On May 2, 1870, a baby was born in Centerville, Louisiana, to formerly enslaved parents. Raised in poverty, segregated by a white supremacist society, he nonetheless went on to lead one of the most significant revival movements of the twentieth … Continue reading What Would William J. Seymour Do?
“God didn’t call the perfect version of you, the version that has years of experience or the version that has it all figured out.” writes John Zick. “In fact, He has no desire for a version of you that does … Continue reading Helping the Called on Their Leadership Journeys
“Church size matters to us far more than it should. From the pride it brings when the numbers are up to the shame and frustration it causes when the numbers are static or down, none of this provides a healthy … Continue reading How and Why to De-Size the Church
“To invest one’s life in the next generation for the sake of the kingdom of God is to do the work that Jesus did,” writes Lee Rogers. “Few will notice the nobility and spiritual richness of the work, yet for … Continue reading Succeeding in NextGen Ministry
“The entire second half of 1 Samuel is the story of an abuser hunting down a victim,” according to Jim Bradford. The abuser is King Saul, and his intended victim is David. “Saul literally threw spears,” Bradford notes; “abusive leaders … Continue reading How to Deal with Spiritual Abusers
Today is Abraham Lincoln’s 215th birthday, in honor of which, according to the custom of my blog, I re-post this post about Lincoln’s religious beliefs, such as they were. Enjoy! ***** In 1920, William E. Barton published The Soul of … Continue reading The Creed of Abraham Lincoln in His Own Words | 2024 Edition
At the start of the new year, I wondered aloud in the pages of Influence magazine whether “the American Church’s seeming failure … is the result of a prayerlessness that reveals lack of faith.” That failure is evident in our … Continue reading Three Stages Toward Greater Prayerfulness
The new year is always a good time to begin new habits. In How to Memorize Scripture for Life, Andrew M. Davis recommends the always timely habit of committing God’s word to memory. His book is a quick read, but … Continue reading The Habit of Bible Memorization
The Greek word for Christian appears three times in the New Testament, while the Greek word for disciple appears 261 times. And though Christian seems to have been coined by outsiders (Acts 11:26), insiders used disciple to describe themselves. Indeed, … Continue reading How to Become an Apprentice of Jesus
“An intentional prayer life is the nonnegotiable constant of lasting, fruitful Christian life and ministry,” write Ryan Skoog, Peter Greer and Cameron Doolittle in Lead with Prayer. Unfortunately, most Christian leaders report having lackluster prayer lives. A 2005 study by … Continue reading First, Leaders Pray
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