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The only lasting cure for idolatry is a fervent love for God. The hardest step is seeing our idols in the first place.
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If you don’t know God, it’s not God’s fault. God has already done everything necessary for you to have a relationship with him. - He Doesn’t Need Your Help (35:53)
The gospel begins with God. It doesn’t begin with Jesus or with us. The divine plan of salvation begins with the God who designed it.
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Blog entries for the category Devotional
Four Benefits of Bible Listening
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 19
First of all, buy an iPad.That’s not what this blog entry is all about, but go ahead and do it. The method of Bible listening I’m going to recommend works best with a smartphone or an iPad.Last January I started using two iPad apps in my daily Quiet Time. I use YouVersion for my Bible reading and Bible.Is for my Bible listening. I start...
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“I Struggle With Assurance of Salvation”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 3
Someone recently turned in this question: I’ve struggled with assurance of salvation for years. Could it be that I’m not one of the Elect? Here is my answer:The short answer to your question is that your struggles are proof of the opposite, that you are indeed a child of God. A truly lost person has no desire to know the Lord and would h...
Journeys with Jesus
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 21
On Wednesday Christians around the world begin the observance of Lent, the traditional time of spiritual reflection that leads us to Good Friday and Easter Sunday. A quick check of the Wikipedia entry will give you some helpful background. Note that in the Western tradition, Lent starts with Ash Wednesday and continues until Holy Saturday, t...
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The Next Step
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 13
“When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to” (Acts 16:7).Acts 16:6 10 contains several mysteries and much useful information concerning God’s will. The mysteries revolve around two divine refusals experienced by the apostle Paul and his company. At two defin...
Imperfect
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 28
Anyone out there feeling a little bit “imperfect” today? Thank you, I see that hand being raised. Mine too. Here are some encouraging words for “imperfect” people from Charles Spurgeon: Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your e...
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“The Lord Hates Me”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 26
“You grumbled in your tents and said, “The LORD hates us” (Deuteronomy 1:27). Obviously the Lord hates you. That’s why he worked miracles for you in Egypt.That’s why he parted the Red Sea for you.That’s why he gave you manna and quail.That’s why he gave you water in the desert.That’s why he came t...
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A “So That” Prayer for China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 24
After Robert Schuler attended one of our Chicago home meetings for the new China partnership with Trans World Radio, he wrote me a note containing his “so that” pray for China:"I’ll be praying every day between now and 3/26 - that God would prepare the hearts of the Chinese people, that He would bring attention to the broadc...
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So That
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 23
A few years ago my friend Robert Schuler shared with me one of the most important insights on prayer I’ve ever heard. Over supper one night Robert told us how he prayed:"When I pray I always try to include the phrase ’so that.’ I heard a guest preacher mention that in a sermon several years ago, and I’ve been doing i...
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Take Up Your Cross
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 4
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24).Every man has a “cross” to bear. It is always “his cross,” a unique and very personal set of circumstances.Carrying that cross requires a personal decision, an initiative, an act of the will.What sort of man ...
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Safer Than a Known Way
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 2
On Christmas Day 1939, King George VI of England gave a brief radio address to his troubled nation. England was already at war with Germany. Soon all of Europe would be plunged into the horror of brutal, unrestrained warfare.Hoping to calm the troubled hearts of his countrymen, the king offered words of encouragement as the storm clouds gathered ov...
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A Little More, A Little Less
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 1
“Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:30).Little by little.That’s how most of us grow spiritually. Now that a new year has dawned, most of us are making lists (mental or written) of things we’d like to accomplish in 2012. Surveys show th...
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“I Resign”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 14, 2011
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).I have always been intrigued by a phrase in this famous Christmas verse-"and the government will be on his shoulders.” It means ...
Unfixable
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 10, 2011
Last Sunday the pastor made a passing comment that has stayed with me. While preaching about Jesus bearing the weight of the world on his shoulders (“the government will be on his shoulders,” Isaiah 9:6), he remarked that Christmas is the season for fixing thing. “I’m a fixer,” he said. He went to say that some pe...
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Homer Simpson’s Thanksgiving Wisdom
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Bible tells us to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18), but sometimes it’s not easy to do.Last Sunday our pastor made a passing comment that seemed exactly right to me. “This may have been the worst year of your life. If so, give thanks that you have survived it."We all chuckled knowingly becau...
Counterintuitive Faith
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 20, 2011
Marlene and I were having dinner with some close friends who are also supporters of our ministry. At one point during a delightful evening, the husband looked at me and said, “What you are doing is counterintuitive.” The dictionary defines counterintuitive as being “contrary to what common sense would suggest.” As I thou...
Whom I Have Believed
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 18, 2011
My good friend Phil Newton has been preaching through 2 Timothy. This week he came to one of the best-known verses in the book: “I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.” (2 Timothy 1:12). He applied the truth to the issue of believers dou...
Christ Hates Religion
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 16, 2011
“Did you know that Christ hates religion? Religion is orthodoxy gone dry and stale. Religion is worship turned into entertainment. Religion is being busy but going through the motions. Religion is when you believe all the right stuff on the surface, but you’re really leading a double life. You’ve got your life at church and then y...
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A Bigger Miracle
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 14, 2011
“We need a bigger miracle."That’s what a friend said regarding a bad situation that had suddenly turned worse. It’s tough enough when you need a miracle in the first place, but what do you do when you need a bigger miracle?Ask for one. By definition a miracle is something you can’t do yourself. You were already a...
“If I Struggle With Sin, Does that Mean I’m Not Saved?”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 11, 2011
From the question box:If a believer continues to struggle with any sin after confessing it to God and asking for deliverance, does that mean he was never saved?The answer is no. Struggle with sin is the common experience of Christians everywhere. James 3:2 says, “We all stumble in many ways.” Romans 7:23 speaks of a “war&rdq...
Faith vs. Clarity
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 21, 2011
After the service last night several of us went out to eat. During the meal Pastor H. B. Charles, Jr. shared the story about a man named John Kavanaugh who went to India to spend some time serving in Calcutta with Mother Teresa. The trip came at a turning point in his life when he was seeking God’s direction for the future. It seems that when...
“She’s Still My Wife”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, September 17, 2011
Recently Pat Robertson made news when he declared that divorcing a spouse with Alzheimer’s is justifiable because it is “a kind of death.” The simplest thing I can say is that he didn’t get that teaching from the Bible. The very concept of Christian marriage rests upon a vow to be faithful “in sickness and in health.&r...
Nick’s Story
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, September 5, 2011
“I stole soap from Walgreen’s so I could wash myself at a fire hydrant.""I lived in my car near Humboldt Park until I was arrested.""I don’t remember much about my 20s because I was on drugs the whole time."When the police arrested him, he was put in jail for 30 days. Sometime during that period he fo...
When Facing a Big Decision
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 4, 2011
I received a note that read something like this: When I am facing a big decision, should I: A) Step out in faith,B) Wait for God to open the door,C) Use the wisdom God has given me to make a good decision?The answer of course is yes!Sometimes we must be like Abraham, who left Ur of the Chaldees not knowing where he was goin...
