In 1792, William Carey, in a sermon to a gathering of Baptist ministers, supposedly said, “Expect Great things from God, attempt great things for God.” Unfortunately, history has no record of the rest of the content of that message. No one hit record on the camera. But there must have been a third point to his sermon. Every sermon has three points, you know. Unfortunately, the third line did not catch on, like the first two did, and has been lost. Until I discovered it, yes, through … [Read more...]
The rollercoaster ride of life
“You must be at least this tall to ride this rollercoaster.” When I was a kid, I simply could…not…wait until I was finally, finally, tall enough to ride a rollercoaster. I’m a short chick, so by the time I reached that minimum height requirement, I was a teen—and there was no rollercoaster fierce enough. Twirl me around and upside down? Yes. Loop de loop? Twice, please. Flip me upside down and plunge me to the center of the earth? Bring on the magma, baby. You could launch me upside a … [Read more...]
Christians are saved for service
Salvation is not an end but a beginning. The Gospel not only gives us new life but teaches us how to live as new people in Christ. Quite simply, the Gospel must change every aspect of our lives. Salvation necessarily brings wholistic life change. The fruit of the Gospel must be evidenced following a person’s salvation (Galatians 5:22-24). Internal heart change must produce external fruit (Matthew 7:18-20). The Bible makes this clear by repeatedly using a simple phrase – “one another”. Used … [Read more...]
The missing ingredient
For a time, I was the reigning champion in my church for making scratch biscuits and gravy. Every month, when the men gathered for our leadership meeting, I would go early and, with the help of a good friend, provide biscuits and gravy for all. I was doing pretty well until one Saturday morning. I was putting my secret recipe in a stainless-steel mixing bowl and discovered I was missing one critical ingredient. In a panic, I substituted something off the shelf in the hope it would … [Read more...]
Ezekiel 33 warning and the Missouri Senate
A Southern Baptist professor recently referred to The Pathway as an “Ezekiel 33-type publication.” The Pathway takes Ezekiel 33:6 seriously. We will warn churches when and where theological danger lurks. An amendment to a Motor Vehicle Administration bill in the Senate, introduced by Sen. Bill Eigel, R-St. Charles, and passed by the body, prohibits “vaccine passports.” But before the amendment passed, Sen. Greg Razor, D-Kansas City, one of six homosexual members of the Missouri General … [Read more...]
Victim or Hero?
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Phil. 4:13 NKJV A high school senior girl stood in front of an audience giving her salutatory address. It was students, with their parents, who had taken the senior year online instead of in the classroom. “I never considered myself a victim”, she said. “Rather the many changes in my life became opportunities to learn and grow.” This young lady went on to explain that her dad had left the family before she started kindergarten. … [Read more...]
The gift of Alleluia
“Christ the Lord is risen today, alleluia!” As we prepare our hearts for the Easter season, let us momentarily consider the gift of “alleluia.” The spelling “alleluia” is the Latin form that was first penned by Saint Jerome in the fourth century. It westernized the Hebrew term “Hallelujah” which means “Praise” (hallel) the “Lord” (Jah). While the first Passover in Egypt didn’t include the term “Hallelujah” per se, we do know that they worshipped as instructed during this feast (Exod … [Read more...]
The LIGHT House provides pro-life ministries
The LIGHT House has been providing Christ-centered Pro-Life ministries since 1985. Throughout the years the services offered and programs available have grown and evolved to meet the most pressing needs of our community. Currently, we offer three primary programs: residential maternity care, outreach ministries and adoption services. But as the needs of the community have changed, our focus on LIFE has not. The LIGHT House continues to fulfill our mission statement: The LIGHT House is … [Read more...]
Hold on for dear life
I always keep dried fruit in my desk drawer so I’ll have a healthy snack handy when I’m working. Except those dried fruits are so dry that all that’s left is these nacho cheesy Doritos. Also, I sometimes buy my dried fruit on the potato chip aisle. Somehow it makes it an even sadder snack situation when I reach for my “fruit” and all I find in the bottom of the Dorito bag is a bunch of orange powder. I hate that. Some people would suggest that whenever that happens, I would do well to take … [Read more...]
Five steps for creating a neighboring movement in your community, church
Now is the perfect time to encourage church members to demonstrate compassionate care to their neighbors. Good neighbors doing good works will lead to goodwill, which opens the door for good conversations! I often get asked how to motivate others to embrace the neighboring movement or create a neighboring culture. Here are five steps that I recommend to kickstart the effort. Step 1: Cast the Vision In difficult times, people often turn inward. Church leaders need to help members see … [Read more...]
Prepare before the storm
“And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew….” I think all of us have had experiences like those described by Jesus in chapter seven of the Gospel of Matthew. I remember a particular storm from my days as a boy when a December tornado in 1982 hit my town of Malvern, Arkansas (I was only 11 at the time.) Another time, I served a church in Oklahoma, where they only have two seasons – Football and Tornado. The most recent, a leap day tornado, struck our church building in … [Read more...]
Five steps to conflict resolution
Conflict at cost is visible everywhere. In light of this, Christians are to be the salt and the light of Jesus by promoting the gospel of peace by not only believing the gospel but living the gospel. Conflict is unavoidable, as people are bound by their sinful nature. Conflict is not necessarily bad but often it is dealt with poorly and destroys relationships. Studies show conflict is seen everywhere in pastoral ministry. Within the last five years, research states that the number of … [Read more...]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- …
- 122
- Next Page »