Sunday, September 16th, 2001. A day I would love to have back. Five days after the tragic of events of what is now called “9-11.” I was just over four months into my first pastorate. I was preaching through the Beatitudes in Matthew 5. The scheduled text for that week was “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matthew 5:7). The church was full. Packed. People standing in the back. On a normal Sunday, we averaged 75... Read more
“But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Acts 6:4 If it is true that great sermons are in the eyes and ears of those sitting in the pews; and if that implies the preacher is completely dependent on the Spirit to do the work; then THAT means the preacher’s most important task is to pray for his people. When the disciples chose the first deacons in Acts 6, Luke tells us they did so in order to give... Read more
“Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.†(Matthew 10:1) Have you ever wished you had authority to cast out demons? Me too. Especially when my children are, well, you know… Recently, while thinking about this text and how Jesus sent His followers to those in need, I wondered why He doesn’t do the same thing today. Or does He? Without doubt, Jesus sends His... Read more
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.†(Psalm 119:130) Last week, I wrote about the reality that great sermons are great due to what is going on in the heart, mind, and soul of the person in the pew. Preachers of the Word have an obligation to prepare and set the table for the Spirit to work. However. At the end of the day, we have zero control over the spiritual work that must... Read more
I believe Jesus has given each of His children a portion of His compassion. There is something in each of us that causes us pain in our gut when we think about it. A situation. A person. A group of people. Circumstances. Something that is wrong in the world that we long (hurt) to fix in Jesus’ name. All of us must answer the question, “What is breaking MY heart in the world?” Not your friend’s heart. Not your momma’s.... Read more
Margaret Wolfe Hungerford famously said, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” We all know what that means. One person may think a piece of art is horrendous, while another may be completely taken away by it in awe and wonder. Another way of saying it is, “One person’s trash in another person’s treasure.” I say this to myself every time I have a garage sale. It is amazing to me what some people will buy! They see it as... Read more
If you’re a dad of young children (particularly boys), you are making disciples. Trust me. Making a disciple happens, period. Dads (and moms, but for the sake of this illustration bear with me) make disciples all the time. Next Saturday, notice what shirt or hat your son is wearing. Or, notice the questions he asks you. He’s probably wearing something that represents “your team.” He’s probably asking what time the game starts, or if the team is going to be... Read more
Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty, but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.  Proverbs 14:4 It’s easier not to do the hard work. It’s easier to blame the conditions. It’s easier to blame the hard soil. It’s easier to say you couldn’t get good help. It’s cleaner if you get the ones that don’t get messy. But ease usually leads to lean. It leads to clean and tidy and empty. Empty results. Empty soul.... Read more
Recently, my wife and I had an incredible opportunity to get away for a week at an all-inclusive resort in Cancun, Mexico. We had never been able to do this before, so we were excited, but cautious. People told us how wonderful it was, but in the back our minds said to ourselves, “that sounds too good to be true.†Well let me tell you – everything we heard was TRUE. All-inclusive means – ALL INCLUSIVE! All access – all... Read more
Have you ever noticed the connection between the story of the Good Samaritan and Mary listening to Jesus (while her sister frantically rushed around the house)? Luke, led along by the Holy Spirit, put these stories right next to each other (Luke 10:25-42). In one instance, the religious guys were too busy to give any attention to an obvious ministry need right in front of them. In the other instance, the religious sister was too busy to notice the “one thing that mattered”... Read more
Churched
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