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When You’ve Been Fired
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 31, 2011
I talked with a man who was fired from his job in a public and painful way. This is what he said he learned from it.1. The only answer to bitterness is forgiveness. Not surprisingly, the man felt like the firing had not been handled well. I say “not surprisingly” because firings are rarely handled well, especially from the standpoint of...
A Rudder, Not An Anchor
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 21, 2011
“May the past be a rudder, not an anchor."That’s what Joe Jordan said to Don Lough, Jr. as Don became the new Executive Director of Word of Life last Friday night.It was an apt metaphor.Leaders in every organization struggle to find the right balance between holding on to the past while moving into the future.Not long ago I heard ...
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The First Brown Leaf
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 14, 2011
This afternoon I saw my first brown leaf.In a month or two the ground will be covered with withered, dead leaves. Today’s leaf was the first of many to come. In the Bible the withered leaf pictures both our sinfulness and our human frailty. “Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” (Is...
Why Did the Lord Threaten to Kill Moses?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 12, 2011
This question comes from a strange incident in Exodus 4:24-26.At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. “Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,” she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that ti...
The Way You Live is the Way You Die
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Recently I chatted with a friend who spends his days working in hospice care. Every day he helps families confront end-of-life issues. He listens a lot, answers questions, and in whatever way he can, tries to bring the love of Christ into those last few days of life. While we were talking, he matter-of-factly added this statement:"The way you...
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Eight Marks of Stiff-Necked People
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 15, 2011
“I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people” (Exodus 32:9).Stiff-necked people.That’s not a compliment. Here are some synonyms: obstinate, stubborn, willful, pig-headed. When Stephen preached in Acts 7, he called the Jewish leaders “stiff=necked, uncircumcised in h...
Don’t Do That!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, June 13, 2011
Here is the most obvious lesson from the Anthony Weiner debacle:Don’t do that!Simple and clear.The Bible tells us to “flee youthful lusts” (2 Timothy 2:22). If you want an example of what that means, check out what the congressman did, and then flee from that. He was stupid, sinful, foolish, arrogant, and filled with wrong de...
Where Do You Stand With the Lord?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Here’s a fragment from a sermon I preached a few years ago. When I happened to run across it today, I decided to pass it along. Perhaps God will use it to awaken some who trust in their religion but not in Christ. Let me ask you, where do you stand with the Lord? Are you on the outside or the inside? Perhaps it is now clear to you that you ne...
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“God Gave Me the Gift of Desperation”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 30, 2011
“Then God gave me the gift of desperation.” That’s what the man said on Friday night during the first service at America’s Keswick.I noted three facts about him: 1) He is a bit older than some of the men in the Colony of Mercy, the outreach to men with various addictions (alcohol, drugs, gambling, porn, etc) that has formed ...
Jesus is Coming. Are You Ready?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 20, 2011
I write this on the eve of Judgment Day, the one predicted by Harold Camping and his followers. The prediction relies on a complex set of assumptions and mathematical calculations regarding Bible chronology that the rest of us recognize for what it is. Nonsense.No one knows the day or the hour. No one knows for certain how close the return of Chris...
Before You Believe the Worst
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 17, 2011
This morning while reading Deuteronomy 17, I came across a paragraph about how to deal with idolators in the midst of the people of God. Because God ordered that they must be stoned to death (v. 5), he also ordered a key safeguard put in place:On the testimony of two or three witnesses a person is to be put to death, but no one is to be put to deat...
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“Lord, Do Something Small”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 13, 2011
This morning when I cleaned off my desk I found a piece of lined yellow paper on which I had scribbled some notes. It appears to be a page of notes for a talk I gave somewhere, but in looking at it I can’t recall the occasion. I did notice that halfway down the page, I jotted down a prayer that I vaguely remember having seen somewhere:”...
The Resurrection and the Life
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 24, 2011
“I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).Notice how personal this is.Jesus doesn’t say, “I bring resurrection and life” but rather “I am the resurrection and the life.” In the presence of Jesus death is no longer death. It is something else entirely. As Paul says later in the New Testament, d...
A Dead Man Named Jesus
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 23, 2011
“A dead man named Jesus” (Acts 25:19). Death is never easy to deal with. Most of the time we can avoid it or postpone it or keep it far away from us. But sometimes death stares us in the face and we don’t know what to do or how to respond.The four gospels do not tell us much about what happened on the Saturday between Good Frid...
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The One They Have Pierced
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 22, 2011
“The one they have pierced” (Zechariah 12:10).It is not often appreciated that our Lord Jesus died in terrible pain. If you run the clock back from 3 o’clock in the afternoon—the moment of his death—back to about 3 o’clock in the morning and review what had happened to Jesus as he moves through those hours—...
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Man of Sorrows
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 21, 2011
“He was . . . a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isaiah 53:3)."Suffered under Pontius Pilate.” That phrase comes from the oldest Christian creed, the Apostles Creed. It is noteworthy that the Creed passes immediately from the Virgin Birth to the death of Jesus with no mention of anything in between. There is nothin...
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Mediator
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 20, 2011
“There is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).Everyone needs a mediator nowadays.A quick check of the headlines reveals the fractured state of the world:"Judge tells NFL and players to keep at it, with new mediator.""Mediator tries to broker Tribune deal.""Oba...
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Fountain
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 19, 2011
“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity” (Zechariah 13:1).The Bible often uses the image of the fountain to convey the thought of cleansing from sin. In Jeremiah 2:13 the Lord speaks with sorrow to the nation of Israel:My people have committed tw...
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Our Passover Lamb
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 18, 2011
“Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed” (1 Corinthians 5:7).Either the lamb dies.Or the firstborn of the family dies.The blood must be shed either way. Suppose you were an Israelite being asked to sacrifice your prized lamb and smear its blood on the door for all the neighbors to see. Would you do it? Or would you be embarras...
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Fragrant Offering
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 17, 2011
“Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:2).Who killed Jesus?That question has echoed down the ages. Did the Jews kill Jesus? Was Pilate guilty of murder? What about Caiaphas the high priest and Herod the king? What role did the centurions play? What about the crowd shouting, ...
Apostle
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 16, 2011
“Consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1).Jesus the apostle.It doesn’t sound quite right to us because we’re used to thinking of Paul the apostle or James the apostle. This is the only time Jesus is called an apostle.The word itself means “one sent as a messenger.” When a...
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Friend of Tax Collectors
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 15, 2011
“A friend of tax collectors" (Matthew 11:19).This was not a compliment. The older translations use the word “publican” instead of tax collector. That was actually a job title for those who served the Roman government as public contractors by supplying goods and services to the Roman legions. In that role they collected d…
Cornerstone
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 14, 2011
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone” (Ephesians 2:20).The world stumbles over Jesus because it has no use for him. Peter says it in some startling ways:1) The religious leaders (the builders) rejected him.2) But God made him the Savior of the world anyway.3) Christ causes men to stumble because they choose to d...
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Living Stone
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 13, 2011
“As you come to him, a living stone . . . you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:4-5).Peter calls Jesus the “living Stone” and he says that we who believe are like “living stones.” That means that he is the Rock and we are like chips off the Living Block. If we under...
Lord of Glory
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 12, 2011
“None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8).Let that thought hang in the air for just a moment. “They would not have crucified the Lord of glory."If they had known . . . If they had understood . . . But they didn’t!This means that ...
