With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the world as we know it has turned upside down in just a matter of weeks, leaving educators across the country scrambling to provide content and resources through eLearning to students sheltering in place at home. In spite of the rush to continue students on a seamless path of learning, those leading and teaching at Christian schools can take heart that even when things seem shaky and unknown, we are called to such a time as this.

Dr. Hutz Hertzberg is President of Christian Heritage Academy in Northfield, Illinois, a PreK-12 school. Dr. Hertzberg has previously pastored in the local church and has also served in Christian higher education and in para-church leadership. He is a graduate of both Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

The word Gospel occurs multiple times throughout the New Testament. It’s first appearance is in Matthew chapter 4 and it’s last is in Revelation chapter 14 and most of the books in between use this phrase. Paul uses it more than all the other writers combined as it is found in all his writings except for Titus.

Will Sharples

R.A.G.E. Ministries, INC

www.rageministries.org

I wanted to take a few moments to share with you how nature and creation has been really significant to us and to our family in these last few days. Like you, our lives have been turned upside down in just a matter of a few weeks. And that comes with a lot of anxiety and a lot of uncertainty, a lot of fear. One of the things that has been important for our family in the middle of all of this is just turning our eyes back to creation and back to the natural world.

HANNAH R. ANDERSON lives in the haunting Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. She spends her days working beside her husband in rural ministry, caring for their three children, and scratching out odd moments to write. In those in-between moments, she contributes to a variety of Christian publications and is the author of Made for More (Moody, 2014), Humble Roots (Moody, 2016), and All That's Good (Moody, 2018). You can connect with her at her blog www.sometimesalight.com and on Twitter @sometimesalight.

This content originally appeared at www.moodypublishers.com/help for the Moody Publishers Rethink Rhythms. Find Joy. campaign. Used by permission.

“Can’t we all just get along?” became a popular saying after Rodney King uttered this question during riots in Los Angeles in 1992. Many would think these words are not needed in churches either because we have all already learned it isn’t really possible to get along or because they think that Christians already do get along! As it turns out, this same question needs to be asked about missions. Really? After all, aren’t all missionaries and missions agencies just focused on the Great Commission and the unfinished task to reach all nations? Aren’t they all really the same and working together and getting along and accomplishing so much for the kingdom of God?

Kirsten McClain serves in church missions mobilization for OMF. She has been serving churches and mission agencies for the last 20 years. She has a heart to see the church realize her potential in missions and is driven to be a mobilizer to this end. She lives in Georgia with her husband and three children, and she is ready to direct pastors to the various resources that OMF uses to come alongside churches and individuals so that they can do missions well. [email protected]

Like a lot of us, I’m stuck at home today. I’m blessed to be trapped here with my family. In fact, we’ve done a lot of things to try to make this new reality more enjoyable and more fun for all of us. And that’s why I’m here with you today. We’re going to be talking about how to keep your marriage healthy when you’re together 24/7.

We’re going to talk about how to make a plan for making the most out of this time when you’re together, how to build a rhythm, some things you want to avoid, and some things you can do to make this as enjoyable as possible. You can remember these four habits with the word “PLAN”: Play together, Listen for emotions, Appreciate daily, and Nurture rhythm. We’ll start with playing together.

MARCUS WARNER (M.Div., Th.M. and D.Min. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the president of Deeper Walk International. He is a former pastor and college professor who has written several books on topics ranging from how to study the Bible to spiritual warfare, emotional healing, and leadership. Marcus has done training events for organizations such as Navigators, Willow Creek Prison Ministry, and Moody Church. He has traveled the world with Deeper Walk equipping people on the front lines of ministry with practical tools for dealing with root issues that keep people and ministries stuck and unable to go deeper into what God has for them.

Website for the book: https://deeperwalkinternational.org/4habits/

This content originally appeared at www.moodypublishers.com/help for the Moody Publishers Rethink Rhythms. Find Joy. campaign. Used by permission.

Blended family relationships naturally create loyalty conflicts—or maybe we could call them love conflicts. “Am I still loved? Who do you love more—your spouse/kids or me? Your old life or our new one?” What results is a household of competing relationships where everyone is fighting to matter…to someone, but not necessarily everyone.

Adapted from Building Love Together in Blended Families: The 5 Love Languages® and Becoming Stepfamily Smart by Gary Chapman and Ron L. Deal, Northfield Publishers (2020). Used with permission. All rights to this material are reserved.

We are witnessing endless accounts of leaders who have received the flag of disqualification, raised the white flag of premature surrender, or thrown in the towel because of debilitating discouragement. No doubt, the complexities of modern ministry, the onslaught of extraordinary temptations, and our superficial measurements of pastoral success can erode our personal satisfaction. Yet, the real need is for a clearer more compelling vision of our ultimate calling.

DANIEL HENDERSON was a senior pastor for over two decades and brought prayer-based revitalization to numerous churches. He now serves as the president of Strategic Renewal, dedicating his full-time efforts to help congregations around the world experience renewal. He is the author of numerous books on biblical leadership and prayer, including Glorious Finish.

Today people have access to the best sermons and church music in the world, at the touch of their fingertips. So why don’t they just stay home and listen from the comfort of their beds on Sunday mornings? For those of us who are leading church communities, putting forth our best effort week in and week out to craft sermons and songs that might impact our communities, how do we deal with the reality that our people can more conveniently stay home and listen to the Tim Kellers, Andy Stanleys, Francis Chans, and Erwin McManuses of the world—gifted communicators whose content is, more often than not, far more engaging than anything we could come up with on our own?

Taken from Analog Church by Jay Y. Kim. Copyright (c) 2020 by Hay Y. Kim. Published by InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. www.ivpress.com

A lot is being written about God's role in the COVID-19 pandemic. Some are suggesting that it is Divine retribution for mankind's wickedness. Others are promoting the idea that God is allowing it to happen in order to teach the world a lesson. Many are theorizing that God is doing it to get our attention.

I want to share with you what I believe to be a secret during this time to help us deal with the anxiety and worry that we all feel in varying degrees. It’s called mindfulness. Now, I recognize that mindfulness is kind of a questionable practice among Christians and it’s a fair question to ask.

DR. CHARLES STONE (M.Div., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, D.Min., Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary) has served for 37 years in ministry, 24 of those years as a senior pastor. He currently pastors West Park Church in London, Ontario, Canada, a multicultural congregation with over 1,000 attendees. He founded StoneWell Ministries to serve pastors and churches through coaching and consulting. Many of his articles have been featured in magazines such as Outreach, Leadership Journal, REV, New Man, and In Touch and his blog posts have appeared on sites such as Pastors.com, SermonCentral.com, ChurchCentral.com, and Churchleaders.com. Charles and his wife Sherryl have been married for 36 years and have three adult children.

Website: https://charlesstone.com/

This content originally appeared at www.moodypublishers.com/help for the Moody Publishers Rethink Rhythms. Find Joy. campaign. Used by permission.