Reading Time: 2 minutesIn a success-drunk culture, is it legitimate for us to ask God to give us success in finding a spouse, building a business, getting into the college of your choice, and building a good life? Are we compromising spiritual depth by pursuing material success? I believe God wants us to achieve and be successful. However, I believe he calls us to meet a few biblical prerequisites to increase our chances for experiencing his blessings.
Reading Time: 2 minutesI want to consistently have the best day ever, and I know you do too. If we are going to have the best day ever, there are some decisions and affirmations about our lives and our day we should make before our day begins. How we think about God and ourselves will affect our attitudes and thereby shaping our day.
Reading Time: 5 minutesIn my previous posts, Singles Are Not Unfinished Business and The One Key To Maximizing Your Singleness, I said singleness is a blessing and contentment is the key to celebrating and maximizing your singleness. While you are embracing singleness and a blessing and growing in contentment, what should you do in the meantime?
Reading Time: 4 minutesIn my last post, Singles Are Not Unfinished Business, I encouraged singles to embrace their singleness as a blessing and not a curse. Not only should singles embrace singleness as a blessing, but I believe there is a second courageous move that will allow singles to celebrate and maximize their singleness.
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe church has not served singles well. Sometimes we communicate the subtle message that “You are incomplete if you are not married or, you haven’t lived, or can’t be fulfilled until you’re married.” This kind of thinking is not God’s view at all. If you are single, I want you to know that you are not unfinished business.
Reading Time: 4 minutesIf someone asked you to describe the worship gathering at your church, how would you respond? Some will immediately describe it with the “B” word – Boredom! We can all admit that the weekend worship gathering can be dull at times. Consequently, we find ourselves disengaging and going through the motions. Sometimes, it feels like our worship of God is empty and a complete waste of time. I want more, and I know you do too. How do we overcome boredom in the worship gathering?
Reading Time: 4 minutesIf you believe that a task cannot be completed well without your involvement, that people can’t make good decisions without your input, or that you work long and hard to make others dependent on you, it could say one or two things about you. You think everybody around you is incompetent. Or, you could be a control freak.
Reading Time: 3 minutesOn Monday, I talked about the responsibility of the betrayer to rebuild trust in a broken relationship. But, what is the responsibility of the one betrayed in rebuilding trust?
Reading Time: 3 minutesCan a relationship be restored once trust is broken? I am sure D’Angelo Russell, point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, is asking this question after he broke an unspoken locker room code – you don’t gossip about a teammate’s personal business. Where do you begin if you want to rebuild trust when you are the one who perpetrated the damage?
Reading Time: 3 minutesRecently, I did a graveside funeral for a baby. After carrying the baby for nine months, the mother delivered the baby stillborn. Comforting parents and leading a service like this is one of the most painful responsibilities of my job as a pastor. Words seem so empty and inadequate. In addition to practicing the ministry of presence, here is what I said to the family at the graveside service (I have not used the real names of baby and mother in this post):