Who Are You and How Did You Get Here? (Part 2)
Back in the old days, the men of God put a great value on the ministry. Men like Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Finney, Moody, Spurgeon, Truett, and others had great respect for other preachers, even if they disagreed with them. There was respect among peers, or at least that’s the way it seems to me. I
The Importance of Hiding
Read 1 Kings 17:1-7; 18:1-2 There are two divine commandments here: “Go, hide thyself” and “Go, show thyself!” The first was probably more difficult to obey because Elijah was a fiery prophet who wanted to deliver his message and bring his people back to God. Yet, God took him out of circulation for three and
8 Ways to Respond to Those Who Hurt You
Written by: Bill Elliff The Sermon on the Mount is the most complete statement Jesus gives us of what life is like in the New Kingdom…the Kingdom of God. It is made possible by a new King, under which we have gladly bowed. The first three beatitudes describe this spiritual progression that brings us under
The Waltz
“Waltz Across Texas with You” was an Ernest Tubbs hit in 1965, and it is still used to teach the waltz in dance halls around the state, and perhaps the world. It is a great tune, and it has become a gentle reminder to me of a greater walk than any waltz could ever be,
Who Are You and How Did You Get Here? (Part 1)
Early on in my pastoral ministry, I noticed something happening with my peers. Some (certainly not all) of the men I started with in ministry seemed to distance themselves from me when I left youth ministry and entered the pastorate. For some reason, I was no longer a peer. I’m not sure what all happened
Doing the Washing
Read Psalm 51 You know the story behind Psalm 51. David had fallen into horrible sin, even to the point of having an innocent man murdered. He tried to cover his sin for nearly a year, but then God found him and David’s heart broke with this prayer of confession. There is only one prayer
Overcoming Your 3 Biggest Temptations
Written by: Bill Elliff When Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil he was directly confronted with 3 big temptations. We have to believe that these 3 illustrate the ultimate 3 that we face and that Christ’s response gives us the ultimate response to temptation—the path to
The Future
“It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority.” Jesus – Acts 1:7 “The fix is in.” This proverbial statement refers to something that is going to happen, due to the manipulation of certain controllable circumstances that fall under the power of the manipulator. In
What’s a Preacher to Do?
What should a preacher be known for? What is the purpose of preaching? In a day with multi-media special effects, drama and major productions, preaching and preachers have fallen on hard times. Many churches have canceled Sunday evening services because people won’t come back to hear the preacher. With the glut of TV preachers, the
A Visit to Court
Read Zechariah 3:1-5 The prophet Zechariah ministered tot he Jewish remnant that returned to Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity. They were “a poor lot” and Satan did all he could to frustrate their plans. The vision the prophet saw revealed the sinfulness of the people; for, in God’s sight, the high priest’s garments were covered
What’s My Main Job as a Man?
Written by: Bill Elliff Of all the conversations I’ve had with hundreds of men across the years, the number one question is: “What am I suppose to do with my life?” We want to know our PURPOSE. This is one of the reasons I was so fascinated to learn that the primary buyers of Rick
A Father’s Blessing
“Rachael Sierra Stewart.” Hearing your name and watching you walk across the stage overwhelmed my heart with a flood of emotions. There was a sense of pride as the evidence of years of hard work had finally paid off. You finished in the top ten percent of your class, and we both know this was