Intensely Spiritual, But Completely Natural
Some people think preachers aren’t real people. Some preachers don’t come across as real people. The pastor of my home church always had a suit on. No, really. I mean always. I saw him working on his house one day, and he had a coat and tie on. I prayed (and I wasn’t even saved
The Believer The Glory of Surrender Part 1
We come now to our final study on the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ as recorded in Matthew 17. In this chapter, I want to make all of these truths we have learned practical in our lives. I want to summarize and apply the lessons we have learned. We must follow five instructions if
Winning the War (Part 2)
Know Your Enemy “…our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies.” Ephesians 6:10 Obey Your Commander “And My People who are called by My name, humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn
The Road Less Traveled
With the recent passing of Adrian Rogers, the Christian landscape lost a sequoia tree of towering influence. He will be remembered as a pastor par-excellence, and as a pulpiteer who spoke with accuracy balanced with grace. He was charming, witty, and down-to-earth. What always amazed me was the fact he was so easily accessible. I
Worship Music and the Senior Pastor
QUESTION: If you were a senior pastor would you have anything to say about the songs and chorus selection of the worship team? ANSWER: You bet! I’d have lots to say. In fact I believe the senior pastor should be the final judge of which songs we sing and which we don’t. Not just to
Why Would Anyone Want to Be Normal?
What is normal? “The norm” these days seems to have taken some strange turns. To quote an old car commercial, “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” Everything seems to be changing. What used to be wrong is now right. Things that once made us blush are “normal” conversation. Matters that were never discussed from pulpits,
Elijah: The Glory of Separation (Part 2)
As you and I go through this life, we have to maintain separation. Why? To glorify God. Elijah emphasized the glory of separation. Elijah, the servant of God, had separated himself from the sins of the nations around him. He challenged the priest of Baal to a contest. He said, in effect, “Whichever god answers
Winning the War (Part 1)
Twelve years ago, while searching through a bookstore in Albany, Georgia, I discovered Turnaround Churches by George Barna. Today I am still challenged by his statement, “ Until the church owns prayers as a world-class weapon in the battle against evil and cherishes prayer as a means of intimate and constant communication with God, the
Around the Bend
Lying before me in a hazy mist, Is a bended road I dimly see. It stretches out to who knows where, Or what it holds for me. My steps are not as certain, And my stride has slowed its pace. I do not strive to finish first, But to merely stay within the race. Other
Five Great Waves – Movements Among Evangelicals
I’ve lived through five great waves of movements among evangelicals and they are generally divided into decades. By movement I mean a fresh emphasis or direction taken by a significant number of evangelicals. I don’t think of them as “fads” though each one has had a faddish side to it. I have a hunch that
Ministry Outside the Box
One of the joys of pastoring at Sherwood is that God is allowing us to minister outside a normal church paradigm. We’re way outside of the box and we enjoy asking God to show us how we can “boldly go where no man has gone before.” Sherwood Sports Park In recent years, we’ve purchased nearly
Elijah: The Glory of Separation (Part 1)
In an earlier chapter we noted that from the Greek word for “transfigure” comes our English word “metamorphosis.” It means “a change on the outside that comes from the inside.” When that little larva forms its cocoon and waits, nature performs a marvelous miracle. God made it that way. The creature that emerges is a