Desire of All Nations
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 11, 2011
“I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come” (Haggai 2:7).This is a fascinating verse that apparently has a double meaning. It applies first to the rebuilding of the temple by Zerubbabel. In that sense God promises that the wealth of the nations will flow into the temple in Jerusalem. The rest of the verse promis...
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Way
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 10, 2011
“I am the way” (John 14:6).We live in a “postmodern” age. If that term is new to you, it simply means that we live in an age in which our culture has largely abandoned the notion of truth. The old consensus about right and wrong has almost entirely disappeared, replaced by appeals to pluralism, diversity, and moral relativi...
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Propitiation
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 9, 2011
“He . . . is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours only but also for the whole world” (1 John 2:2).To propitiate means to turn away wrath by offering a gift. In the New Testament the word applies to Jesus’ death on the cross. When Jesus hung on the cross in great agony and great pain, he cried out to God, &ldquo...
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Redeemer
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 8, 2011
“The Redeemer will come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20).Of all the names that the Bible gives to Jesus Christ, none is more precious than the name Redeemer. There are other names we use more often, such as Lord and Savior, and rightly so because those too are Bible terms, but no word touches the heart like the name Redeemer. When we say Lord…
Sustainer of All Things
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 7, 2011
“Sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3). Some years ago U.S. News and World Report reported that the United States planned to launch a space station into orbit in an attempt to define gravity. That’s an interesting thought. We’ve known what gravity is for hundreds of years, but we don’t know how it w...
Creator of All Things
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 6, 2011
“For by him all things were created” (Colossians 1:16).Jesus is the agent of creation and the Lord of the epochs of history. At the Father’s command, he brought the universe into being and wrote the script for the unfolding ages. Through him God made everything. There are really only two choices a person can make as he studies the...
Heir of All Things
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 5, 2011
“His Son, whom he appointed heir of all things” (Hebrews 1:2).God has appointed Jesus as heir of all things. I understand this from a personal point of view. When my father died in 1974, I found out that my name had been written in his will. That meant that along with my brothers and my mother, I shared in my father’s estate. I...
Consolation of Israel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 4, 2011
“He was waiting for the consolation of Israel” (Luke 2:25). In this baby Simeon sees the fulfillment of all the hopes and dreams of the Jewish people across the centuries. To call Jesus “the consolation of Israel” takes us back to the time of Abraham when the Lord said, “I will make your name great, and make of you...
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Carpenter’s Son
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 3, 2011
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55).It wasn’t a compliment.They meant it as a slur.These were people from his hometown of Nazareth. They had seen him grow up.They knew Mary and Joseph. They knew his brothers.Who did Jesus think he was?Jesus didn’t fit into their small town way of thinking. He was jus...
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Amen
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 2, 2011
“The Amen, the faithful and true witness” (Revelation 3:14). Our problem with “Amen” is that we hear it so often that it loses all meaning. For most of us, “Amen” either means, “The prayer is over” or “It’s time to eat.” It’s like the caboose at the end of the train. The word it...
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Morning Star
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 1, 2011
“Until he Morning Star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).Think about two stars. The evening star suggests the slowing down of life as the day ends and night approaches. It has about it the feel of deepening gloom. But the morning star speaks of energy and the approach of another new day with all its uncharted possibilities. The ...
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Friend of Sinners
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 31, 2011
“A friend . . . of sinners” (Luke 7:34). They meant it as an insult. They said it with a sneer."That Jesus, he hangs out with sinners,” almost spitting out the last word."Sinners!"Prostitutes.Drunkards.Troublemakers.Trashy types.Low-class, no-count losers.He wasn’t a front-runner. He didn’t gravi...
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The Rejected Stone
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 30, 2011
“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone” (Psalm 118:22).The image comes from the ancient quarries where highly-trained stonemasons carefully chose the stones used in construction. No stone was more important than the cornerstone because the integrity of the whole structure depended on the cornerstone containing exactly t...
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Word of God
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 29, 2011
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).Nothing is more invisible than a thought.You don’t know what I am thinking nor can I tell what you are thinking. But let a man speak and his words reveal his thoughts. Take the deepest thought and clothe it in words, and it will be visible t...
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Ark of Salvation
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 28, 2011
“God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved” (1 Peter 3:20).Thought Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:5), it doesn’t appear that he made any converts outside his own family. While Noah patiently built the ark and warned men o...
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Bronze Snake
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 27, 2011
“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up” (John 3:14). Nearly all of us know John 3:16. Let’s go back two verses and see what leads into that most famous of all the biblical promises. “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up”...
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Lion of the Tribe of Judah
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 26, 2011
“See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . has triumphed” (Revelation 5:5).C. S. Lewis understood.When he wanted to symbolize Jesus in the Chronicles of Narnia, he created Aslan the lion. And not just any lion. He’s the King of the Beasts and the real ruler of Narnia. He is mostly unseen in the book because he is always on the mov...
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Lamb of God
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 25, 2011
“Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).What an amazing statement that is. First, Jesus is God’s lamb sent from heaven to earth. If we offer a sacrifice, the best we can do is to offer a literal lamb or a goat or to round up a bull and bring it to the priest. Animal blood was what we could offer. W...
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Prophet
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 24, 2011
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers” (Deuteronomy 18:18).In Deuteronomy 18 God promises through Moses to raise a line of godly prophets in Israel. That line would culminate in one person who would be the “prophet like me” of verse 15: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a pro...
Teacher
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 23, 2011
“Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go” (Matthew 8:19).It may interest you to know that Jesus was a teacher. Other words come more quickly to mind—Lord, Savior, Master, and Redeemer. But here’s an amazing fact. Of the 90 times Jesus was addressed directly in the gospels, 60 times he was called Teacher. This was the w...
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Author of Salvation
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 22, 2011
“It was fitting that God . . . should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering” (Hebrews 2:10).The whole earthly life of Jesus is summed up in one phrase. He was made “perfect through suffering.” The word can also mean complete. But wasn’t Jesus perfect when he was born in the manger? And didn’...
Rulers of the Kings of the Earth
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 21, 2011
“Jesus Christ, who is . . . the ruler of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5).The word for “ruler” means he is the ultimate authority over all the kings of the earth. They are great, but he is greater. They are mighty, but he is mightier. Millions answer to them, but they answer to him. He is not merely one of the kin...
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Firstborn from the Dead
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 20, 2011
“Jesus Christ, who is . . . the firstborn from the dead” (Revelation 1:5).When Jesus rose from the dead, he was the “firstborn from the dead.” What exactly does that mean? It means he is the first person who ever rose from the dead never to die again. During his ministry Jesus raised several people from the dead, includin...
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Faithful Witness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 19, 2011
“Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness” (Revelation 1:5).The men and women of this generation have heard the name of Jesus many times. What they want to know is very simple-"Can I trust him?” In a world of religious charlatans, this is where we must begin. This verse calls Jesus “the faithful witness.” A witne…
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Great High Priest
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 18, 2011
“We have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God” (Hebrews 4:14).Most of us are at a disadvantage when we read this verse because we don’t have a clear notion of what a high priest is. In the Old Testament the high priest was the number one person spiritual leader. There were various levels a...
