Stretch the Sheep

By Jason Abbott |

In middle and high school, there are typically teachers whom students avoid like the plague – teachers whose names are synonymous with high expectations and low grades. For me, that teacher was Mrs. Slaughter. No…I’m not making that up; her name really was Slaughter. And, as you can imagine, it magnified the fear of having…

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Singles and Self-Sacrifice

By Bill Riedel |

Most churches are married-people-centric. Whether intentionally or not, churches tend to create polished and fine sounding arguments for why marriage is a prerequisite for leadership opportunities. After all, married people are more stable, right? Because marriage is a sanctifying commitment, they are more mature. Because marriage gives a beautiful God-ordained opportunity for sex, married people are…

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A two-sentence, life-changing prayer.

By Deb Hinkel |

I don’t know how old I was when I first learned the Lord’s Prayer, but I do know I was young, probably four or five. I dutifully repeated the prayer when it was a part of the worship service, but I can’t say that I said it with passion or even deep understanding.  As my church…

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Changing Lives Through Crisis Response

By Tim Gardner |

On August 25, 2017, Hurricane Harvey hit the coast of Texas and caused $125 billion in damage, tying with Hurricane Katrina for the costliest storm on record. Almost every EFCA church in the Houston region (15 total) saw their communities flooded. One year later, there is still a lot of work to be done. Last…

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5 Ways to Find and Trust The Help You Need

By Cedrick Brown |

“So, if You are going to deal thus with me, please kill me at once – if I have found favor in Your sight…” Numbers 11:15 How does kill me at once and finding favor in the sight of God go together in the same sentence, or better yet, in the same thought pattern? Well, it…

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