Category Archives: Worship

A Generation That Had to Die Off

I once heard a preacher’s thoughts regarding a troubled church. He said something to the effect, “There is a generation that is going to have to die off there before God can get in there and change things.” The preacher … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Attitude, Change, Church, Courage, Death, Faith, Fear, God's Guidance, God's Work, Leadership, Ministry, Personal, Worship, Youth | 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

Bigger Doesn’t Necessarily Mean Better

The idea that divine favor manifests itself by way of worldly success goes back a long way. History shows us two things about the races of antiquity. #1: They all worshiped some form of god or plurality of gods. #2: … Continue reading

Posted in Church, Deacons, Evangelism, God's Work, Greed, Ministry, Money, Persecution, Prosperity, The Sin Unto Death, Worship | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

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

Two Different Bible School Meetings

After a relatively successful V.B.S. at one of my former churches, I called for a meeting of the teachers and workers who had been involved with the effort. My purpose for the meeting was to assess what had gone well … Continue reading

Posted in Attitude, Backsliding, Brokenness, Christian Unity, Church, Church Attendance, Confession, Criticism, Extending Forgiveness, Forgiveness, God's Work, Humility, Ministry, Pastors, Personal, Pride, Problems, Reconciliation, Restoration, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Worship Wars

I once met with the pulpit committee of a certain church about the possibility of me becoming that church’s next pastor. I don’t normally take Tonya along for such meetings, but this committee wanted to meet her as well. So, … Continue reading

Posted in Aging, Balance, Change, Christian Unity, Church, Church Attendance, God's Guidance, God's Will, God's Work, King James Only, Ministry, Music, Pastors, Personal, Sunday School, Worship, Youth | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Church Attendance Through the Ages

I’m a pastor, and so the goal of writing a blog post that gives anybody an excuse to attend church less is pretty far down on my “to do” list. However, with that said, I would like for us to have a … Continue reading

Posted in Church Attendance, Discipleship, Salvation, Sunday School, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

God: Your Captain

Thomas Stevenson was the father of Robert Louis Stevenson, the famous author. That in itself will get you a brief mention in the history books. Actually, though, Thomas was a touch famous himself, especially in his day. His fame came … Continue reading

Posted in Adversity, Angels, Comfort, Courage, Death, Decisions, Depression, Encouragement, Faith, Fear, God's Holiness, God's Love, God's Omnipotence, God's Omnipresence, God's Guidance, God's Omniscience, God's Provision, God's Sovereignty, Heaven, Perseverance, Problems, Trials, Trusting In God, Worry, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Greatest Commandment

A group of men went deer hunting. After setting up camp, they separated into pairs to do their hunting. Bob and Joe paired up to hunt together, and Joe killed a huge 10-point buck. Bob then volunteered to help him … Continue reading

Posted in Choices, Commitment, Discipleship, Dying To Self, Faithfulness, Humor, Idolatry, Personal Holiness, Priorities, Sanctification, Service, The Heart, Worship | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Preaching in a Prison

On a few occasions in my ministry, I’ve had the privilege of preaching the chapel service at Mountain View Correctional Institution, a prison in our area. I use the word “privilege” because that’s exactly what it always was. What follows … Continue reading

Posted in Attitude, Church, Extending Forgiveness, Forgiveness, Giving, God's Work, Ministry, Music, Personal, Preaching, Salvation, Stewardship, Tithing, Worship | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments