lisaauthor, Author at The Artios Center for Vibrant Leadership

How Can I Be More Consistent in Reading the Bible Everyday?

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Andrew Fernandez BIBLE READING – THE STRUGGLE IS REAL It is easy to neglect our spiritual needs when we feel that all the physical work to be done each day is crying out to us before we even wake up. Let alone all the shows, movies, video games, and tasty social media “chit-chat” to catch up on. We will often choose to sit and think about random facts before we will pick up a Bible and read it. We are a busy people, and when we are not busy, we prefer to be distracted with a million simple pleasures 1. So, [...]

How Can I Be More Consistent in Reading the Bible Everyday?lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

What is Your Picture of an Ideal Family?

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Loren Gjesdal What is your picture of an ideal family? A “Leave it to Beaver” household of two parents, two kids and a happy resolution to every problem in 30 minutes? Or even more simply, “No muss, no fuss, no drama today, please?” Just what would constitute an ideal family anyway? Is the ideal even possible, and if so, what would we have to do to pursue it? If we could imagine the first family in a world where Adam and Eve never ate from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil… If they were never evicted from [...]

What is Your Picture of an Ideal Family?lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

Influential Faith: What is it and Why Does it Matter?

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Amber Mann Riggs As my sighs of longing join in the requiem for a groaning earth, I know I’m not alone. Together, our sighs compose a refrain of a Church who wants our faith to be influential in our culture. Taking in the world around me, I can’t help but dream of being a conduit of healing and change. I see things that aren’t right with the world, and I want to make them right. As a Church, we curate idyllic pictures of a more perfect world and then pour our energy and resources into words, ministries, and social media posts [...]

Influential Faith: What is it and Why Does it Matter?lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

Evangelism and Discipleship: Jesus is Not a Used Car

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Loren Gjesdal “Let me tell you about the features of this little gem….what would it take to get you in this beauty today?” The traditional car-buying process is almost no one’s idea of a good time. The stereotype is of slick salesmen using high pressure tactics that emphasize benefits, minimizing costs, while pushing for an immediate decision. Some evangelistic techniques have been criticized as little better than selling Jesus like a used car, with the interaction just about as enjoyable for all involved. Is there a better way to think about evangelism other than getting someone to “sign on the dotted line?” [...]

Evangelism and Discipleship: Jesus is Not a Used Carlisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

Are We Loving Each Other?

lisaauthor2025-08-18T21:10:32+00:00

By Lisa Harp Hinds Are we loving each other? Meeting each other’s needs? How are we modeling Christ? Are we letting fear, frustration, and/or our need for individuality and some measure of control over our own lives get in the way of loving each other? INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE HOLY BIBLE God’s Word contains instructions on how we are to treat each other. In Matthew 7:12, Christ Jesus tells us, “Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” In other words, if we want people to treat us kindly, then we [...]

Are We Loving Each Other?lisaauthor2025-08-18T21:10:32+00:00

Building Beautiful Churches for Jesus

lisaauthor2025-08-18T21:09:51+00:00

By Whaid Rose Building Beautiful Churches for Jesus: Why the post-COVID church must redefine itself and its mission. Once upon a time a local church decided to build larger facilities to accommodate its rapid growth. It was a wealthy church, so it spent lavishly in making sure the new campus was the finest in town. Building program complete, an auspicious dedication event was convened. The keynote speaker was a former senior pastor who had national name recognition, which drew community and media attention. But as he arose to deliver his message, the appearance of a giant hand high above the stage—as [...]

Building Beautiful Churches for Jesuslisaauthor2025-08-18T21:09:51+00:00

What Millennials Want the Church to Know

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Caitlin Meadows What do those currently ages 17 to 40 have in common? They are millennials. That’s a 23 year age gap! Beyond claiming the same generational status, 17 year olds and 40 year olds have little in common. Commenting on this broad age range in her recent article, 6 Reasons I’m Excited to be a Millennial, Amber Riggs notes: As a pioneering millennial 1 I had the opportunity to embrace this label and all of the hopefulness it encompassed and allow it to engender a healthy pride in my generation – a pride that seems to have been harassed out of millennials who stepped into adulthood [...]

What Millennials Want the Church to Knowlisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

Answering God’s Call: Living for a Greater Cause

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Whaid Rose LIVING IN A FALLEN WORLD The sobering reality of life in a fallen world confronts us early in Scripture. In Genesis 4 we find a homicide, and by chapter 6 we read this sad commentary: Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart (verses 5-6). At that point it would have been justifiable for God to wipe the slate clean [...]

Answering God’s Call: Living for a Greater Causelisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Leave Your Church

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

By Lisa Harp Hinds Thinking seriously about leaving your church? Maybe you’re tired of other members’ attitudes or you don’t connect with the pastor. Perhaps you feel neglected, like you simply don’t belong. As someone who left my church because of my own issues but later returned, I suggest asking yourself these 7 questions before deciding to leave your church: 1. DOES MY CHURCH FOLLOW BIBLICAL STRUCTURE? Each member of the church has an important role to play. Acts 6 gives us an example of members of the church having different functions. I Corinthians 12 addresses the spiritual gifts, specifically recognizing that each member’s separate gift plays a role in [...]

7 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Leave Your Churchlisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:07+00:00

5 Reasons I Came Back to the Church

lisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:46+00:00

By Lisa Harp Hinds If you read “5 Reasons I Left the Church”, you know that, yes, I was one of “those” who had left the church for a combination of reasons. But I came back! Wondering why? Wondering if some of the people who have left your church might return? Wondering what you could do to help them? NUMBER 5 REASON I CAME BACK TO THE CHURCH: SOMEONE WAS PRAYING FOR ME. This is huge, people! I John 5:14-16 tells us, not only can we have confidence in approaching God to ask for anything within His will, but we should pray for our brothers and [...]

5 Reasons I Came Back to the Churchlisaauthor2025-02-14T16:19:46+00:00

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