A few years ago, I counted how many hours I spent in church meetings then wished I hadn’t. Most of those meetings were boring, pointless, and took me away from my life in ways I later resented. Sure, it was nice to see people and get church business done. However, I’m not sure any of those meetings did much to accomplish the work of God’s kingdom.

On the other hand, I know groups who are having life-giving meetings leading to spiritual growth and changed lives. With a few intentional changes, we can make meetings a bright spot on the week instead of a chore.

2018 has brought a lot of things our way: heavy losses, exciting possibilities, and hard discussions. Likewise, our blog also had a lot of fascinating and pertinent articles for the year. As we prepare for what God has in store for 2019, we'll first pause to remember and celebrate the top 10 articles of 2018.

Almost every Christmas for 30 years of marriage, Dian and I have put up the Angel Tree at Christmas time. At the very top hangs our not-so-traditional beauty, Pearl. The loss of her halo, wings, and lute combined with her droopy, melted face make her an interested choice for such a spot of honor. However, she reminds us of an important lesson as she declares God's glory through the bags under her eyes.

Some people think I have the “gift of hospitality,” but I assure you, I do not. I am not a hospitable person. I am an introvert. My home is a haven where I can recharge and get ready to be with people again the next day.

In time, I have learned that hospitality is not a gift but an act of obedience with great gospel benefits. For me, though, it's been a journey.

Our culture talks a lot about peace but often have a hard time experiencing it. Why is it so elusive? Instead of just pushing through this year, maybe these seven simple “secrets” to finding peace can help. Adapted from “How to have a Peaceful Heart: Seven Simple Secrets,” by Jon Redmond.

With all the hustle and bustle of December, it is worth slowing down to prepare our hearts for Christmas. With that in mind, we have set up a special Advent prayer guide in lieu of our usual prayer requests for specific events. Many things may be vying for your attention, but we hope to help you pause and reflect of the richness of hope, peace, love, and joy found in the Christmas season.

Como los Cristianos hablamos mucho de ser bíblicos, debemos tener cuidado con algunas palabras bíblicas que con el correr del tiempo se intoxicaron y hoy en día no comunican lo que los escritores del Nuevo Testamento tenían en mente. Una de esas palabras es iglesia.

When it comes to taxes, things can get very confusing fairly quickly, especially for many churches. As followers of Christ, we want to make sure we're obeying our nation's tax regulations. At the same time, we also want to ensure we can spend all of the money we have for our ministries on those ministries.

So, we have enlisted UBA Administration Manager, Dana Bowdoin, to explain the nuts and bolts of tax-exempt status for churches. Here, she lays out the qualifications, necessary documents, and guidelines for this helpful status which can keep church money flowing directly to necessary ministries.

Our children and teens are pulled in many different directions. They have school responsibilities, extracurricular activities, social events—the list could go on and on. With so many different influences and things vying for their attention, it is easy for our students to lose focus of their spiritual growth and development. That's where Christian parents and community come in.

In the past, we've thought of hospitality as equivalent to entertaining and feeding people in your home. However, the conversation about hospitality is is turning to more about the whole person and the way you act towards others. No place is this more important today than on social media. Wherever we go—physically or virtually—we need to consider our words and our demeanor. Scripture promises the world will know us by our love, but I have wonder if they would recognize us on Twitter.