Category Archives: Preaching

What Satan Does to the Ministry: Disguise

“The Wiles of the Devil” series (post #18) For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising … Continue reading

Posted in Angels, Christ's Death, Christ's Resurrection, Deception, Demons, Discernment, Doctrine, Evangelism, God's Word, God's Work, Heaven, Hell, Ministry, Missions, Preaching, Salvation, Satan, Series: "The Wiles of the Devil", Spiritual Warfare, The Devil, The Gospel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Church Boss

The epistles of 2 John and 3 John paint a small corner of a larger picture of what life was like in the early church. Those two epistles speak of how itinerant teachers would travel around to different places and … Continue reading

Posted in Church, God's Work, Headship, Humility, Leadership, Ministry, Pastors, Preaching, Service, Sunday School, Teaching, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

An Interesting Question

I once ministered to an elderly man, a member of my church, who was dying from various health issues. During one of our visits, he asked me a question that no one had ever asked me. His question was, “If … Continue reading

Posted in Backsliding, Belief, Doubt, Eternal Security, Evangelism, Faith, Forgiveness, God's Work, Grace, Ministry, Personal, Preaching, Salvation, Service, Sin, The Gospel, Witnessing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Jesus: The Conservative Icon

“The Jesus You Know” series (post #6) Ed Dobson was about as conservative as conservative gets. In 1979, when Rev. Jerry Falwell founded the Moral Majority (a Religious Right conservative movement that helped Ronald Reagan win the presidency in a … Continue reading

Posted in Current Events, Discipleship, God's Work, Ministry, Personal, Politics, Preaching, Racism, Series: "The Jesus You Know" | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Jesus: The Cosmic Santa Claus

“The Jesus You Know” series (post #5) I was licensed to preach in October of 1992 and formally ordained into the ministry in February of 1993. Upon my ordination, I began my first pastorate. So, if we do the math, … Continue reading

Posted in Balance, Belief, Bible Study, Covetousness, Desires, Doctrine, Faith, Giving, God's Will, God's Word, Money, Needs, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Preaching, Problems, Prosperity, Scripture, Series: "The Jesus You Know", The Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Selling Hamburgers

I have never served as the pastor of a megachurch, and I don’t figure that I ever will. My pastoral ministry has always involved small, rural churches. Still, I’ll admit that, like megachurch pastors, I feel the internal pressure to … Continue reading

Posted in Children, Church, Church Attendance, Music, Pastors, Personal, Preaching, Worship, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Self-Preservation & Jesus

A man interviewed for a job at a famous art gallery that housed dozens of priceless masterpieces. As part of the interview process, he was asked, “If a fire broke out in this gallery and you could only save one … Continue reading

Posted in Adversity, Brokenness, Commitment, Courage, Crucifixion, Death, Disappointment, Discipleship, Doing Good, Dying To Self, Extending Forgiveness, Faith, Faithfulness, God's Work, Human Life, Ministry, Missions, Obedience, Persecution, Perseverance, Personal Holiness, Preaching, Priorities, Problems, Prosperity, Revenge, Sacrifice, Sanctification, Service, Spiritual Warfare, Submission, Suffering, Trials, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What Should Have Been

I was a little under two years into my first pastorate when one afternoon, as I was driving in my car, I happened to drive past the sign for a certain church in our area. It was a sign that … Continue reading

Posted in Choices, Church, Counsel, Decisions, Disappointment, Discernment, Disobedience, God's Timing, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Work, Influence, Leadership, Ministry, Obedience, Patience, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Preaching, Rebellion, Service, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When God Doesn’t Make a Way

My previous post was entitled “God Can Make a Way” and was based upon the story found in Acts 12:1-19. That post focused upon how God made a way of escape for Peter as Peter sat in a Roman prison … Continue reading

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Belief, Bible Study, Death, Disappointment, Discipleship, Faith, Faithfulness, Fear, God's Omnipotence, God's Omniscience, God's Sovereignty, God's Will, Human Life, Justice, Patience, Persecution, Perseverance, Personal, Prayer, Prayer Requests, Preaching, Problems, Scripture, Suffering, The Bible, Trials, Trusting In God, Waiting | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Thunder Balanced With Love

From everything we can surmise about Christ’s chosen 12 apostles, John was the youngest. He was the son of Zebedee and the younger brother of James, who was also one of the 12 (Matthew 4:21). By combining certain passages (Matthew … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Anger, Attitude, Balance, Character, Family, God's Love, Greed, Humility, Love, Ministry, Persecution, Preaching, Truth | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments