Authenticity and Integrity
When Jesus teaches how to pray in Matthew 6, one of His instructions is: “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is...
View ArticleUncovered: Being a Safe Place That Embraces All
Karl Marx said, “Philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways. The point, however, is to change it.” I like to take this statement and change it up a bit. I say, Christians have only...
View ArticleHip, Hip, Hurrah for… Hypocrites?
Can I put in a good word for hypocrites? At least they’re trying half the time! At least they know what they should act and talk like. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, we could say they’re halfway...
View ArticleThe Power and Problem of Authenticity
One of the primary reasons nonbelievers cite for their lack of faith is Christians’ hypocrisy. This is echoed in Gandhi’s damning judgment about liking Christ but not liking Christians. The history of...
View ArticleSongs of Change
A magazine issue on change seems appropriate in our rapidly changing culture. Even our political parties seem to be going through changes that few experts predicted a year ago. I’m probably not the...
View ArticleChange, Change and More Change
I am convinced that much of the church in the United States, the Free Methodist Church included, needs change, change and more change. Even a quick glance at what is happening around and among us...
View ArticleConfessions of a ‘Public’ Failure
My dad, Charles Finley, isn’t afraid to go public with his faith. He regularly hands out Gideon Bibles. He served for decades as a public high school counselor and the faculty sponsor for the school’s...
View ArticleL+L September 2015: Whole Church
GC Talk After the Sunday service yesterday at my home church, someone asked me for a report on General Conference 2015. Although I’m a trained reporter, I struggled to respond quickly and articulately....
View ArticleThe Freedoms of Free Methodists
It is no surprise that researchers in business have identified the importance of a “values-based, sustainable” business model (fmchr.ch/valubiz). Recognizing that strong core values provide energy and...
View ArticleFreedom Isn’t Free
The United States of America celebrated 240 years of freedom last month — nearly a quarter of a millennium of freedom as a country. This issue of Light + Life Magazine is dedicated to the freedoms of...
View ArticleDandelions and Pokemon
What do dandelions and Pokemon Go have in common? A dandelion is a weed or a flower (depending on your perspective), and Pokemon Go is a video game for your mobile device. Other than prominent display...
View ArticleGC15 Through the Bishops’ Eyes
Editor’s note: Many readers of this magazine participated in General Conference 2015, but many were not able to attend this global gathering of Free Methodists in July at the Caribe Royale All-Suite...
View ArticleAbolitionists Unite for Freedom Summit
Before General Conference 2015 started, about 600 people gathered at the GC15 venue for powerful Freedom Summit messages and music encouraging them to embrace the ultimate Source of freedom and to...
View ArticleClimbing (and Moving) Mountains
What would life be like if every person understood his or her purpose, which is to glorify God? What if every person understood his or her mission to make disciples (Matthew 28:19)? When you understand...
View ArticleL+L September 2015: Whole Church
GC Talk After the Sunday service yesterday at my home church, someone asked me for a report on General Conference 2015. Although I’m a trained reporter, I struggled to respond quickly and articulately....
View ArticleCologne, Colleges and Churches
As a boy in the 1980s, I remember my older brothers begging my parents to buy them Jordache jeans. My parents replied that Jordache didn’t fit the family budget, and they continued to purchase...
View ArticleRichly Blessed
I ’m not really one to follow instructions. Anyone who knows me will confirm it. Following instructions is difficult for me because I am inclined toward doing as I please. The friction comes when I am...
View ArticleA New Thing
Three Psalms begin with “Sing to the Lord a new song” (96, 98, and 149). A new song! How exciting is that? We are capable of seeing that which is around us, delving into that which is within us, and...
View ArticleReady to Renew
My wife and I cleaned out our refrigerator this week. We found a lot of food past the expiration date. I’m frugal, so I bravely tried to eat some of the recently expired food but ended up spitting a...
View ArticleThe Recalibrating Martins
While editing this issue and considering its “change of direction” theme, I thought about a couple of my favorite historical figures who have a name and much more in common. In the following pages,...
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