If you had to choose one word to describe how you feel entering 2022, which word would you choose? A word that comes to my mind is HOPEFUL. I know that may seem crazy after the last two years we’ve experienced through COVID and the...
"15 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others " Acts...
A friend shared with me, 1 Cor. 4 and pastor David and I discussed it in our meeting time this week. He and I shared our own experiences over the years of being persecuted, rejected, criticized and suffering in many different ways for the gospel....
We must manage the organization where people gather to worship, be on mission, planting churches, sending mission teams around the world, supporting human resources, marketing, building permits, easements, fundraising, tax law, corporation regulations, irrigation, and fire codes are all part of creating a launching...
It has been five years. I came here to a church that I knew could die in three years. God has blessed us with 5. I also know that there will be more to go because this is a church in revitalization. Sometimes Satan tries...
A tale of one people and two cities (Gilead/Jerusalem) and the story that takes them to be one church in Christ. There may be some burdens you've carried that you need to let go of, some battles you still need to fight, in order to claim the...
A couple good links on the growing Elder movement among SBC churches specifically relating to greater commitment to biblical innerancy and the sufficiency of Scripture in the last decade post "church-growth movement". www.billcraig.org http://www.bpnews.net/17638/elders-in-baptist-churches-conference-examines-the-idea https://www.9marks.org/article/what-members-are-asking-about-elders/ The below is an article by Frank Page regarding Page Patterson in SBC Life...
In John's letter Jesus writes to the Church in Ephesus. He says there is a problem and if you don't fix it, I'm going the pull the plug on your lamp...
1 Corinthians 12:26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. There was a mouse looking through a hole in the wall, in his shock he sees the the farmer and his wife open a package. In that package...
As I have worked with so many, some close to Jesus others far off and those from both sides whom seem redemption is still a question mark , I try to be mindful of what CS Lewis says. Mindful that the person who seems to...
Biblical Unity. What is it? Unity in spirit, says Bonhoeffer, is from God's sovereign establishment, from his book, Life Together. Thus He views her as a collective person. This collective person has been entrusted to the elders, prophets, priests and kings to help guide her in...
Neighborhood is our mission especially when our neighbors are poor. Reaching our neighbor is not an option. The Bible couldn't be more clear with what our mission is on this. Several years ago I started writing about integrating missions into small groups, A Group For Me....
Listen here Obedience in religion is very different than obedience in Christianity. What is your reason for Obeying God? How you answer this question will determine whether you can live in joy or live in frustration. How do you know if you are living religious obedience or...
We can sometimes struggle with our own worth. We can think too much of ourselves or too little. Both can prove to be dangerous positions, but it is amazing how something as simple as a blade of gras can teach us something so powerful about...
Do you know what matters most to God? If you said "me", well you'd be wrong. Yes, Jesus died for you (John 3:16) Yes, you were designed for a purpose (Ephesians 2:10). One might surmise that we matter most to God. Yes, He did give...