I recently finished Tyler Staton’s book, “Praying Like Monks, Living Like Fools.” There are some books that I trudge through by the sheer power of pride so that I can say, “I read that book.” Yes, I realize that’s not a good motivation! I’m growing in giving myself permission to simply put a book aside…
Octavius Winslow (1808–1878) was an English non-conformist who was once a Baptist pastor who later turned to the Anglican communion. He has numerous writings available through Banner of Truth here. I recently ran across how Octavius defines prayer and wanted to share it here. “True prayer is the aspiration of a renewed soul towards God;…
Throughout the history of Christianity, followers of Jesus have consistently stated what they believe. This makes sense given that Christianity isn’t a vague religion with undefined doctrine. There are specific truth claims and particular doctrinal beliefs that mark Christianity off as distinct from other world religions. Where are these truth claims found? In the Bible,…
Lent is first mentioned in the fifth canon produced at the Council of Nicea (canons were practical directions in addition to the Creed). Nicea took place when the Christian church was unified — before the East/West split of 1054, & before the Reformation in 1517. In this fifth canon, Lent is not explained, just mentioned,…
One of my favorite leadership expressions says that if you think you’re leading people but no one is following, you’re not leading – you’re just taking a walk. A surefire way to get people to stop following is to be demanding and correct them constantly without offering profuse encouragement. As Mark Chanski says in his…
Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash Trust is crucial for influence and credibility. Oren Harari in The Powell Principles: 24 Lessons from Colin Powell, a Legendary Leader shares a good word on establishing trust that’s essential for leaders to learn. People are inclined to trust those who… Are competent – individuals who have relevant knowledge and experience and…
I can’t overstate the gift that friends have been in my life. It’s not that I didn’t appreciate or value friendships in the past, it’s more of me coming to an understanding that I will not make it without friends. Read that sentence again. I mean it. Friendships are a gift of Jesus that have…
My bride and I love our kids. Honestly. We enjoy hugging and kissing them. We enjoy holding their hands, though they’re quickly seeing that I’m not nearly as cool as they once thought I was! We love seeing them smile and hearing them laugh. We love when they ask questions about Jesus, truth, the Bible…
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash Pray. Sure, I pray every week but there is more intensity and frequency in my prayer life leading up to Easter. And I pray with more expectancy, too. Invite liberally. I don’t know how many people I invited to our services at Easter, but I’m certain it was more than what I…
No one enjoys feeling trapped. When you feel trapped, you feel suffocated, pressed in, like there’s no way to escape. Many Christians live feeling like they are trapped in sin. While we experience the joy of Christ changing us through the power of the Spirit, there always seems to be certain sins from which each…
Adultery doesn’t just happen. More often than not, there’s a slow drip of relational disconnectedness and over months and years, the drip becomes a cascade of deep, relational conflict culminating in the decision to commit adultery. A Christian needs to be aware of the chain of events that often leads to adultery and realize that this…
Theology Along the Way 