Servant
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 17, 2011
“I am among you as one who serves” (Luke 22:27). Ambition has become something of a dirty word in our day. To many people it implies an overwhelming desire for personal advancement regardless of the cost—and regardless of who is hurt in the process. Let’s face it. There is entirely too much of that kind of ambition in the bu...
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Balm of Gilead
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 16, 2011
“Is there no balm in Gilead?” (Jeremiah 8:22).In three different places the Old Testament mentions the “balm” or healing ointment that comes from Gilead, the mountainous region east of the Jordan River. When Joseph’s brothers conspired against him in Genesis 37, they sold him to a caravan of Ishmaelites from the region...
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Prince of Peace
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 15, 2011
“He will be called . . . Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6).The phrase literally means “the prince whose coming brings peace.” It is the climax of all that has gone before. The word “prince” means something like “General of the Army.” It speaks of his high position. The word “peace” speaks of hi…
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Everlasting Father
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 14, 2011
“He will be called . . . Everlasting Father” (Isaiah 9:6).In the Hebrew the phrase is literally “the Father of Eternity.” This speaks of the purpose of his coming.He is before, above, and beyond Time. He is the possessor of eternity.. He is eternally like a father to his people. This is not a statement about the Trinity, but...
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Mighty God
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 13, 2011
“He will be called . . . Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6).This speaks of the “Power of Accomplishment.” It is first of all a statement of deity. The baby born in the manger is not just the Son of God, he is also God the Son. All the fullness of God dwells in the Lord Jesus Christ. As the ancient creeds declare, he is “very God ...
Wonderful Counselor
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 12, 2011
“He will be called Wonderful Counselor” (Isaiah 9:6).Literally this title means “a wonder of a counselor,” speaking of the wisdom of his plan. The word “wonderful” means “astonishing” or “extraordinary.” The writers of the Old Testament used it for acts of God which man cannot understand. ...
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Chief Shepherd
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 11, 2011
“When the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away” (1 Peter 5:4).Who is the Chief Shepherd? It’s Jesus. When will he appear? His coming is imminent. What will the faithful elder receive? The crown of glory. What will be its quality? It will never fade away. In those days the winner of a...
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Alpha and Omega
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 10, 2011
“I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 22:13). Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.Omega is the last letter.To say Jesus is the Alpha means he is the beginning of all things.He always was.To say Jesus it the Omega means he is the end of all things.He always will be.The first and the last stand for everything in between.Th...
Seed of the Woman
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 9, 2011
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed” (Genesis 3:15).This is the first promise given after the Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden. Theologians call it the protoevangelium–or first gospel because these words spoken by God contain the first promise of redemption in ...
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If We Say
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 25, 2011
Three times in 1 John 1 the apostle repeats the phrase “If we say”:"If we say, ‘We have fellowship with Him,’ and walk in darkness” (v. 6)."If we say, ‘We have no sin’” (v. 8)."If we say, ‘We have not sinned’” (v. 10). The worst lies we tell are the ones we tell to ou...
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Can We Shorten Our Life?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I received an email from someone troubled by the death of a good friend. Here is the issue put simply:My friend abused himself by eating junk food and excusing it by saying God made all good food to eat and He would live just as long as God intended him to live. To make matters worse, he had already had several heart attacks and couldn’t walk…
Eating a Frog
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 15, 2011
A few days ago my friend Paul Ward shared a bit of wisdom with me. In the course of a conversation, we were talking about how some things are hard to do. That’s when he shared something that he said Zig Ziglar told him a few years ago."If you’ve got to eat a frog, looking at it doesn’t make it any better."That’s ...
Painting the Sistine Chapel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 6, 2011
I received an e-mail from a friend writing to another friend with a carbon copy sent to me. These words from a new Christian contain enormous spiritual insight:"When you said, ’Let Jesus fill you up with Joy,’ I re-read that line about 100 times. I would love that. I will do it. I say now ’Jesus, if joy is to ...
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Don’t Rush the River
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 5, 2011
I know several people who are contemplating job changes and major career moves. Given the shaky economy, making a move can be a scary thing to do. Sometimes it means moving to another part of the country; sometimes it means leaving a job with no certainty about a future paycheck. Since I’ve been in both situations myself, I know how unsettlin...
Sovereign Serendipity
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 30, 2011
On Friday my son Mark and I had the unique privilege of eating lunch with Dr. Mark Bailey, president of Dallas Seminary. When he asked where we wanted to go, I suggested going to a sandwich shop. So instead of some fancy place, we ended up at Lenny’s Subs. In that most relaxed atmosphere, we laughed and talked and shared a lot of stories.When...
Preparation
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 21, 2011
God never seems to be in a hurry in preparing an instrument. He submitted His Son to a thirty-year training, in obscurity, for a ministry of three years. He so ordered events that two-thirds of Moses’ life-span was spent in preparation. We are in a desperate hurry to get on with the job, and would like to eliminate some of the tra...
Boasting: The Loud Sound of an Empty Mind
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 16, 2011
“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).This is one of the most famous verses in the book of Proverbs and one of the most often quoted. In tones that are darkly ominous, it reminds us of a truth no one can escape. Life is uncertain. No one knows what tomorrow will bring.Think of what...
Give Him No Rest
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 15, 2011
“You who call on the LORD, give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the earth” (Isaiah 62:6-7)."Give him no rest."Give who no rest? God.The Lord invites his people to pray, asks them to pray, commands them to pray, begs them to pray. And then he says, “When...
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The First Rule of Holes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 11, 2011
A friend was talking with his son about the importance of sound financial principles. What do you do when you are already in debt? The answer is not hard to find: Get out of debt as quickly as possible. My friend shared a pithy aphorism that he called the First Rule of Holes: When you’re in a hole, stop digging. It makes sense, doesn’t ...
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Plan B Living
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 6, 2011
(Over the years I have posted this article several times because its message is timeless. I’m posting it today as a good word for the first week of a new year.) Some time ago I heard the following statement on the radio and thought it was worth passing along: “The key to success in life is how well you adapt to Plan B.” Th...
The Best Time to Plant a Tree
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 2, 2011
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today."Lots of people make resolutions at the start of a new year. Unfortunately the best intentions in the world easily get laid aside once we have to go back to work tomorrow. Life has a way of intruding on our desire to make a new start. We want to be better ...
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Safer Than a Known Way
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 1, 2011
On Christmas Day 1939, King George VI of England gave a brief radio address to his troubled nation. England was already at war with Germany. Soon all of Europe would be plunged into the horror of brutal, unrestrained warfare. Hoping to calm the troubled hearts of his countrymen, the king offered words of encouragement as the storm clouds gathered o...
One Thing We Need in 2011
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 27, 2010
In the last several years I’ve thought a lot about how Christians should respond to the pressures we face every day. We know that in this world we will have many trials. Jesus said as much in John 16:33, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” What do we need to stay strong in 2011? ...
The Bulldog and the Skunk
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 29, 2010
I don’t know why but I’ve run into a bunch of skunks lately. Maybe it’s the season of the year or maybe I’m just unlucky, but it seems like I’ve been riding my bike past dead skunks in the road once or twice a week. Not long ago a very much alive skunk invaded our neighborhood and left his noxious calling card.One nigh...
