is called Giving Tuesdays. What a refreshing day to follow in the spirit of Thanks-giving.

The recipe for gratitude is simple. Give thanks to God in prayer; say, “Thank you,” to those who extend grace or favor to you; write thank-you notes; keep a gratitude journal; have a weekly family “Thanksgiving meal” where family members extend thanks to one another; incorporate gratitude—instead of complaints or cynicism—into your daily conversation. We have no shortage of reasons and opportunities to express gratitude to God and others. So be intentional in your pursuit to become a grateful person. It will benefit your Creator, your loved ones, and even yourself.