Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
Recently, Adam Weber, pastor of Embrace Church (a United Methodist Church) posted a prayer on Twitter that has stuck with me … Lord, please use us to make your name great. #thefamousOne — adamweber (@adamweber) December 6, 2013 This prayer, and this attitude, is essential for staying humble and hungry. Focusing on God’s greatness keeps … Read more
Recently, I was reading in Exodus 20 and the words describing what followed the giving of the Ten Commandments grabbed my attention … 18 All the people were seeing the thundering and the lightning, and heard the sound of the horn, and saw the mountain smoking—and when the people saw it they trembled with fear … Read more
Recently, I re-read Exodus 18 where Moses receives a visit by his father-in-law, Jethro. It’s a well-known story, especially among Christian leaders. It’s often used to make a case for team-building and delegation. After observing Moses do all of the work by himself, Jethro advises Moses to find and equip capable people to share the … Read more
As I look back over the past twenty-five years of following Jesus, clearly my greatest passion has been God’s mission — engaging in it and leading others to engage in it, too! I’ve always been challenged by Jesus’ first words after the resurrection: “As the Father sent me, so I am sending you!” (John 20.21, … Read more
When we encounter adversity, we naturally want to get through it as quickly as possible. When we get knocked down, we want to get back up and get on with it as quickly as possible! But, often, it simply takes time, sometimes a long time, to get through seasons of adversity! It’s easy to lose … Read more
Well, you’ve heard the stories of the Lost Coin, the Lost Sheep, and the Lost Son (see Luke 15). On Saturday, we experienced the story of the Lost Blanket! Last week, our family went to annual conference, a gathering of pastors and lay members from each church or charge in the conference. We arrived Wednesday … Read more
One of the things I’ve discovered over the years that stirs my passion for God is listening to praise and worship music! In Ephesians 5.18-19, the Apostle Paul wrote … Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: speak to each other with psalms, hymns, … Read more
Have you ever gotten a makeover? Makeovers aren’t just for your face and hair or even for your house. They are also for your mind! The dictionary definition of transform is … to make someone or something completely different, usually in a way that makes them more attractive, easier to use, etc. When I think … Read more
I’ve said during a couple different worship services in recent years, there’ll be no questions in heaven … only gratitude! That’s certainly not to make light of the questions we have now or the difficulties any of us face. Certainly, in this life, there are many, many questions, many things we simply don’t or can’t … Read more
I’ve always loved the book of Psalms. I am often reading through the psalms. In fact, in the earlier days of my journey, I followed what I heard was Billy Graham’s system for reading Psalms and Proverbs (5 psalms and 1 chapter of Proverbs per day, reading through each book once a month). I want … Read more