[This post is part of a series called Rooted. Find the other posts here]

Delinquent Donkeys

Maybe someone left the gate unlatched. Or maybe one of the animals leaned hard against the wooden rails of the coral. Regardless, the herd of donkeys escaped their quarters and wandered off to who knows where. When the loss was discovered, Kish longed to get his valuable pack animals back. In the 10th century B.C economy, donkeys were the fuel efficient cargo trucks of the day. So Kish recruited his handsome son Saul and a trusted servant and sent them on a search. They looked far and wide. No donkeys. Finally the servant said, “There is a man of God in the next village. Let’s ask him.” So their loss, longing, and search led them, as a last resort, to seek God for help.

But what they found was not what they expected. Their seemingly haphazard search for delinquent donkeys led them into the middle of an epic search conducted by none other that Yahweh himself. The Lord was looking for a man with a heart for God who would serve his people with him. He is still looking.

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Who am I?

Mom. Dad. Sister. Friend.

I could go on and on, but, I’m sure if you are old enough to be reading this, you’ve asked the question, “Who am I?” at some point in your life.

I think one of the biggest issues facing the American church today is that our church attendees do not have an understanding of who they are, and if they do, they have not been given full freedom to truly live it out. If that is you, let me tell you, as a child of God, you are a missionary, meaning “sent one.”

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[This post is part of a series called Rooted. Find the other posts here]

 “What can I do to try and stay healthy?” I asked my doctor during my annual physical check-up. His reply, “ Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, exercise, get adequate sleep, and keep an eye on your cholesterol, weight, and blood pressure.”

This is standard advice that is easy to remember though sometimes harder to follow.

What can an apostle, prophet, or evangelist do to stay vital and connected to God? Or put another way, what are the fruits and vegetables for the soul? Here is advice from three respected soul doctors:

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This is an old post from 2008, but someone forwarded it to me and it has great insights into the forgotten roles: Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist.

Alan Hirsch posted this in Christianity Today, asking

“Where have all the APE’s gone?”

Who would’ve thought…many of us are here now!

Read the full article

By James Choung

I prayed a stupid prayer a year ago.

As I was looking for a new role in campus ministry, I asked for something that would require me to exercise my faith muscles. And when we were starting our church, I asked God to build something that wouldn’t be credited to the talents of the people in the room. I wanted God to do something that could only be explained by his presence with us, that would be impossible to do without God.

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