Overnighters: A Modern Day Parable Of Loving The Unlovable

What do we do with the people who are seemingly beyond repair? Where is the church in the ministry to the most broken in our world, the ones who will never have the traditional redemption story, who will never be self-supporting, who always fall by the wayside of addiction and rootlessness?

I am reminded of David. Not the handsome boy-king who saved everyone, but the adulterer, the murderer, the warlord, the absentee dad, the unhinged. God consistently uses the most broken, damaged people to bring his kingdom. In the end, the very worst parts in ourselves can become the very place from which love and empathy flow freely.

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How The Church Can Help Heal The Abuser And The Abused

In more than a decade of research, almost every article I’ve come across addressing sex offenders in church communities reveals pastors and leaders focusing exclusively on the sex offenders—the theological grounds for their presence, the church’s obligation to care for them, how to support them, how to monitor them, how to protect ministries from potential lawsuits due to their presence, and so on—at the expense of the victims/survivors and those who love them.

But offenders are not the only ones in need of a welcome in our churches. Too often when victims/survivors are considered, it is offender focused. Survivors are told they are required to forgive or reconcile with offenders. They are subject to shaming, silencing, and the policing of their emotions and tones by those who feel entitled to advise or rebuke them. Such pressure toward reconciliation is often shortsighted and lacking in compassion.

It is time to move toward balance by shifting focus to the victims/survivors. The reality of sexual abuse dynamics means that if we want safe communities for victims/survivors and healthy communities for recovering sex offenders then we must find true empathy for victims/survivors and how sexual abuse has affected them.

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Healing People Is Cool, But Transforming People Is Better

We started going out on the streets, praying for the sick in every place. Me and a buddy were going out on the streets all the time and seeing many healings.

I’ve learned that the high point is no longer the healing, the crying eyes, or the excited person. The high point is when I’ve watched the person transform over time into someone who knows what God is really like and knows how God sees them. The healings, the prophetic words, and the acts of kindness are just tools of bringing somebody into a healthy relationship with Jesus.

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Sons Of God: A Documentary About The Love Of God

This video is a short trailer for a new documentary about God’s work of reconciliation in Christ. The documentary is called Sons of God. It features many noteworthy contributors who share stories of how God has healed people and broken hard hearts to reveal his love. Check out the trailer above. Click the “Read More” button below to see the full documentary for free (no sign ups required).

 

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See What It Looks Like To Live As A Man On Fire: The Story Of John G. Lake

John Lake’s ministry was a powerful example of faith in action. He led an extraordinary life, and believed that EVERY Christian ought to live such a life, experiencing the fullness of Christ.  Lake never ceased to exhort others to attain this fullness, which God is ready and willing to bestow.

In 1914 he opened the ‘Healing Rooms’ in Spokane, WA, where there were more than 100,000 medically confirmed healings in the space of only 5 years.

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