Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
The Church needs favor! I’m writing a series of prayers for the Church, offering a prayer on a different topic each week. So far, I’ve prayed for awakening, transformational leaders, urgency, hope, health, compassion, action, unity, and power. With God’s favor, anything is possible! O God, we belong to you. You have called us and … Read more
The Church needs power! I’m writing a series of prayers for the Church, offering a prayer on a different topic each week. So far, I’ve prayed for awakening, transformational leaders, urgency, hope, health, compassion, action, and unity. Jesus said … you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will … Read more
Praying Circles Around Your Children by Mark Batterson is a great resource for parents who want to pray for their kids! Last year, I read The Circle Maker, also by Mark Batterson. I wrote several posts about it; the last one includes links to all of the posts in the series (see 5 Takeaways From … Read more
The Church needs unity! I’m writing a series of prayers for the Church, offering a prayer on a different topic each week. So far, I’ve prayed for awakening, transformational leaders, urgency, hope, health, compassion, and action. In John 17, Jesus prayed for all who would ever follow him … I pray they will be one, … Read more
One of the most important things parents do is teach their children valuable skills they’ll use throughout their lives. “Train children in the way they should go; when they grow old, they won’t depart from it.” (Proverbs 22.6, CEB). There’s no greater skill than praying! As parents, we want our kids to have a vital … Read more
The Church needs to be a people of action! I’m writing a series of prayers for the Church, offering a prayer on a different topic each week. So far, I’ve prayed for awakening, transformational leaders, urgency, hope, health, and compassion. Scripture makes clear that faith and action go hand in hand. One example is James … Read more
Last night, at the end of the first session of our Bishop’s Retreat, I led our clergy family in a time of prayer and reflection. Here’s the gist of what I said. Leadership and ministry often involves a lot of running. Unfortunately, too much running makes it hard to have a healthy soul! And, a … Read more
The church needs compassion! I’m writing a series of prayers for the Church, offering a prayer on a different topic each week. So far, I’ve prayed for awakening, transformational leaders, urgency, hope, and health. Yesterday, I wrote, God, Break Our Hearts! Asking God to break our hearts for what breaks God’s heart is a prayer … Read more
I’ve always loved the description of Jesus’ ministry in Matthew 9.35-38 … 35 Jesus traveled among all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, announcing the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness. 36 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them because they were troubled … Read more
Life isn’t easy. We need a guide, a compass, a way to live. Last summer, I was reading through the Psalms, and a verse from Psalm 86 jumped out at me. Teach me your way, Lord, so that I can walk in your truth. Make my heart focused only on honoring your name. (Psalm 86.11, … Read more