How Do You Prepare Couples for a Happy Marriage?
WE NEVER HAD PREMARITAL counseling, but we spent the first year of our married life in therapy. Once a week, we met with a counselor who helped us iron out the wrinkles we never even saw before getting...
View ArticleWhat Made Jesus Mad? Interview with Tim Harlow
Q: This month your new book was released, called What Made Jesus Mad? What did make Jesus mad, would you say? A: I think there was a theme to Jesus’ anger: Denied Access to the Father. Q: For you, what...
View ArticleWhat to Teach Your Church About Budget
Teaching about budget can be a challenge, especially when church finances are behind budget. Read on for field-tested advice on what to teach your congregation about budget, including tips for when...
View ArticleWhen to Try Door Number Three
THERE’S A THIRD DOOR Weariness had set in and I was ready to throw in the towel. The organization I started wasn’t growing and disappointment and stress had taken their toll. So, I sought the counsel...
View ArticleHow to Prove the Bible is True
Is the New Testament we have today what was originally written down or has it been changed? Did people take out what they didn’t like or add what they did like? Whenever you check out any document of...
View ArticleInterview with Costi Hinn
An Insider’s View of the Prosperity Gospel Interview with Cost Hinn, nephew of televangelist Benny Hinn and author of God, Greed, and the (Prosperity) Gospel: How Truth Overwhelms a Life Built on Lies...
View Article3 Steps to Navigating Homosexuality in Our Churches
Step 1: Have Your Convictions Settled On Sunday, September 20, 2009, I walked into an evangelical church in Hollywood called Reality LA as a self-proclaimed atheist and a gay man; two hours later I...
View ArticleIt’s Never Too Late for a New Beginning
I am a Texas boy. Born here. Educated here. Texans are known for many things — most of them true — but one thing stands out more than any other: our love for football. The Greatest Comeback in College...
View Article4 Virtues That Fuel God-Honoring Cultural Engagement
One of the first virtues necessary for the believer who seeks effective and God-honoring cultural engagement is diligence. The Bible describes diligence, in fact, as the foundation for the other...
View ArticleHow Waiting for Christ’s Return Shapes Our Daily Life (3 Insights from 1...
Key points in this article Three key themes emerge in relation to the eschatology of 1 Thessalonians: hope, vigilance and holiness, and divine justice. Hope for Paul is not wishful thinking. (Read more...
View ArticleThe God-Stopped Moments
Dear Pastor, Though the title of my latest book, When God Stops, is somewhat tongue-in-cheek, we all need “God-Stopped” moments, to receive special attention from God, in areas where we are hurting....
View ArticleOnce upon a time in first-century Roman-occupied Palestine…
…an itinerant Jewish teacher began to attract attention for his surprising statements about God, his radical approach to religion and politics, and his healing care for the poor, lonely, and sick. His...
View ArticleUnlock the Health-Giving Power of the Holy Communion
GOD WANTS YOU HEALED AND WHOLE Wouldn’t you agree that apart from the gift of salvation, the greatest blessing we can receive is health? As pastors and leaders especially, we want to see our church...
View ArticleYour negative self-talk is holding you back.
Here’s how to break free. Have you ever found yourself scrolling through your Instagram feed and hopelessly comparing yourself to the people you see there? I look at them and think, I’ll never look...
View ArticleThree Ways Pastors Can Help Parents Pass on Faith to Their Children
Our oldest daughter, who is turning sixteen soon, said to me when she was about eight or nine, “Dad, I’m glad you are a pastor.” Having grown up a pastor’s kid myself, I was a bit surprised! When I...
View Article4 Steps to Meet as a Bible Study Group Virtually
It is easy to feel disconnected, lonely, and unmoored in this new reality of social distancing and shelter-in-place due to the novel coronavirus. Churches and small groups are not able to meet in...
View ArticleHelp Your Church or Group Master the Basics of the Bible
In a Breakpoint Commentary titled, “Americans Fail Theology 101”* best-selling author Eric Metaxas wrote, “Could you pass a basic theology quiz? Several thousand Americans just tried. Uh-oh! Too bad...
View ArticlePaul’s Pastoral Theology for a Perplexing Topic | NT Wright
I have been interested in the question of adiaphora – ‘things indifferent’, as expounded by Paul in particular – for many years, both at the historical level (what did Paul mean and why did he take...
View ArticleHelping Our Churches Love Each Other Through Disagreements | Jared Byas
Throughout my life as a layperson and as a pastor, I’ve been a part of at least 20 churches. And in each one of those experiences, the church was at some point going through a difficult conversation....
View ArticleThe Courage to Combat Racism | Jemar Tisby
After Moses died, God called Joshua to lead the people of Israel into the promised land. Joshua understandably experienced trepidation at the prospect of leading a throng of people into a land filled...
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