by Roger Ross | Jun 14, 2024 | Blog
Some children were asked, “What is love?” One little girl answered, “Love is when your mommy reads you a bedtime story. True love is when she doesn’t skip any pages.” A few summers ago I took a youth group on a mission trip to Ashland,...
by Roger Ross | Jun 7, 2024 | Blog
The apostles (Jesus’ disciples who had been sent out to teach and heal) gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going…they did not even have a chance to eat. Mark 6:30-31 How would you like...
by Roger Ross | May 31, 2024 | Blog
As I walked through the gates, I felt as though I had stepped back in time. It was my first visit to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri. This 1880’s theme park in the heart of Ozark country was filled with rides, shows, and period craftsmanship that transported...
by Roger Ross | May 23, 2024 | Blog, Discernment, Prayer
Things are not always as they appear. Soon after arriving as their new pastor, I was delighted to meet an energetic young couple in the church. They invited me to their home, spoke glowingly about what I could bring to their church and helped me get connected in the...
by Roger Ross | May 9, 2024 | Blog
It was like a scene from a movie. As a director of new church development, I went to a church that had closed several months before. A couple of colleagues and I were there to assess the building and its potential for launching a new congregation. None of us were...
by Roger Ross | May 4, 2024 | Blog
In his book, Why I Am Still Surprised by the Power of the Spirit, Jack Deere describes a poignant moment during a service of healing. An articulate woman who was chronically depressed came forward and asked for prayer. She said, “I finally figured out the true nature...
by Roger Ross | Apr 27, 2024 | Blog
Suddenly, the room went quiet. After a long debate about the church’s future, a well-respected lay leader leaned forward with tears in her eyes and declared, “We have to do everything we can to keep our doors open!” As heads nodded around the table, I knew we...
by Roger Ross | Apr 19, 2024 | Blog
For nearly two years, I’ve been praying the Wesley Covenant Prayer on my knees each day. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, did not write the prayer, but he adopted it for covenant renewal services often held around the new year. He saw it as a potent way to...
by Roger Ross | Apr 12, 2024 | Blog, Grace
In What’s So Amazing About Grace?, Philip Yancey tells the story of Peter Greave. Greave contracted leprosy while stationed in India. “He returned to England, half-blind and partially paralyzed, to live on a compound run by a group of Anglican sisters. Unable to work...
by Roger Ross | Apr 5, 2024 | Blog
We had never met. She was a friendly, outwardly cheerful person who waited on me in a store this week. Over the course of our brief conversation, I soon discovered things were not as they appeared. To make conversation, I commented on an intricate tattoo around her...
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