Work-in-Progress
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 26, 2010
“The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever–do not abandon the works of your hands” (Psalm 138:8). “Your love endures forever.” This little phrase forms the foundation for the doctrine of eternal security. It is often said that those who are saved are saved forever. How do we kno...
Matthew Henry’s Thanksgiving
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 25, 2010
The name Matthew Henry may not mean anything to many who read these words. In the New International Dictionary of the Christian Church his life is summed up on two words: Biblical Expositor.He was born in 1662, the son of a Church of England minister. During his life he pastored several churches and also wrote a number of important works. His six-v...
When We Stop Playing Games
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 23, 2010
The call came from an old friend, someone I have known for over 40 years. His marriage was in serious trouble, and more importantly, he saw clearly that unless he changed from the inside out, what happened to his marriage wouldn’t really matter. His wife wasn’t the problem, although she has her issues to deal with, and his rocky marriag...
His Eye is on the Sparrow
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 22, 2010
It has been said that God’s omniscience is a comfort to believers and a terror to unbelievers. The comfort is easy to see. If he truly knows all things and if he ordains all things, then everything that happens to me or to those I love must happen as part of his plan. F. B Meyer has written, “It is in proportion as we see God’s wi...
Saved From Myself
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 1, 2010
Yesterday on the radio we asked callers to tell us who Jesus is to them. Not just what they believe in a technical sense but how they had experienced the Lord personally. The very first caller offered a beautiful testimony of what the Lord Jesus had done in his life. After mentioning how messed up he had been, he summed it all up with this one sent…
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The Danger of Moderate Success
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, September 21, 2010
If a pastor has 50 people in his church, 60 is a big increase. And 75 is even better, and 100 is a near-miracle. But what if 700 people suddenly showed up one Sunday? Would that be a miracle or a nightmare?Moderate success we can handle. Overwhelming success can destroy us because we’re not ready for it. When Jesus called Peter in Luke 5...
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Andy and Alice McQuitty on “Life Today”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 15, 2010
Last year I wrote several times about my friend Andy McQuitty, pastor of Irving (TX) Bible Church, who was diagnosed in the summer of 2009 with Stage 4 colon cancer. Marlene and I have known Andy and his wife Alice since 1983 when we served together at Northeast Bible Church in Garland, Texas. They are dear friends to us. On Monday and Tuesda...
When You Are Unfairly Accused
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, July 27, 2010
An email arrived from a friend with some discouraging news. She and her husband had launched out on a new venture that, so far at least, has not worked out, putting them in some financial difficulty. A friend at their church urged them to consider applying for help from a fund set up for that purpose (I am leaving out some identifying details). Wha...
Did Jonah Truly Repent?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 22, 2010
Since Monday I’ve been speaking on the of “Outrageous Grace” from the book of Jonah at Pinebrook Bible Conference. After I finished my final message tonight, it occurred to me that I left one important detail hanging in the air.Did Jonah ever repent?We know that when God told him to go to Nineveh (in modern-day Iraq), he boarded a...
You Can Reach a Prodigal Too Soon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 16, 2010
I met a pastor several years ago who shared a thoughtful insight with me. Sometimes in our attempt to reach out to the prodigals we know, we can intervene too soon. Do remember what happened to the prodigal son in Luke 15? After he had wasted all his inheritance in wild living, he ended up feeding the pigs. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “He was...
Three Questions for the Second Half of 2010
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 1, 2010
I woke up this morning and realized that the first half of 2010 is already gone. How quickly the days and weeks pass from us. As we enter the second half of the year, here are three questions that help us focus on relationships that may need mending. 1. Is there is a broken relationship in my life that I need to deal with?All of us have relationsh...
Do You Love All the Saints?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 10, 2010
I’ve been pondering Paul’s statement in Ephesians 1:15 that he prayed for them when he heard about “their faith in the Lord Jesus and their love for all the saints.” It’s that last phrase that grabbed me. The NLT says, “Your love for God’s people everywhere.” Clarence Jordan paraphrased it as, “...
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People Do Not Drift Toward Holiness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Why is it taking me so long to get better?Most Christians have asked that question at one time or another. Or maybe you’ve wondered why the Christian life seems so hard. Why is it so easy to drift and so hard to grow? At his blog Between Two Worlds Justin Taylor quotes a very challenging statement from Don Carson’s fine book For the Lov...
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Did I Make the Right Decision?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 3, 2010
Maybe you shouldn’t have changed jobs.Maybe you shouldn’t have bought that new house.Maybe you shouldn’t have moved to a new city.Maybe you shouldn’t have taken that big promotion.What do you do then? It’s always easy to look back and criticize yourself for the decisions you made years ago. We’ve all done our sha...
Don’t Be Greedy
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 3, 2010
Yesterday I ran across this little story in an interview with art collector Charles Saatchi. The final question was “Is bad luck often a case of stupidity?” Here’s Saatchi’s answer:In New York in 1977, a man was knocked down by a car, and got up uninjured.But a bystander suggested he feign injury, lay back down in front of t…
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Can I Serve the Lord Through My New Business?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 1, 2010
I received a note from a friend who has just started a new business. Like all new ventures, it will require of my friend and his wife a large commitment of time, energy and personal resources. But at the same time, my friend feels called to serve his church by discipling others and doing some occasional preaching. Is there a conflict here? Does he ...
Are We Too Fond of Our Own Will?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 29, 2010
I saw this church sign while riding my bike a few days ago. When I saw it a second time, it set me to thinking.I think it’s the word “fond” that grabbed me. Am I “fond” of my own will?Yeah, sure, absolutely.I have a few things on my mind as I type these words, including one thing regarding someone dear to me. I do inde...
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A Disciple’s Renewal
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 21, 2010
Yesterday Ron Thweatt reprinted a prayer called “A Disciple’s Renewal,” taken from the fine book Valley of Vision, a collection of Puritan prayers. Almost 20 years ago Skip Olson gave me a copy of the book, and though it became dog-eared and worn and the binding began to fall apart, I taped it up and still have my original copy. I...
Wrestling With an Angel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Now and then I like to alert you to things that I find personally compelling. The weblog called Wrestling With an Angel falls into that category. The subtitle tells you all you need to know: “Lessons in the life of a father learned through the struggles of his disabled son.” Greg Lucas is a police officer in a small town in West Virgini...
Should I Pray for the Job I Really Want?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A friend sent an email asking a question that many people have wondered about when facing big decisions. At the moment he is looking for a job, having been laid off as a result of the recession. After many years building a fine career in his chosen field, he now stands at a crossroads. Here is part of what he wrote, with some of the identifying det...
New sermon audio – Can We Still Believe in Life After Death?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 7, 2010
We have a new podcast about a question posed by religious leaders who wanted to trick Christ. This topic that matters just as much today as it did 2,000 years ago when Christ was asked about it: Can we believe in life after death?
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Why Do You Look for the Living Among the Dead?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 4, 2010
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)Last October we visited the Holy Land for the fifth time. We ended our last day of touring in Jerusalem by going to the Garden Tomb, the spot believed by many to be the actual burial place of Jesus. It is located next to Gordon’s Calvary, that strange ...
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Why Are You Weeping?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 3, 2010
“Why are you weeping?" (John 20:15).Death is never easy to deal with. Most of the time we can avoid it or postpone it or keep it far away from us. But sometimes death stares us in the face and we don’t know what to do or how to respond. And that’s why Mary Magdalene was standing alone at the Garden Tomb about 6:30 a.m. on the…
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Why Have You Forsaken Me?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 2, 2010
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)"It isn’t right."That’s what Roger said to me after he watched Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ with a group from our church. Roger was in the 7th grade when he saw the movie. He gripped my hand, his eyes filled with tears, his lips quivering.&nb...
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What Shall I Do With Jesus?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 1, 2010
“What shall I do, then, with Jesus?” (Matthew 27:22)Pilate had a big problem.He knew Jesus was not guilty of any crime (he said so three times), but the shouting mob wanted him dead. So Pilate offered them a choice.Barabbas or Jesus.The criminal or the innocent man.The terrorist or the King of the Jews.The troublemaker or the Princ...
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Why Did You Strike Me?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 31, 2010
“Why did you strike me?” (John 18:23)Cowards hit first.His trial before Annas was really just a kangaroo court, a pretense of a hearing so they could find Jesus guilty of something. They were definitely not looking for the truth.So why did the man hit him?Because he told the truth.Because he would not be intimidated.Because th…
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Is It Right For Us To Pay Taxes to Caesar Or Not?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 30, 2010
“Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” (Luke 20:22)"It’s all yours now."My wife then dropped a stack of papers on my desk. For several days she has been figuring up the categories for our income tax return. That’s the way we’ve done it for many years. She does the categories and then I do the r...
How Did The Fig Tree Wither So Quickly?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 29, 2010
“How did the fig tree wither so quickly” (Matthew 21:20).Fig trees are for making figs. Pretty simple, really. We plant apple trees because we want apples, peach trees because we want peaches, orange trees because we want oranges, and fig trees because we want figs. We might as well ask what good is an apple tree that doesn’t prod...
What Is Truth?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 28, 2010
“What is truth” (John 18:38).Sometimes a question tells you all you need to know. With those three words Pontius Pilate revealed his own vacillating nature. Although he knows Jesus is innocent of any crime under Roman law, he dare not appear weak in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. When Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth li...
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Will He Find Faith On The Earth?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 27, 2010
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)Maybe, maybe not.I always thought this was a sad, plaintive end to the parable of the persistent widow (Luke 18:1-8) where Jesus encourages his disciples to always pray and never to give up. The parable ends with three questions:1) Will not God bring abou...
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What Will Be the Sign of Your Coming?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 26, 2010
“What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matthew 24:3)Are you ready for TEOTWAWKI?That’s an acronym for The End Of The World As We Know It. Pronounced “Tee-ought-walk-ee,” it refers to some catastrophe (natural or man made, such as global war or some other doomsday scenario) that causes the to…
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How Are You Different From Anyone Else?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 25, 2010
“If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else?” (Matthew 5:47 NLT)You never know what will grab someone’s heart.Mosab Hassan Yousef grew up as a Muslim. From an early age, he studied the Koran, memorized its teachings, said the daily prayers, and followed the way of Islam as faithfully as he could....
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What Will You Give Me If I Hand Him Over?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 24, 2010
“What will you give me if I hand him over to you?” (Matthew 26:15)How much would you sell Jesus for?Would you betray him for money?Would you betray him for a better job?Would you betray him to keep the job you have?Would you betray him to save your own skin?Would you betray him because he didn’t live up to your expectations?Would ...
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Are You the One?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 23, 2010
“Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” (Matthew 11:2)That’s a powerful question. It may be troubling to some people to think that John the Baptist has come to a point of such deep doubt. After all, we know that John had made one of the earliest public confessions of Jesus when he cried out, &ldqu...
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When Did We See You Hungry and Feed You?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 22, 2010
“When did we ever see you hungry and feed you?” (Matthew 25:37)Somewhere I read about St. Benedict’s first rule for his followers: hospitality. They must always show kindness to strangers because in so doing they are showing kindness to Christ himself. The story is told about an old Benedictine monk who was about to lock the ...
Lord, Should We Fight?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 21, 2010
“Lord, should we fight? We brought the swords!” (Luke 22:49 NLT)Fighting seems so natural. Why let the bad guys win?Losing is not a popular idea today. It’s definitely not a very American concept. As George Patton famously remarked, “Americans love a winner. America will not tolerate a loser.” We all want to be on the ...
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What Were You Arguing About?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 20, 2010
“What were you arguing about?” (Mark 9:33)No wonder they wouldn’t answer him. After all Jesus has said and done—after all his miracles and the repeated teaching—what are these guys talking about on the road? They were arguing about who was the greatest. Unbelievable! In the Jewish society of that day&mda...
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What Can a Man Give in Exchange for His Life?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 19, 2010
“What can a man give in return for his life?” (March 8:37)Decision time.Jesus is meeting with his men at Caesarea Philippi, a city outside the borders of Israel. There Peter makes the great confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus then reveals the fact of his coming crucifixion in Je...
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Who of You by Worrying Can Add a Single Hour to His Life?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 18, 2010
“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” (Matthew 6:27)Can you worry your way into an extra hour of life?No, but you might take a few off your life by worrying.We’re really pretty limited if you think about it. All our days and hours and minutes and seconds are in the Father’s hands. Recently I spoke with ...
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What Is That To You?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 17, 2010
“What is that to you?” (John 21:23)Years ago I heard Dr. Vernon Grounds, longtime president of Denver Seminary, share a story from a time in his early ministry when he was bring harshly criticized for some stands he had taken. The men criticizing him felt he should have been stronger or stated things more forcefully or done things a dif...
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Do You Love Me?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 16, 2010
“Do You Love Me?” (John 21:17).Several questions come to mind as we read this passage (John 21:15-17). Why did Jesus ask Peter three times, “Do you love me?” Because Peter had denied him three times. Why did he do this publicly? Because Peter denied him publicly. The other disciples needed to hear Peter openly declare hi...
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Who Gave You This Authority?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 15, 2010
“Who gave you this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)Religious types are always big on authority issues.Who are you?Where did you come from?Who gave you the right to teach here?What school did you attend?Where is your diploma?Why didn’t you ask us for permission?Who do you think you are, anyway? ...
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Who Is My Mother?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 14, 2010
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” (Matthew 12:48)Sometimes Jesus could seem rude. Or maybe blunt would be a better word.But perhaps we have not understood him correctly. Jesus stood in a dual relationship to his mother Mary and to his earthly brothers and sisters. They were indeed part of his earthly family. He never denied th...
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Who Do You Say That I Am?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 13, 2010
“Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)It all comes down to this eventually. Here is a question everyone must answer. In the Greek text, that word you has an enormous stress. In fact, the you really goes at the first of the sentence. It is as if Jesus is saying, “But you who have followed me and have known me from th...
Who Touched Me?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 12, 2010
“Who touched me?” (Luke 8:45)It seems like an absurd question. With so many people pressing in upon Jesus, how could anyone know who touched him? So many people wanted to be near him, it could have been any man or any woman in the crowd. But the Master knew that someone had touched the edge of his garment and at that moment a mighty mir...
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Whose Wife Will She Be?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 11, 2010
“At the resurrection whose wife will she be, since the seven were married to her?” (Luke 20:33)This is a trick question, right?Talk about a run of bad luck. A woman marries a man who dies leaving her with no children to carry on the family name. So along comes the younger brother who marries her and then dies leaving her with no childre...
