Sally Hinzie
What I Learned from the Amish

My husband and I recently visited Shipshewanna, Indiana, to experience an Amish community. The calmer pace of life and the cooler weather were a respite for us from our life in Houston with its frantic pace and hot, humid weather. Their pace of life, value of simplicity, and commitment to living our their faith in a countercultural way really made me think about how we might better live out our beliefs among our community. Here's a bit of what I learned.

What I Learned from the Amish
Josh Ellis
Here's the Plan for Storm Season

‘Tis the season that no one wants to talk about: hurricane season. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—pronounced “Noah,” ironically enough—issued its 2019 major storm forecast, calling for an average year. That means 2-4 major hurricanes. Of course, we’re praying that none of those of major storms make landfall in our beloved Houston area, but if they do, we want to capitalize on some of the lessons we learned from Harvey. And we're asking all our churches to join us.

Here's the Plan for Storm Season
Campo Londoño
La Lluvia

Estados Unidos es quizás el país con más libertad para predicar el evangelio. Tenemos canales de tv, radio estaciones, iglesias, seminarios, ministerios, y publicaciones que inundan el país con el mensaje. ¿Estará, de veras, llegando al corazón de la gente y dando fruto?  

America is perhaps the freest country in which to preach the gospel. We have tv channels, radio stations, churches, seminaries, ministries, and publications which flood the country with the message. But will it reach people's hearts and bear fruit?

La Lluvia
Dian Kidd
July Prayer Guide

Every month, we feature people, events, and ministries we want our people to pray for. So, join us as we pray to and praise God for what He's done, because we're always better together.

If you have any requests or just want to let us know you’re praying with us, feel free to tag us on Facebook or Twitter, and join the conversation. #UBAPraysTogether

July Prayer Guide
Bryant Lee
5 Words to Describe Church Planting

I've been in combat in two combat theaters, but church planting has been the most grinding thing in my life. It's also brought me the most joy. So, if I had to sum it up in five words, I would say church planting is: grinding, joyful, mind-boggling, exuberant, and learning. Here's what that has meant for me.

5 Words to Describe Church Planting

culture

The Creative('s) Way to Do Outreach

The Creative('s) Way to Do Outreach

Have you ever thought of art as a form of outreach? If we do it right, art can bring glory to God and display his greatness to mankind in a way that causes people to follow him. That sounds a lot like outreach to me! I recently wrote an article encouraging leaders to value art in ministry, but what about the creatives in our midst?

Artists can serve to aid in evangelism, discipleship, and the edification of others in the church, as well. So, how can we get started? Here are a few suggestions for the artists (and wannabes) among us.

What Your Worship May Lack

What Your Worship May Lack

What if we did away with harmony in musical worship? Is it, or any other artistic expression, really necessary to the way we function as a church? Probably not, but most note beauty definitely adds something to the experience. Good art can help better articulate the gospel and move our affections towards God.

In the same vein, I wonder what other expressions of worship we may be missing. Are there some art forms we could use to help us better feel the depth of God's story or understand His person? How might leaders use those mediums to teach, to disciple, and to better explain the faith?

Rethinking the Nativity

Rethinking the Nativity

I have always been an avid collector of nativities, picking one up as a souvenir for each of my travels near and far. So, I was incredibly surprised to find that the reality of the nativity is hardly depicted in most of my little scenes.

With some insight from Kenneth Bailey's Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, I've learned a lot about Middle Eastern culture and how things would have actually happened in the Christmas story. Here are some of the things I've gleaned.

Sharing Spaces

Sharing Spaces

I was in a meeting a couple of weeks ago with two churches wanting to share a building. The host church is almost 60 years old, and the church wanting to share their space was an immigrant congregation that is about 5 years old. It was a challenge to work out the details across cultural worldviews and language barriers.

Three Things the Immigrant Church in Your City Does Better than You

Three Things the Immigrant Church in Your City Does Better than You

When evangelical Christians consider the large number of immigrants coming to North America, they most often think of the unreached. Though many unreached peoples come to the US every day, many more immigrants are brothers in sisters in Christ, who we can (and must) learn from.

Taco Eating Dragons

Taco Eating Dragons

Is it possible in our continuing quest for non-confrontational methods to begin spiritual conversations, that culture's adoption of phrases birthed by scripture is an opportunity to introduce people to Jesus? Possibly- when this method is considered a tool among many employed for a specific situation. But definitely when taco-eating dragons want to do something helpful and be labeled good Samaritans.