Meet Mr. Moody Part 1
Chapter 1: Businessman With A Burden Dwight Lyman Moody was perhaps the most remarkable Christian layman America ever produced. Yes, I said “layman,” because D. L. Moody was never ordained, nor did he ever have any formal training for the ministry. He preferred to be called “Mr. Moody,” and he readily admitted his educational limitations.
What Is Revival?
Ever since I can remember, I’ve gone to revival meetings. I heard Vance Havner say, “Churches talk about holding a revival. I’m ready for someone to turn one loose.” I must admit I’m fascinated by revival. I grew up during the time of the Jesus Revolution and had a taste of it. I’ve read dozens
H is for Humor
Charles H. Spurgeon was standing in the hall of his house when there came a knock at the front door. The famous preacher opened it himself, and there stood a man with a huge stick in his hand. The man sprang into the hall and announced that he had come to kill Spurgeon! “You must
Cross-Cultural Ministry
One of the most difficult principles of New Testament Christianity to communicate is a cross-cultural ministry. We’ve bought the lie of church growth ‘experts’ that it is impossible to crossover cultural lines and build a church that is a picture of diversity. Most believers would agree that God divided the races at the tower of
The Enemies Of Preaching
No, this is not a tirade against the world, the flesh and the Devil, although, if they are influencing your life, they can damage a good sermon in no time. My great concern is that we learn to recognize the hidden enemies of good preaching, enemies that constantly lurk around us in the study, in
What’s A Preacher To Do?
What should a preacher be known for? What is the purpose of preaching? In a day with multimedia 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
Winning or Losing
written by: Alan Stewart First, there was the embarrassment of Enron. Secondly, there was the disgrace of Worldcom. Now, it appears even Martha Stewart, (no relation), is struggling to maintain her dignity. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Just what has gone wrong? Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers, once said,
Migration Fever
written by: Keith Drury In the Spring a young pastor’s fancy turns to… to… MOVING. Older men too, and women! Maybe it’s the Canada Geese. Entire flocks fly overhead honking jubilantly as they head for happier locations. They leave us behind, stuck with the same old folk, church, and parsonage. Then, fellow pastors begin chattering
Let’s Not Be Arrogant
LET’S NOT BE ARROGANT, BUT LET US BE CONFIDENT IN CHRIST – Part 2 I have a friend who was doing a meeting in a church one day. He began talking about a particular church that God was a blessing. The pastor responded by saying, my mentor is the former pastor of that church and
Sanctified by Doctrine Part 2
written by: Warren Wiersbe (taken from Living a Holy Life, pg. 6-8) One body of truth had been given. He called it “the faith.” “Having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck” (v. 19). It wasn’t a faith or some faith but the faith. He wasn’t talking
Failures in Life
written by: Alan Stewart In the summer of 1976, an event that would have been perceived as trivial to onlookers had significant impact upon my life. It was the bottom of the seventh inning, and my team was losing by one run. The bases were loaded with two outs, and guess who was up to
How To Leave a Church When They Fire You
written by: Keith Drury Ministers get fired. We don’t like to tell this to young people preparing for the ministry, but it happens. It may not ever happen to you—but it does happen. If you do get fired, this essay is to help you through that difficult time. How it happens Actually ministers seldom get