You get asked some really interesting questions in a lifetime of ministry. Here’s one that a friend asked. “Marty, what is the most important thing you have written?” I’m not sure if I have written anything that is “important.” I’m a writer because it helps me think, not because I “commit acts of literature” when … More Adventuring with Jesus
Six principles to spend a lifetime thinking about Mention the word discipleship in the average church, and the mind will rush to thoughts of deepening—deepening believers in the grace and knowledge of Christ. Great goal. Great thought. Pretty soon, the conversation will move to questions of how to do it and what to use to … More Building Men Like Jesus
I was sitting in Panera with a young man, a plumber by trade, married with no children, who is also a new believer in Christ. He is so in love with Jesus and eager to grow that every meeting with him encourages my soul. He is raw, sometimes it sounds out in his language, but … More She was in her 80’s when she approach me . . .
I had a conversation with a ministry leader today about the need for discipleship in the local church and the inability of some leaders to free themselves of the shackles of the 80’s and 90’s nightmare called “The Church Growth Movement.” I told them the story of sitting in a Team 500 meeting of the … More Confusing Effects for Foundations
Forty-plus years ago, I became a husband. My bride continues to surprise me with new mercies, so too does my own sinfulness and ability to get irritated over nothing, literally nothing, even after so many years of grace. We are different and sometimes the sandpaper of relationship is even now, resistant . Every day that … More Surprises Abound After Fifty Years
“Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”Matthew 4:19 Proposal: Encourage every SBC in America to commit one-eight-hour day a month by one of its pastors for the next 4 years to praying about, learning about, and planning for the planting of at least one church in the year 2028. Result: The … More A Church Planting Strategy for the SBC
I observed a great pastoral lesson today in the local Panera. I arrived at the restaurant shortly before 9AM. A soccer coach was already sitting with a father and his nine year old son at a table. My appointment with a young man I am discipling went long and by 11:30, I noticed pairs of … More Pastoral Lessons from a Soccer Coach
Are You Loved in Heaven, A Pest on the Earth and Hated in Hell?(Living for Christ in Christ-less Culture) Here are three simple questions that flow from three texts in the New Testament that can be used as a ruler or measuring stick for our discipleship. They aren’t the only tools of measurement, but they … More Loved in Heaven, a Pest on the Earth, and Hated in Hell
This is the path and my new place for getting alone with God. That’s my house in the background. And this is the new path I cut on land I don’t own to a pond that is not mine either. But it is a short walk from my garden and with the chair in a … More Making a Place / Room for God
Years ago, I started using brief snippets of time to challenge people I met with some new thoughts. One of my favorites was to use those brief moments at the counter when I was ordering or paying for the meal at a local restaurant. One day, at a Portillo’s in a Chicago suburb, there were … More “What are You Living For?”
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