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 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…
Photo by youssef naddam on Unsplash “I lift my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep” Psalm 121:1-4…
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash Confession: I do not read or study the art or craft of preaching as regularly as I should. Though I’m not entirely sure what “regularly” is, I am quite sure that it’s more often than what I’m currently doing. That being said, Meditations on Preaching by Francis James Grimké has been a…
Photo credit belongs to Patrick Fore. Almost 15 years ago I heard Dr. Chad Brand from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary say that he had read the Bible through something like thirty times. I was amazed, challenged, encouraged, and motivated. At that time, I had been in ministry about three years and I’m ashamed to…
Thanks to Samuel Martins for sharing their work on Unsplash. Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:3, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” What does “poor” mean in this verse? It means… Paupers Beggers Those who live on the bounty of others Those who live by begging Jesus is teaching His…
Photo by Felix Koutchinski on Unsplash A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 Jesus-like wisdom makes us patient people and patient people are forgiving people. Instead of becoming irritated, wise and patient people overlook the sins of others. Q: What does it mean to overlook the sin in other…
Measuring spiritual growth appears to be an unspiritual endeavor but it is indeed spiritual and a Jesus-honoring endeavor. We see Paul telling the believers in Thessalonica to keep doing good and excel at it (see 1 Thessalonians 4:10), as well as Jesus exhorting His disciples to bear much fruit (see John 15:1-8). And the references…
Theology Along the Way 