Pascal and Pentecostalism.

June 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Touching God

The first time I walked into a Pentecostal church as a sixteen-year-old, I didn’t know quite what to expect. Entering First Assembly of God (AG) in Columbia, South Carolina that Sunday morning in 1975, was different than anything I had ever experienced; I could feel a sense of excitement, freedom, and spontaneity. Then, I heard something I had never heard before in a church service … voices projected other than the pastor’s; audible gifts of the Spirit operating amidst seasons of worship, prophecies, prayers for healing and, yes, speaking in tongues. And, on that day it honestly was the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Belief, Bible, Christ, Church, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Journey, joy, Mystery, Pentecostal, Pentecostalism, Pneumatology, Power, Prayer, Pride, Spirit Tagged With: , , , , , Leave a Comment

Elephant-Hunting in 2013.

January 5, 2013 By Leave a Comment
elephant

  When an elephant is in the room, hunt him down … but be careful and be prayerful. We have all experienced those times in discussions with our friends over coffee or over the phone where the “elephant” shows up … haven’t we? Or it may be right in the middle of a staff or team meeting at work or at church, when all of a sudden there he is – that crazy “elephant.” He’s baaaack! The “elephants” in the room are the issues of truth that arise in and around our lives and relationships that we tend to avoid. Of course, the main reason we avoid them is to simply … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bible, Church, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict, Grace, Power, Truth, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Rick Warren’s Questions for Obama & Romney

September 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
Mark Brown

One of the most unique moments in the 2008 presidential election year in America was not only the selection of our first African-American president, there was another moment. When Pastor Rick Warren opened the doors of Saddleback Church to then Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain for the first-ever Civil Forum on the Presidency, it was something special. You may have heard by now that Warren has cancelled this year’s forum due to the incivility already evidenced from the candidates and their respective campaigns. He said in a recent interview that “to pretend civility … would be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: America, Bible, Democrat, Election, leadership, Marriage, Politics, Power, Presidents, Republican, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

John Piper on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit

June 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
piper(1)

John Piper (who is not a Pentecostal but a Reformed Noncessationist) says... "Now the positive thing I want to say about the moderate Pentecostal teaching (represented by the Bennets, i.e., Dennis & Rita) is that it is right to stress the experiential reality of receiving the Spirit. When you read the New Testament honestly, you can't help but get the impression of a big difference from a lot of contemporary Christian experience. For them the Holy Spirit was a fact of experience... I think that being baptized with the Holy Spirit (the way Luke means it) is not the same as being born … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Belief, Charismatic, Holy Spirit, Pentecostal, Pentecostalism, Pneumatology, Power, Spirit Tagged With: , , , , , , Leave a Comment

When Leaders Overestimate Themselves.

May 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
NebuchadnezzarHR

After years of serving in various roles as a leader and alongside other leaders, I have come to believe that the two most common mistakes made by leaders are overestimating themselves and underestimating their responsibilities to the people they serve. This dangerous combination all too often fuels the foolish behavior of overstepping or overreaching as a leader. Among the ranks of American presidents, some would say that George H.W. Bush overstepped when he said, “Read my lips…” and then created new taxes. Others would assert that Bill Clinton underestimated his responsibility when … [Read more...]

Filed Under: America, Bible, Humility, leadership, Power, Presidents, Pride, Prosperity, Sin, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , Leave a Comment

The Real Power of Leadership

April 21, 2012 By 1 Comment
Power Button

Power.  We are obsessed with it.  Our lives are constantly affected by it.  Our homes are vulnerable to it.  And yes, our churches, businesses and schools are constantly exposed to it.  Just think for a moment of how much “power” permeates our lives and thoughts today – Power lunches, power ties, power plays, power moves, power books, power-tools, power psychology, self-empowerment; these themes and more fill our offices, businesses and bookshelves in America.  Power is big business.  Some believe that leadership is about having (and using) … power. THE LOVE OF … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Bible, Boomers, Following, Giving, Jesus, leadership, Power, Servanthood, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment