I am a big proponent of praying specifically. As a pastor praying for the sheep Christ has entrusted to me, I don’t just pray, “Lord, bless everybody.” No, in the model of the Good Shepherd who knows His Sheep, I pray in keeping with my knowledge of them—their joys, their sorrows, their needs, their […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Pray Unto OthersExcerpt from The Prayer of Jehoshaphat: Seeing Beyond Life’s Storms (Stanley D. Gale, P&R Publishing, 2007) Growing up at the beach, I witnessed many severe storms. Often during a hurricane or nor’easter, I would walk down to the shore and take in the fury of the gray, white-capped, swelling, surging ocean. Sometimes the water […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Reaping the Spoils of TrialI read an article on prayer recently that I greatly appreciated. The author made prayer real and relevant. He brought typical conceptions down from their lofty perch to the uneven terrain of ordinary life. Like the Great Commission of our Lord in Matthew 28 that maps out the course of our evangelism, this writer […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Casual PrayerI read an article on prayer recently that I greatly appreciated. The author made prayer real and relevant. He brought typical conceptions down from their lofty perch to the uneven terrain of ordinary life. Like the Great Commission of our Lord in Matthew 28 that maps out the course of our evangelism, this writer […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Casual PrayerSometimes the title says it all. In my teaching on evangelism, I’ve often referred to a book by Ron Johnson entitled, How Will They Hear If We Don’t Listen? Typically we think of evangelism as talking. Technically it is. But we want to talk with people, not at them. We want to enter their […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Prayer as First ResponderHave you ever seen those “Coexist” bumper stickers? They are quite clever. The designer included various symbols of world religions to spell the word “coexist.” A crescent moon representing Islam forms the letter C Lines within the O make it a peace sign E has the symbols for male and female attached to it, […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on The Road Less TakenMy congregation is embarking on growing as a house of prayer. We’ve studied the subject and concluded it involves more than having a prayer meeting. It encompasses establishing a culture of prayer. Toward that end I am holding our first Prayer Training Module during the spring quarter of our Christian Education Hour. I plan […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Teaching Kids to PrayThe “Golden Rule” finds expression in every major religion. But with one stark difference, exhibited in the following quotations. “Do not do to others what you would not like for yourself.” (Confucianism) “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.” (Buddhism) “This is the sum of the duty; do naught unto […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Full Measure of the Golden Rule“Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” (Mt. 7:7) We find this tantalizing invitation from our Lord Jesus recorded in the Sermon on the Mount. That block of teaching found in Matthew’s Gospel has as its theme the kingdom of […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on License to PrayI just returned from a conference. I traveled by air. Boarding the plane to get there, I found my assigned seat. A woman was already in place in my row and at work on her laptop. I noticed she was busy filling in data for a spreadsheet. It intrigued me that she was eager […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Pray Like It’s Your Job