5 practices I wish I did more passionately (not just before Easter)
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash If you were to make your own list what would be on it?
Octavius Winslow: What is prayer?
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;…
Is it really OK for protestant evangelicals to participate in Lent? Brief word from Pastor Luke Simmons
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,…
I don’t think I’ll make it in life without good friends.
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…
The more devoted an individual is to God, the more prayer there will be.
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…
A Prayer for My Unbelieving Friends
I have dear friends that are not Christians. The greatest, most on-going pain in my life is the reality that there are people that I love, family members and friends who are in many ways even closer than family, who reject Christ. I have spent hours with them trying to point them toward Christ. Dinners…
Success in ministry = big church, multi-staff, big budgets, speaking engagements…right?!?
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…
Two Crucial Ways to Pray for Your Pastor
As a husband, dad of four, pastor of a church, and Ph.D student (in that order!), people often ask me how they can pray for me. There must be something in my eyes that cries out, “Help!” Most of the time, my answer reflects whatever is most pressing on my mind at that moment. Busy…
Why Won’t God Answer My Prayer?
God answers impossibly big prayers. Throughout the New Testament both Jesus and the apostles invite those who follow Jesus to pray and ask for impossibly big things with the assurance that God is inclined to answer. So why do we so often see prayers go unanswered? Can we do anything about it? These promises about…
5 behaviors I wish I did every week (not just leading up to Easter)
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…
Theology Along the Way 