The first month of pastoral ministry has been exciting and eye-opening. I love teaching the Word of God, and He has blessed me with a congregation that “hungers and thirsts for the Word” (Matthew 5:6). We started our journey with a discussion of salvation and the fact that God so loved us that He gave…
Read moreTruth Regardless of the Cost
My message to my congregation last week was about God’s love for all of us. As followers of Christ, we are called to live out that love and share it with others. The world is in an upheaval, but we are not to live in fear or worry. We are not to be conformed to…
Read moreGod’s Truth vs The Big Lie
“Your word is truth” (John 17:17). “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God proceeded to form the atmosphere, heavenly bodies, land, and seas. He created all living things, including man and woman. The more we observe the earth through a truly scientific lens and methodology, the more we can…
Read moreWhat/Who is the Church?
I have written on this subject several times. But today I feel led to address the subject of God’s church from the position of a pastor. A few weeks ago, I was asked to candidate for a small, two-hundred-year-old church. The church had been a member of the United Methodist denomination from its beginning, but…
Read moreWhat Does the Church Do Now?
“The great masquerade of evil has played havoc with all our ethical concepts,” Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I recently rediscovered the writings of an old friend. Dietrich Bonhoeffer faced off with the Nazi party as a theologian, scholar, and spy. The quote above was written from prison and goes on to lament the fact that the culture…
Read moreThe Folly of Speaking Before Praying and Thinking
I came across a quote from one, Barbara Brown Taylor, that emphatically stated Christ died because of the alliance and cooperation of religion and government—in other words, man killed Christ. The warning was ostensibly that if the government and the church get together, they are both lying and trying to take over the world at…
Read moreIrresponsible Church
“Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” (Matthew 7:20; see vss. 15-20) “I grieve to think how that holy name by which we are called must be blasphemed among the heathen, while they see discontented Christians, passionate Christians, resentful Christians, earthly-minded Christians. Yea, to come to what we are apt to count small things,…
Read moreIrresponsible Shepherds
God is very protective of His people. He is a jealous God who is slow to wrath but will avenge the wrong perpetrated on those He loves and will seek vengeance against His adversaries (Nahum 1:2-3). Those of us who have been called to lead and teach His flock need to take notice. We will…
Read moreLet God’s Truth be Your Desire
It is human nature to want to be right when presenting information. The shame of making a mistake or not finding agreement in a presentation is sometimes sobering and can be horrifying. God has taught me a valuable lesson about being “right” or correct in facts that do not have eternal consequences. I can be…
Read moreMy Great Awakening
When I became a follower of Christ in 1980, the experience changed the direction of my life. Most of us who have experienced Christ’s love on a personal level would attest to the same change. During the intervening years, and with varying degrees of success, I have shared my faith and walk with fellow believers…
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