I love this! Pulled this off Facebook the other day and thought I would pass it on with some comment and an idea or two or . . . (we’ll see). It is the latest attempt to try to do something that is kind of a “pay-it-forward” and hope it goes viral. So, first, the … More Loving Neighbors at Christmas
Tomorrow I am meeting with a church planter looking for a mentor. He contacted me last week and tomorrow I will get my first chance to assess him, his plan, his vision, and, most of all, his guts and passion. I don’t know what I will find. But before I go any further let me … More Wanted: Church Planters with Guts and Passion
Stunning survey of seminary graduates now serving in the pastorate. “A leading seminary recently surveyed its graduates to discover where it might better address any deficencies in its program. The questionaire asked its alumni to identify the one area in which they wish they had received better instruction. After three or four years of intenses … More How Do Such Men Lead the Church?
We are to become a people who live passionately for and like Jesus. If we aren’t becoming that, something is wrong. The C.S. Lewis quote above comes the article “True Conversion and Wholehearted Commitment: Foundations of Discipleship” by Thomas A. Tarrants, III, Directory of Ministry, C.S. Lewis Institute.
The American Church is losing the war. I’m not thinking of the cultural war, or the war against abortion, or the war against same-sex marriage, or the war being waged against the faith of our children, or the war for respect among the elites in the media. I’m thinking of a much more important war … More The American Church is Losing the War.
I am currently taking our church leaders (we call them elders) through a study on the biblical concept of an elder’s roles and duties. This morning we met at 6:15 for prayer and study, working through the last pages of lesson 3 in the Biblical Eldership Mentor’s Guide by Alexander Strauch and Richard Swartley. It … More The Spontaneous Prayer: How We Learn to Pray
Or, “A Case of Disappering Prayer” “The feature that is supposed to distinguish Christian churches, Christian people, and Christian gatherings is the aroma of prayer. It doesn’t matter what your tradition or my tradition is. The house is not ours anyway; it is the Father’s. Does the Bible ever say anywhere from … More Does Your Church Pray?
Reading with the Pastor Proverbs 2; Psalm 63 and Hebrews 11 Reading Proverbs 2 today with the echo of yesterday’s chapter 1 and a glance across the page at chapters 3 and 4, I am struck by the concern Solomon displays for his son’s growth in wisdom and discernment. 1:8 “Hear, my son … More What Does a Thirsty Soul Want?
“Visit a church on Sunday morning—almost any will do—and you will likely find a congregation comfortably relating to a deity who fits nicely within precise doctrinal positions, or who lends almighty support to social crusades, or who conforms to individual spiritual experiences. But you will not likely find much awe or sense of mystery. The … More The Trivialization of God (and the Church)
6 I am weary with my sighing; . Every night I make my bed swim, . I dissolve my couch with my tears. 7 My eye has wasted away with grief; . It has become old because of all my adversaries. (Psalm 6, NASB) No, David didn’t weep … More I Am Weary with My Weeping