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How Do You Know Me?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
“How do you know me?” (John 1:48)Little things mean a lot.Nathanael couldn’t figure out how Jesus knew who he was. They had never met, and Nathanael knew nothing at all about Jesus. Though he had no opinion about Jesus, Jesus had a high opinion of him, saying, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false&rdqu...
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To Whom Shall We Go?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 9, 2010
“Lord, to whom shall we go?” (John 6:68)Jesus is too much for some people.Sometimes the words of Jesus seem too strong, his demands too strict, his sayings too mysterious to understand. Sometimes the problem is simply that Jesus asks for everything, and that’s more than we are willing to give.In this case Jesus has just revealed t...
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Why Did You Doubt?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 8, 2010
“Why Did You Doubt?” (Matthew14:31) When Jesus says, “Come,” you’d better come.When he says, “Walk,” you’d better walk. In Peter’s case, he was safer out on the water than in the boat. At that moment, the smartest thing Peter could do was to get out of the boat. Once Peter was fully on th...
Who Then Can Be Saved?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 7, 2010
“Who then can be saved?” (Luke 18:26)The answer is simple, really.Apart from God no one can be saved.That’s the whole point of the camel through the eye of a needle. Have you ever heard anybody explain this by saying that the eye of the needle represents some kind of tiny passageway into the city of Jerusalem and you had to kneel...
Where Are the Nine?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 6, 2010
“Where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17)Jesus asks three questions. 1. Were there not ten healed? Yes.2. Where are the other nine? Gone.3. Is there no one here but this foreigner? No one.If you listen carefully, you can hear surprise, shock and most of all sadness. Jesus wanted to know about the others. Where are they? Weren’...
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Why Does He Eat With Sinners?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 5, 2010
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ’sinners’?” (Matthew 9:11)Evidently Jesus hung out with a bad crowd.We know that because the super-religious types found it offensive. One translation catches the flavor this way:"Why does your teacher eat with such scum?” (NLT)There are many ways to answer that ...
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Who Sinned?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 4, 2010
“Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2)It’s a natural question, isn’t it? When a disaster happens, we want to know why. Why Haiti and not Jamaica? Why Chile and not Brazil? Or why did this man get cancer and his brother didn’t? Or why did they both get cancer and one survived while...
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Isn’t This the Carpenter?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 3, 2010
“Isn’t this the carpenter?” (Mark 6:3)Call this Josh McDowell in reverse.Over 30 years ago Josh McDowell wrote More Than a Carpenter, a short book designed to prove that Jesus is the Son of God. It became a mega-bestseller with more than 10 million copies in print worldwide. The title tells the whole story. Jesus was indeed &l...
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Why Couldn’t We Drive It Out?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 2, 2010
“Why couldn’t we drive it out?” (Mark 9:28)What an embarrassment!So you’re a disciple of Christ and a man brings you his demonized son, asking you to cure him. You’ve seen Jesus do that very thing so you try to do what your Master does, and it doesn’t work. Nothing happens.The boy remains enslaved to the dem...
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Do You Believe This?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 1, 2010
“Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)Peter Marshall tells the story of a young boy about four years old who had a terminal disease. At first he didn’t understand his condition, but finally he realized that he wasn’t going to get better and would never again play with his friends. So one morning he asked his mother, “Am I ...
Do You See This Woman?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 28, 2010
“Do you see this woman?” (Luke 7:44)This was Simon’s fundamental problem. He never really saw the woman.The Bible is very discreet in calling her “a woman who had lived a sinful life” (Luke 7:37). This is a delicate way of saying she had been a prostitute. She made her living by selling her body to men. She was a profes...
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Do You Want to Get Well?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 27, 2010
“Do You Want to Get Well?” (John 5:6)Change is scary. Sometimes it’s easier to stay the way you are. Jesus had come to Jerusalem during one of the yearly feasts. Thousands of pilgrims were there from throughout Israel. While he was there, he paid a visit to a place called Bethesda, “the house of mercy.” It was a poo...
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Why Do You Call Me Good?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 26, 2010
“Why do you call me good?” (Mark 10:18)The question seems odd.The rich young ruler had just asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, prefacing the question with the title “Good teacher.” Instead of answering his question, Jesus replies with another question that seems to confuse the issue. From our point of v...
Why Do You Call Me “Lord, Lord” and Do Not Do What I Say?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 25, 2010
“Why do you call me, ’Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)Talk is cheap.And Jesus wasn’t impressed by big crowds.He could see the multitudes pressing in around him, and he knew how much they admired him. The cheered for him, followed him wherever he went, gathered to hear him speak, and they brought the ...
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How Many Times Shall I Forgive My Brother?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 24, 2010
“How many times shall I forgive my brother? (Matthew 18:21)We’ve all wondered the same thing.Peter wanted to know how much guff he had to take off somebody. When do you stop turning the other cheek?Everyone has felt that way before. You take it and you take it and you take it and the guy does it again and you say, “If he does it o...
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Couldn’t He Have Kept This Man From Dying?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 23, 2010
“Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37)Good question.Fair question.Honest question.Just before Jesus raised Lazarus, some of the Jews raised this question. After all, he clearly loved Lazarus, and he had already healed the man born blind (John 9). This means the question doesn&rsqu...
Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 22, 2010
“Can you drink the cup I drink?” (Mark 10:38)It was surely a strange request. James and John came to Jesus asking for a special favor. They wanted to be seated on thrones next to him when he comes in his glory. If you’re going to ask, you might as well go for the gold. The two brothers have been roundly criticized f...
Don’t You Care If We Drown?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 21, 2010
“Don’t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38)Whenever I read the story of Jesus calming the storm on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41), I remember a trip to the Holy Land several years ago. During our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, a storm came up very quickly, as they often do in that part of the world. The rain started hitting the...
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Did No One Condemn You?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 20, 2010
“Did no one condemn you?” (John 8:10)In the end she looked better than her accusers.This is the story of the woman caught in adultery. Dragged before Jesus by the oh-so-righteous religious leaders, she waits to hear the inevitable verdict. Stone her!That’s what the law demands.But in the end she walks away because when Jesus ...
Why Have You Treated Us Like This?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 19, 2010
“Why have you treated us like this?” (Luke 2:48)"He’s not safe but he’s good."Those famous words of C. S. Lewis refer to Aslan, the great lion in the classic story The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I thought of this quote when I read Mary’s plaintive and somewhat disapproving question to Jesus. You remem...
Who Is This Man?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 18, 2010
“Who is this man who speaks blasphemies?” (Luke 5:21)Closed minds come in many varieties.In this case the Pharisees were offended when Jesus forgave the paralytic whose friends lowered him through the roof. Who does Jesus think he is, claiming the power to forgive sins? That why they said he was speaking blasphemies. The Pharisees...
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What Are You Looking For?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 17, 2010
This is Day 1 of Lent, the forty days of preparation leading up to Easter. A quick check of the Wikipedia entry will give you some helpful background. Note that in the Western tradition, Lent starts today with Ash Wednesday and continues until Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Sundays are not counted as part of the forty days because each ...
