New Identity Magazine

Community and Age Diversity

Russell Almand — Wed, 15 Dec 2021 21:13:52 +0000

“You should come visit our community group! We are kind of old, though; you might not like it…” How often do we hear about Christian fellowship divided by age? Age often provides the boundaries for forming community. School divides by grade. Churches divide classes and small groups by age. Most friend groups form around similarly aged people. But what if we miss out on great opportunities for…

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Feedback

Nicholas Sowell — Tue, 03 Aug 2021 21:38:02 +0000

We’ve all experienced giving and receiving feedback in just about every way possible, from the mean and hurtful to the complimentary and life-giving. But despite the wide sweeping spectrum we’ve received feedback on in its many forms, part of our biggest means to find growth will lie in the importance and value we place on it. Let’s start with what scripture has to say: (Proverbs 15:31) “If you…

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The Multicolored Hall of Faith

Ramon Mayo — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:44:22 +0000

There’s a never-ending debate many folks have on who the greatest NBA player of all time is. Is it Jordan? Is it Lebron? Is it Kobe? There’s no doubt that if you’re an NBA fan, you land on a particular side of this debate, and you have your reasons. A lot of it boils down to where you’re from. Most folks in Chicago will swear up and down it’s Michael Jordan who deserves the title of GOAT.

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Muting The Noise of the World

Tom Koel — Thu, 13 Aug 2020 17:06:37 +0000

Some people like to do what they call a Prayer Hike. That is where one or more people go on a hike, or walk, and pray as they go. Now, many people, like myself, wind up on a prayer hike inadvertently when they find the trail much longer and steeper than anticipated. But here we are discussing hikes that are focused on prayer from the onset. This is a great thing to do, and is actually very…

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In Someone Else’s Shoes

Jeffery Porter — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 18:40:37 +0000

When encountering people from other ethnic, national, or religious cultures it is easy to see how their culture influences their values and ways of thinking about the world. Yet, in Marilynne Robinson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead, the fictional narrator Reverend John Ames reminds me that I am no different. As Ames tries to make sense of an illustration from French reformer John Calvin’s…

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Welcome, You.

M Chitra — Wed, 11 Sep 2019 00:43:40 +0000

One day when Abraham was sitting at the entrance to his tent near the great trees of Mamre, he looked up and saw three men standing nearby. He hurried to meet them and then bowed low to the ground, asking them if he could wash their feet and begging them to stay. Afterward, he went on to prepare a calf and asked his wife Sarah to bake some bread. The three men, of course, would later tell him that…

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What is the Sabbath?

Kelli Ward — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 00:04:47 +0000

I once participated in a heated discussion with my friend of another denomination about the Christian Sabbath. She insisted that the seventh day, meaning Saturday, is the Sabbath. She even had me count out the days, and I could not disagree with her. Thinking her point proved correct, I felt ashamed that I couldn’t put forth any rebuttal as to why I go to church and spend extra time with God on…

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Calling Him “Father”

Bethany Wagner — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 20:41:25 +0000

Scripture reminds us time and time again that we are God’s children and he is our Father. Psalm 103:13 tells us, “Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” In 2 Corinthians 6:18, God promises, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters.” What does this mean for us, as we live out our lives, going to work…

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WHY JOIN A CHURCH?

Délice Williams — Mon, 17 Sep 2018 18:20:25 +0000

Nowhere in the Bible does it say that Christians have to be church members. Hebrews 10:24-25, verses that are often quoted in discussions of church attendance, does specifically tell us not to “[give] up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing” (NIV). That is a clear direction to gather regularly with other believers, and that instruction is connected to encouragement in our walk with…

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FROM THE CHURCH OF THE PAINFULLY IMPERFECT

Jeffery Porter — Thu, 31 May 2018 21:18:28 +0000

The word community was never disputed. When the church I was a part of was undergoing the process of changing their name, nearly every potential word or phrase was scrutinized and debated. There was even disagreement over whether the word church should be included in the new title. Yet, nobody ever questioned the inclusion of the word community. No one had to make an argument for its inclusion…

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