Lest We Forget God’s Love
Over the last decade, I have become increasingly aware of God’s supremacy in all things. Through study, conversation, circumstance, and spiritual maturation, the sovereign rule and reign of Christ as Savior and Lord has propelled me to a loftier view of God. This is not wrong; however, this paradigm shift has caused my view of God’s love and the...
Sermon Illustrations and the Pastor’s Wife
I have an insatiable passion to find just the right sermon illustration (maybe it comes from my magic background). I have dones things that are a bit unconventional at times in order to make a point - such as buy a straight jacket online, light something on fire, put goldfish in a blender, and many other crazy things. Every time...
Prayer of Honesty: God of Jacob?
Dear God of Abraham, Isaac and - of all people - Jacob? Why are you his God? Why did you bless such a dirty rotten scoundrel? Why did you wrestle with him instead of killing him? Why? You are not fair God. You don’t move the way I would expect you to. You don’t play by the rules. You are not like the rest of us. But I...
Swindoll on Spurgeon and Pastoral Criticism
My sister sent me this article, and I felt it was something that needed to be shared. For more resources from Chuck Swindoll visits www.Insight.org. Spurgeon's Channel of Encouragement by Charles R. Swindoll Read Matthew 5:10--12 Charles Haddon Spurgeon remains one of the most colorful and gifted preachers in the history of the church. Any man who loves to preach and desires to cultivate...
Pot Calling the Kettle Black: Dispel Hypocrisy
I bet you’ve heard this phrase before, “The pot calling the kettle black.” This idiom was probably coined back in the day when pots and kettles were used over wood-burning stoves and the longer they hung over the fire, the blacker their bottoms would become—so a pot and a kettle used over the same stove would be equally as...
Amazed By Christ, Changed Forever
It was a discouraging morning. Peter, James and John had been fishing all night and come back empty handed. As a fisherman, there is nothing that will suck the wind out of your sails more than having an unsuccessful fishing trip. Often when you are discouraged (or even slightly embarrassed), the last person you want to talk to, yet...
“Touch Base Weekly” – A Way to Check Up On Your Staff Without Overwhelming Them
When I served as the Associate Pastor for a large church I needed a way to connect with all my staff each week. In the same way, not that I am leading a smaller church, I want to ensure my staff feel cared for. Therefore I created a simple email process I refer to as "Touch Base Weekly." It...
My Socks & the Sovereignty of God
It was bone-chilling cold outside, as most nights are in Chicago. I had just gotten off from waiting tables at a restaurant on Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile and was making the trek back to my apartment. I was disappointed that my tips were nothing more than a measly nineteen dollars. I just wanted to get home and have a...
Honesty: The Means to Having More of God
So how do honesty and grace connect? The grace of God is the very thing that allows us to be honest with God. If it were not for His grace – the combination of his unconditional love and his unrelenting mercy – we would not be able to say the things to God we need to say. Because He...
Church Incident Report Form
If you have worked in a church, you are aware that ministry is messy. There are times where things happen that require a record for liability reasons. I've created this form and it have served as an adequate tool for capturing what needs to be captured for events of great enough magnitude to require it. I hope it is...
How to Love a Prostitute and The Way God Loves Me
Perhaps one of the most unique of all the Minor Prophets is Hosea. Within the Bible pages is an unhappy love story that illustrates the loyal love of God and the spiritual adultery of Israel. Hosea’s wife, Gomer, is used as a reflection of Israel and its wicked and sinful state that is so vastly contrast from God’s holiness....
Words: The Currency of Honesty
Being honest means that we use words to express what reality is to us (more feeling to fact). On the other hand, hypocrisy (or image management, as I call it) means that we use words to cover up what reality is. In the world of honesty words are the currency. However, there are many counterfeit expressions that have been...