Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
We bear fruit when we stay connected to Jesus! Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, then you will produce much fruit” (John 15.5a, CEB). We can’t produce fruit on our own. We produce fruit by staying connected to God. Jesus said, “you … Read more
Last month, I found myself saying, “I don’t just want to pastor a church; I want to lead a movement!” That sentiment has shaped my first sermon series of the year: Cultivating a Movement. So far, I’ve talked about Surrender and Rely on God’s Power. Another area that’s vital to being a people God can … Read more
I’m working through a sermon series at Centre Grove called, Cultivating a Movement (which was the focus of my latest prayer for the Church). I want to be part of a movement for God. My working definition for a movement is simply a people God can move through, a church God can use! I started … Read more
We just returned from the 2014 Bishop’s Retreat for Our Clergy Family, which was held in Lancaster, PA. The retreat is for pastors and their families from our conference. Tracy Radosevic, this year’s presenter, is a storyteller, and she was excellent. Tracy spoke often about, and from the perspective of, the Network of Biblical Storytellers. … Read more
Last Sunday, I began a sermon series called Cultivating a Movement. It’s a series designed to help us put ourselves in a place where God can move in and through us. The series will last several weeks. It won’t be an exhaustive list, and it’s certainly not intended to be a formula, because I don’t … Read more
As I wrote previously, I just started a sermon series at Centre Grove on Cultivating a Movement. The series began with a focus on surrender. The word “surrender” has mostly negative connotations—on the battlefield, in the political arena, on the sports field, and in life, in general. But in the spiritual life, surrender is essential. … Read more
I just started a new sermon series called, “Cultivating a Movement.” A few weeks ago, I wrote in an email to church leaders and prayer partners, “I don’t just want to pastor a church; I want to lead a movement!” Now, that may not be the most theologically-accurate statement. By nature, a church is a … Read more
The Church requires followers of Jesus who are growing in every way more and more like Jesus! One of the passages of Scripture that drives my understanding of ministry is Ephesians 4.11-16. In this passage, Paul describes church leadership in terms of equipping God’s people for ministry, and includes a phrase that I have come … Read more
One of my favorite books is The Circle Maker. That should come as no surprise. I’ve written seven posts about the book (last one here, with links to the previous ones). In the book, Batterson writes … Maybe one of the reasons we get frustrated in prayer is our ASAP approach. When our prayers aren’t … Read more
There’s been a movement in recent years to focus on one word for a year. Jon Gordon has written a book called One Word That Will Change Your Life (see also getoneword.com). Gordon was on the NBC Today Show on New Year’s Day discussing the power of one word. Last year, my word was cultivate. … Read more