Did you know that irritation is an impor­tant dynamic in helping us to be better servants of the Lord Jesus Christ? In Hebrews 10:24, the writer urges us to think carefully about how to—literally—irritateone another to love and good works.  Irritation is our natural response to suggestions for improvement in our personal life or in our church’s life. But the Word of God tells us that such ir­ritation can actually stir us up to love and to do good works, things that are both pleasing to God and beneficial to those around us.  In my work as regional home mis­sionary, I find it very helpful to be ir­ritated by those who have different insights and experiences of church life than my own. If their irritating sug­gestions help me

Charisa Dorn While working as a coffee house barista, I gradually learned an important lesson: a barista is more than just a barista. Often, you are the individual that people look forward to seeing every day. Besides arriving for their daily dose of caffeine, customers come to the café to be recognized and acknowledged.  Doing just that became one of my favorite parts of the job. I tried to remember everyone’s names and drink orders in order to show them  that they were noticed and appreciated. In doing so, I soon realized what an incredible opportunity I had at my job to witness for Christ and demonstrate his love through my work.  A pivotal way to witness in the workplace is by reacting well when people treat us

Recently, John Shaw published an article in Tabletalk magazine (Ligonier Ministries). The title in the magazine is “Prayer That Matters,” but as you will see if you read the article, the emphasis is on evangelistic prayer. The setting of the prayer discussed is an evangelistic setting and John was thinking about how it applies to all prayers, but particularly prayers for the lost in our families, among our friends, and in our communities. If you read the article, think about how John’s two main points would change your own prayers for the lost, and how they might change our church prayer meetings. Here is the online link in Tabletalk: “Prayer That Matters” – John Shaw (content taken from outwardopc.org)

Posted on a wall in Resurrection OPC is a large map of the city of Oshkosh, WI. Resurrection is pinpointed, and five blocks in every direction from the church are highlighted. Every Saturday at 10am, Pastor Bob Holda and a small group of church members gather in front of the map to plan their route for door-to-door visits that day, and to pray. It is a densely populated area, and in the span of these blocks there are thousands of homes and countless souls who need Christ. Armed with a checklist, outreach materials, and copies of Christ Proclaims a Better Way, Holda and the church members break into groups and spend about an hour canvassing the neighborhood. The checklist is for the church’s sake, to keep record of their visits. But

The church in Anaheim Hills is flourishing with multiple unbelievers attending regularly and new believers getting ready to join. When asked, “What do you attribute this to?” Pastor Chris Hartshorn’s response was multi-faceted and full of insights for us. Evangelism as part of everyday life To begin, Hartshorn responds: “This comes from people in our congregation being faithful to invite unbelievers to worship and reaching out to people wherever they go- stores, sporting events- you name it.” Recently Hartshorn’s wife Megan was at a store seeking to buy some patio furniture. A young man named Luis was helping her, and the two struck up a conversation. At one point, Luis gave Megan a business card for his side financial business. She