The Very Best Place to Be
Written by: Bill Elliff There are some wonderful places to be in life. Home for Christmas. In a delivery room at the birth of your child. Sitting in a concert with your favorite musicians. Each spot brings its own joy. But there is simply no better place than God’s presence. The Psalmist recognizes this in
What Does Revival Look Like?
If you study the history of revival, there are common denominators: a return to first love, a return to the authority of Scripture, and an elevation of prayer. While we have seen a few breezes of revival at Sherwood, I would not say we have seen revival on the scales I read about. There is
What Is God Looking For?
Read Luke 13:6-9 “Seeking fruit.” These words describe what the Lord Jesus is looking for in the lives of His people. how patiently He cares for the tree, hoping that the fruit will appear. But if it does not appear, He will not permit it to take up space! What a warning to us. What
Our Need for Revival
I am currently preaching two new series, “The Keys to Revival in America” on Sunday mornings and “Unfaithful” from the Book of Judges on Sunday evenings. As I prepare and preach, I’ve made two observances: 1) Occupy the altar every Sunday to say to those who are casually observing in our services and to God
Enjoy Being a Christian
It surprises many Christians to discover that the word enjoy is found in the Bible. As a friend commented to me one day, “Most Christians endure the Christian life; they don’t really enjoy it.” But how can you help but enjoy being a Christian when you realize how rich you are in Christ? You have,
Willing to Be Abused
Written by: Bill Elliff The word “abuse” is applied to almost everything in our litigious day. If anyone does anything to you that you do not like, the next step is to claim abuse. There are some places where that word is very important and needed, particularly when those who are helpless are involved or
For a Season
As I stood at the bus stop with my Mickey Mouse school bus lunch box in hand all geared for the first grade, making my way to graduation was the furthest thing from my mind. My heart was too caught up in the moment to look that far ahead. Many questions filled my mind on
A Change Is Going to Come
In case you were unaware, this is an election year. During the last presidential election, I wrote an article that I think still applies to this election… This is a year of change. There will be a new President, perhaps a new party in the White House beginning in 2009. In the next few months,
Never Alone
Read Deuteronomy 31:6-8; Joshua 1:1-9 What had sustained Moses during those difficult years as leader of the nation of Israel? It was not his Egyptian education or his own personal strength. In fact, more than once he almost broke under the load and tried to quit. No, Moses was sustained by a promise: “He will
The Fear of Man
Written by: Bill Elliff The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.Proverbs 29:25 The fear of man is ultimately all about ME. It is that underlying drive to protect myself, make myself look good, advance myself that drives me to live for the approval and recognition of others.
The Line
“He who is not with Me is against Me and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” Matthew 12:30 As a native son of Texas, I have always been mesmerized by a story told about Col. William Barrett Travis. He was described as taking his sword and drawing a line in the sand, in
There’s a Better Way
We are a society driven by consumerism and marketing. There are millions of ho-hum products out there. Many are being sold on shopping channels by people who are obviously on amphetamines. They peddle products that will eventually end up in our next yard sale. We are spenders and consumers. This is the reason Americans are