iCLT

“11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up” Ephesians 4:11-12 Virginia Mennonite Conference (VMC) has been buffeted by the departure of our Executive Conference Minister and significant theological tension over…

COMPASSION’S HARVEST “When [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38 I…

Too Late? Too Soon? Just the right time? “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children of God” Matthew 5:9 As the interim conference leadership team is in the middle of things, a little over halfway through our two-year term, I have been reflecting on the question “What is it too soon…

Hope Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope…

Stacking and Layering Trust, a verb. “to rely on the truthfulness or accuracy of: Believe” “to place confidence in: rely on” “to hope or expect confidently” Mirriam-Webster I can’t say that I disagree with Mirriam-Webster, but the definition is ambiguous. If trust is a verb, what does it look like in progress? How is trust…

POST SUMMER ASSEMBLY THOUGHTS I know I can speak for all of iCLT when I write that all of us took a deep breath and exhaled following our 2023 Summer Assembly. Perhaps many of you did as well. When asked how the assembly went, I answered that our worship was great, the mission stories were…

Abiding in the Vine According to John 15:4-5 in the Common English Bible (CEB), it is emphasized that remaining in Christ and having Christ remain in us is essential. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own but must stay connected to the vine, we too cannot bear fruit unless we remain in…

I Wonder . . the Emmaus Road “Stay with us. And Jesus stayed with them…” Luke 24:29 With these words we left the Emmaus Road story that framed the Winter Delegate Assembly. We took with us the broken pieces in the form of clay shards. I wonder how Jesus has stayed with you in the…