Articles
Longing for Revival
It’s important to long for revival for a few reasons: First, it has some biblical basis. The Psalmist prays, “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” It’s right there: a prayer for the revival of the Jewish people and their...
What Scripture Says About Women and Authority
While there are several levels to calling and various ways God can extend a leadership call, nowhere does the Bible teach that either gifts or secondary callings are bestowed according to gender. In fact, women preached, prophesied, and led in both the...
Passion to Cynicism in 4 to 6 Years Flat!
Do you remember what it was like when you first became a pastor? Do you remember the zeal you had? Do you remember how you thought you couldn’t love people any more then you did then? It’s kind of like having your first child. It is so incredibly...
Build a Directory Team
So, you’ve been handed the job title of “directory administrator.” The job at hand can feel daunting and overwhelming, especially if you feel all the responsibility lies on your shoulders. But this is a great opportunity to remind yourself that you don’t...
Perfect Church
We give our money and things when there is a need that we can meet: *Don’t bail out on this when you get angry. Just keep reading and finish it. And then if you are still angry, please reach out and begin a discussion. Contact info is listed at the...
How to Reach Millennials with Your Sermons
Millennials are one of the largest demographic groups in America, yet they are one of the hardest groups for pastors to reach. Barna Group has done some interesting research into what millennials like and dislike about church. Their findings reveal some of the values...
Another Way to Spell CARE
The number of blogs and articles related to growing volunteers in the church is simply astounding. Yet, every pastor and church staff member knows that there is no 5-step model, 6 ways, or 3 keys solution to growing volunteers and to exterminating the...
Prayer is Not Just for the Spiritually Elite
For many, a life of prayer and spiritual depth is not for them. It’s not that they do not desire it; it’s that they believe it is out of reach. There’ve been too many false starts in their spiritual life. A lot of well-intentioned declarations of...
A Short Sermon by the Devil on Improving The Minister’s Image in the Community
https://soundcloud.com/pastorresources/a-short-sermon-by-the-devil My Fellow Fakers, I have assembled you here today for the purpose of preaching a short sermon on an amazingly effective way to improve the public image of a Christian minister in most...
Five Christian ways to handle an election year
You may be a political junkie, searching out every possible partisan nugget in media and among friends, and looking forward to the bare-knuckled skirmishes of the new election year. Or you may find the sharp rhetoric and endless parsing of political...
Our God is a Relational God
https://soundcloud.com/pastorresources/becoming-whole Before we can heal the brokenness in the world, we must diagnose the deeper issues of what causes brokenness. We must understand who God is, why He created humankind and what causes people to change....
Humor in the Church
Believe it or not, this subject has sparked some controversy and theological debate among many pastors and theologians in the past. Some have taken the approach that Christianity is supposed to be a serious endeavor and, therefore, should not include...
Ignorance is Dominant
Having just come through the Christmas season I thought it would be a good time to look at an age old debate that always resurfaces during that time. I am speaking of the use of “Xmas” rather than “Christmas”. As any of you who have been in Christianity...
Angry at Your Spouse? Six ways to handle this emotion productively.
“I don’t ever remember losing my temper until I got married.” All married couples experience anger. The tragedy is that thousands of couples never learn how to process anger productively. Marriage becomes a battlefield, each spouse accusing the other of...
Everything Old Is New Again
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. —John 15:12-13 God has given me wonderful women to link arms with every step of the way. But I’ve also run the gamut of...
The Power of Forgiveness
When we’ve been hurt, when we’ve been battered, sometimes anger and bitterness give us a sense of control. But the truth is, our bitterness and anger often control us. They keep our perpetrators close at hand, keep the wrongs they’ve done to us in the...
Sacred Endurance
The trashcan was full of CDs, and I was convinced it was for the best. It was a small act, really, but one that was significant to this music-loving gal. A year or so after I became a Christian at twenty-three, I had thrown all of my CDs in the trash. I would...
Settling…A Little
Without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. —Hebrews 11:6 ESV I dream big, I pray big, and I don’t settle for anything. If I pray for someone to be...
How Do YOU Spell Care?
All churches focus on missions, right? All churches support missionaries, right? All churches care for missionaries, right? Probably not exactly, though no church (or pastor) wants to admit where there might be some gaps in the care being given to the...
Hero to Zero – I’m Just Trying to Help!
“Papa is a hero!” Don’t you just love grandkids? You can almost do no wrong. My wife, Diane and I recently took 4 of our grandkids, ages 6-8 to a local fast-food establishment which had a small indoor play space. After ordering their food, they threw off...
