A good quote for pastors to consider on Sunday and every other day of the week. A preacher whose chief power is not in studious prayer is, to that extent, a man who does not know his business. A stringent…
Without a dark introduction, there are no fairy tale endings
“As far as I know, there has never been an age that has not produced fairy tales. It doesn’t seem to matter what is going on at the time. It can be a time of war or peace, of feast…
C.J. Mahaney on Cravings and Conflict
Some of the wisest thoughts I have heard on conflict were from C.J. Mahaney. Indeed, I included this quote in Unpacking Forgiveness. In fact, it is with great confidence that I can predict: You will face relational conflict in your…
Preaching has fallen on hard times . . .
One of our central values as a local church is the preaching of the Word. The Bible teaches that the proclamation of the Word is God’s appointed means (2 Timothy 4:1) for building up God’s people (Ephesians 4:11-13, Titus 1:3).…
How much are you praying for the preaching of the Word in your local church?
One of the most important ways you can serve your local church is by praying for the preaching of the Word. Here is a note I recently sent to a number of men in our church. Guys: I wanted to…
How will your problems be solved?
How much are you really praying about the challenges you face in life? Going through my Scripture memory system today (see these posts), I came across this verse that I started memorizing on September 3, 1993. So, he said to…
Mark’s Gospel “immediately” challenges readers to open the Christmas gift
Last Sunday, we considered Mark’s Christmas story. Mark wants to make sure you don’t forget to unwrap the present on Christmas morning. Christmas programs tend to focus on the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. In Matthew, we find angels, Herod,…
A Few Favorite Preaching Passages
I am off this Sunday and our church is blessed to have Jeremy Scott of Morningstar Baptist preaching. It is a blessing as a pastor to be confident that the guy filling the pulpit will preach the Word. On a…
“If you never did anything in advance, there is relatively little you can do at the time”
In seminary, I began wondering how I would shepherd people through deep valleys. In class, one of my seminary professors, Dr. Crawford, once told a story about a family that faced a terrible tragedy. I raised my hand and asked,…
John MacArthur on what to look for in a pastor
MacArthur: “We need sanctifying pastors” HT: Deek Dubberly