Excerpt 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 ResponderMy 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 Pray“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 JobI can handle all things …trusting God’s providence …….that brought them to me …in Christ’s strength …….that is perfectly sufficient for me …for God’s glory …….that is to be my goal over my comfort and convenience.
Continue Reading... Comments Off on I Can…“Whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.” That statement invites us to adventure in the Christian life. Much like Indiana Jones, we set out on pursuit, with the expectation of unparalleled treasure. God tells us there is reward in seeking Him. Before […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on The Reward of FaithGod knows we worry. He speaks to us in our anxiety, ministering words of life to help us deal with our panic in the direction of peace. For example… Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will […]
Continue Reading... Comments Off on Taking Worry Captive