Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash If you were to ask ten pastors the question of what constitutes success in ministry you would undoubtedly get ten different answers. Each response may have some similarities with other responses but I imagine that the thrust of what each person said would be distinctly different. Is success in ministry proportionate to…
Personally, I believe that’s a question a believer should regularly ask concerning any sin in their life? What differences does Jesus’ death make with regards to my lust, bitterness, lying, pride, and others sin? The answer to that question is crucial to making no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:14) and walking in holiness (1…
Photo by Marcelo Leal on Unsplash Listen to Pastor Nick Sandefur of the Porter Memorial Baptist Church in Lexington, Kentucky discuss some details on the important work of revitalizing a local church. Listen here. In summary, he gives several characteristics of a healthy work of revitalization: The necessity of an unwavering commitment to truth. A passion and commitment…
Heuristics is a fancy name for “rules of thumb” or principles. Joe Carter and John Coleman share several heuristics in their book How To Argue Like Jesus: Learning Persuasion From History’s Greatest Communicator that “illuminate more fully the character of Christ’s communication and can have an enormous impact on the ways in which you communicate with others”…
Photo by Jeremy Perkins on Unsplash This past Sunday I made the statement that the underlying reason for our sinful behavior, thoughts, affections, and words stems from unbelief. For sure this unbelief manifests itself in a lot of ways but I humbly believe it is an overflow of not believing the truth and promises of God’s Word and…
Photo by Ian Kim on Unsplash What does this mean? Failing backward means… A person fails backward because he/she is lazy and doesn’t want to bother themselves with knowing what they need to know in order to get the job done. That’s failing backward. A person fails backward because he/she is arrogant. They wrongly think they have all…
Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash Pain, suffering, disappointments, and hardships can only be effectively managed and sorted through within the context of community. I believe that with all my being. I may not live up to that truth; at times, I try to wade through my pain, suffering, disappointments, and hardships on my own…the typical “lone-ranger Christian”…
Photo by Oliver Sjöström on Unsplash According to the CDC, just over 70% of American adults are considered overweight or obese. So if you struggle with overeating and under-exercising, in the words of Paul, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.” Inherent to this struggle with the scale is the motivation to pursue and…
Photo by rawpixel.com from Pexels Philip Yancey in this book Reaching for the Invisible God comments that Basil of Caesarea’s faith was “ambidextrous” because he simultaneously held God’s blessings in his right hand and life’s difficulties in his left hand. He trusted that God was good and would accomplish His good purposes through pain and…
Here are 4 short posts I found helpful as I think about my leadership, both in the home and at the local church where I serve: Here’s a post from Dr. Chuck Lawless on 12 questions that church leaders should discuss. Read here. Self-awareness is key for a leader. A leader needs to continually ask…
Theology Along the Way 