Abstract The activities of a leader are a reflection of their nature.  While leadership activities may be learned, the character and nature from which they proceed must be formed.  In the formation of one’s nature a reference point, or master, will become the principal influence. The result is a natural reflection of the nature and priorities of…

Whether we like it or not, the American culture is changing rapidly. Over many years, the trend toward pluralism has been growing and now is becoming reality. The idea that Judeo-Christian principles will be understood, much less accepted as de facto, is fast disappearing. Although there are clearly exceptions, the trend around us is unmistakable.…

My son asked me, “What will it be like?”  He was just learning how to drive and was quite interested in cars. I had told him it was time to have some mechanical work done on the old car we had.  He wanted to know why I wanted to have the mechanic work on it.  He wanted to…

Recently I was watching a popular TV show – CSI.  It seems to be the rage.  Partially because of the intrigue and perhaps somewhat because it fuels the curiosity of people to know and to discover.  God made us that way – with the insatiable urge to know and to discover new things.  During the TV show, the investigators…

Going on eastwards with a cord in his hand, the man measured one thousand cubits, and then led me through the water; and it was ankle-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was knee-deep. Again he measured one thousand, and led me through the water; and it was…

I had the joy of driving my children to school occasionally when they were young. Before jumping out of the car, sometimes I’d ask, “What’s your last name?” “Dad! You know my last name,” they would retort. I’d press, “What’s your last name?”  With a roll-of-the eyes, or a sigh, they would say, “Mannoia.”  “Good! Don’t ever forget…

Holiness describes the complete otherness of God’s nature which elicits both fear and attraction from humans in their aspiration to and appropriation of that divine characteristic. Many other themes of Scripture represent an action of God toward people. While the atonement refers to God’s work of satisfying the cost of human sin, mercy represents God’s…

For generations, many people have grown up hearing the word holiness as part of their Christian identification. In some churches, like the Free Methodist Church, that designation seemed at times to eclipse the very calling to be Christ followers. During a big part of the 20th century, it became nearly synonymous with behavioral expectations. We were…

In the changing landscape of American culture, the reality of pluralism confronts Christians and the Church requiring new and adjusted patterns of living our faith. The idea that Judeo-Christian principles will be understood much less accepted de facto is history. In its place varying worldviews, presuppositions, and beliefs about the Divine and humanity are vying…

(Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Glen Scorgie, General Editor. Zondervan. 2011.) The holiness movement describes a spiritual current within the 19th and early 20th century church emphasizing the work of the Holy Spirit in the experience of sanctification as well as social engagement. Attaining heart purity and the filling of the Holy Spirit were prominent themes within the…