Follow Jesus. Lead the church. Change the world.
If you’ve been following church-related news lately, you know The United Methodist Church is in turmoil. Some are even calling for schism, seeing no way out of the current mess. The best thing we can do, though, at this point, is PRAY. That’s what the Aldersgate Covenant is planning to do. They have called a … Read more
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 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
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
What an exciting time! And, what an incredible opportunity for the Church as we celebrate Christmas—God’s rescue mission to save the world! As the Church prepares to celebrate Jesus’ birth, and offer Christ, over the next few days, here’s what I find myself praying. O God, thank you for your great love, and for sending … Read more
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
The Church must have people with receptive hearts! In telling the parable of the soils, this is how Jesus described “good soil” … The seed scattered on good soil are those who hear the word and embrace it. They bear fruit, in one case a yield of thirty to one, in another case sixty to … Read more
The Church needs to give up control and let God be in charge. It’s his Church after all. I read a prayer in The Circle Maker by Mark Batterson (see 5 Takeaways From “The Circle Maker”), which has stuck with me ever since I read it: “Lord, do something unpredictable and uncontrollable.” It’s a scary … Read more
The Church needs patience and persistence! I invite you to pray with me for the Church as I continue my way through a series of prayer posts. See links to previous prayers below. The Church needs patience because it usually takes time to experience transformation. It takes time to lead transformation and to shape (or … Read more