A couple attending a Sunday school class I was teaching years ago at my church had discovered that the child she was carrying was anencephalic. Devastated, they requested prayer of the class because “we’re meeting with the doctor tomorrow to discuss our options.”

How we manage God’s money is a central biblical subject of extreme importance. Hence, financial stewardship should be unapologetically addressed by Christian leaders—we who are called upon to declare “the whole counsel of God” to the people He entrusts to our care (Acts 20:27, ESV).

This year marks the 40^th anniversary of the founding of my home church, Good Shepherd Community Church in Boring, Oregon. When the church started, I was a full-time pastor at the ripe old age of 22! I’d like to share some memories from the past four decades, tying them together with thoughts about the value and importance of local churches.

Com demasiada frequência, como crentes, não nos damos conta de que a coisa mais bondosa que podemos oferecer uns aos outros é a verdade. Nossa tarefa não é apenas nos ajudarmos a nos sentirmos bem, mas nos ajudarmos a sermos bons. Frequentemente, parecemos pensar que nossas únicas opções são: 1) falar a verdade rispidamente; Ou 2) não dizer nada em nome da graça. Isto é um engano.

In August 2017, Randy Alcorn was a guest on the Frank Sontag Show, talking about leadership and his new devotional Truth: A Bigger View of God's Word. In this clip, Randy talks about leadership in the church.

In most cases, I think we in church and ministry leadership honestly do want to be Christ-honoring servants. But all of us can find it difficult to do the hard and thankless things that servants do, especially when no one is watching.

There’s no sense in which the killing of children is a marginal issue that Scripture is indifferent to! Long before it was ever a political issue, it was a moral issue, and one which God has a clear and emphatic position on. We’re not dealing here with “one more social/political issue.” We’re dealing with a unique and focused evil in which Satan has deeply vested interests.

Racial unity is a topic that I’m glad to see more churches in our country addressing. Still, there’s much work to be done. I agree everyone needs Jesus and that makes all the difference. Yet many whites and blacks who do love Jesus with all their hearts feel alienated from each other when they hear one another talk about race.

Randy Alcorn spoke at his home church, Good Shepherd Community Church, on the topic of happiness. He shared scripture, quotes and personal experiences about happiness. For more information, check out Randy's Happiness book.