Leaning is Believing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 12, 2010
If you would like some help in keeping on track with your daily devotions, you may want to check a website called Family Times devoted to helping families read the Bible together. Each day Lou Nicholes offers a short devotional based on a Bible passage. Today’s passage talks about Jesus healing the nobleman’s son in John 4:43-54. You ca...
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Thank You Father
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 4, 2010
My friend David Langerfeld sends out an email each day called the Daily Encourager that contains a brief thought, a quote, a story or a poem meant to impart strength and hope as we journey through life. Earlier this week he sent out a poem that he called “Thank You Father.” I am passing it along because strikes exactly the right note. I...
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’God Told Me’ . . . Really?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A friend alerted me to an article by R. T. Kendall called ’God Told Me’ . . . Really? that says something I’ve thought for a long time but have never been able to put into words. Kendall is talking about tendency of evangelicals in general (and charismatics in particular) to say “God told me” when they think they have ...
Moving the Elephant
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 8, 2010
I had breakfast with a friend who told me that working in the church is like “moving the elephant.” He explained that moving an elephant can be quite difficult, especially if the elephant doesn’t want to be moved. You can get in front and pull on the trunk or you can stand behind and push with all your might. Eventually if you pul...
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The “Who” Question
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 8, 2010
A wise man gave me some advice on how to make good decisions:Don’t ask, “Lord, what do want me to do?” or “Where do you want me to go?"Instead you should ask, “Who do you want me to go with?"Most of the time the “who” matters more than the “what” or the “where.” Not that ...
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“God Can Do Anything Now”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 3, 2010
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).How much can God do in 2010?The answer is, no one knows because no one has ever come to the end of God’s infinite ability.It is not our prayers that mark his ability. He can do far more tha...
Safer Than a Known Way
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 1, 2010
On Christmas Day 1939, King George VI of England gave a brief radio address to his troubled nation. England was already at war with Germany. Soon all of Europe would be plunged into the horror of brutal, unrestrained warfare. Hoping to calm the troubled hearts of his countrymen, the king offered words of encouragement as the storm clouds gathered o...
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Mrs. Sandberg’s Advice
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 31, 2009
At long last we’ve made it to the end of 2009. Not triumphantly perhaps, but we’ve made it. So how did you do these last twelve months? What kind of year did you have?Probably your year was a lot like mine. Some great victories, some surprising defeats, and a few “no decisions” along the way.Maybe you had one of those years …
25 Reasons to Give Thanks When You Don’t Feel Like It
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 29, 2009
The Bible tells us to “be thankful, whatever the circumstances may be” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 Phillips). That command turns on the last phrase, “whatever the circumstances may be.” After all, it’s one thing to praise God when you’ve got a good job, your marriage is strong, your kids are doing well, your career is ...
Two Insights on Forgiveness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 12, 2009
I have a good friend who emails me from time to time with thoughts about forgiveness. They are really just bullet points about lessons he has learned from his own personal journey. This morning he sent five thoughts. The following two really stuck in my mind:1. “If you have forgiven a person, that means that you don’t make them pay in t…
Start Something You Cannot Finish
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 11, 2009
This morning Al Mohler spoke to the December graduates at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY on the theme Start Something You Cannot Finish based on Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:6, “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.” I love this challenge because it reminds me that someone was here before I …
He Knows What They Are
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 6, 2009
Each day I receive a quote by email from a ministry called Of First Importance. Each quotation comes from a noted Christian leader past or present and each focuses on some aspect of the gospel. If you haven’t subscribed yet, I recommend “Of First Importance” to you. Wednesday’s selection stayed in my mind because it gave me ...
Be a Student, Not a Victim
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 5, 2009
Seventeen years ago Jim Warren shared a principle with me that I have repeated many times. In last week’s message I mentioned it again. And on Wednesday night when I gave that message at the First Baptist Church of Tupelo, I noticed people writing it down. When I shared it at the Men’s Bible Study on Thursday night, the same thing happe…
7 Reasons Not to Speak When You Are Angry
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 4, 2009
This morning I woke up thinking about the dangers of speaking when you are angry. Yesterday I chatted with a friend in Nashville who said that he had been meditating on Proverbs 11:17, “Your kindness will reward you, but your cruelty will destroy you” (NLT). Some Bible passages need explanation; others, like this verse, speak for themse…
Saved After 45 Years
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 30, 2009
During his sermon yesterday, our pastor stopped for a moment and held up a Bible that was given to him when he was in high school 45 years ago. Written in the margin were the names of four people. On a regular basis he had prayed for their salvation. One was a brother he led to Christ some years old. One was an older brother who is 76 years ago. &l…
Here Come the Chariots
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 29, 2009
After I sent out this week’s sermon called Why Is Life So Hard?, I received this email from a friend:We thought this was going to be the first time we would miss a mortgage payment and God provided just as the Egyptians were meeting us at the water. Still no job but I have been praying that our trials would be helping others. As Paul reminded...
Orphan Lamb
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 26, 2009
Yesterday on the radio we interviewed Ron Carlson who does lots of work in the area of apologetics. While talking about how to share Christ with unbelievers, he mentioned that during a visit to New Zealand, he met some sheep ranchers who told him a most unusual story. In large herds of sheep, it’s not unusual for a mother to die while g...
What is the meaning of Hebrews 10:26?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 13, 2009
Several days ago I received an email asking about Hebrews 10:26, the last (and strongest) of the “warning passages” in Hebrews. It happens that the writer is a soldier serving in Afghanistan. Here is how he put his question:One of the guys on my team and myself started a Bible study. We are actually talking about salvation. We also brou...
All Saints Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 1, 2009
This is All Saints Day, one of the finest, most joyful days of the Christian year. It’s the day when we remember and give thanks for all true believers around the world, especially those who have gone before us into heaven. Evangelicals often pay little attention to the Christian year (for various reasons), but this is one holiday that should...
Who is Jesus to Me?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 19, 2009
Last week I sent out a sermon called Who is Jesus Christ? In response a friend in Seattle wrote down his thoughts. I foudn them very moving. Who is this person Jesus Christ? It’s as simple a question as it is deep. This is where God took my thoughts on your question. Who is Jesus Christ to me?He is the tissue that wipes away my tears.He ...
When Not to Have Lunch
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 5, 2009
I was asked recently about Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 that there are times when we should not even eat with a sinning believer:I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case yo...
“I don’t need a war to take you home”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, September 28, 2009
About a month ago I started an email correspondence with a soldier serving with the US Army in Afghanistan. From what he has written, I gather that he’s been there for several tours of duty. Somehow he found one of my books, read it, and wrote with some questions. Like all who serve in a combat zone, he has wondered about the possibility of h...
A First Name Basis With Adversity
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, September 26, 2009
A friend sent me an email detailing some things the Lord has been teaching him the hard way. Mostly the lessons involve letting go of bitterness and moving forward with the Lord. I was struck by the way his ended his email:Sanctification is very expensive. It doesn’t come cheap. It will cost you. Just ask Corrie Ten Boom, or the Apostle Paul,...
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The Steps and Stops of Life
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 20, 2009
A few years ago we led a tour of the Holy Land and Greece. Everything had gone smoothly until we arrived in the Athens airport. Then it happened. Two members of our group were detained by the Greek customs officials because their passports contained invalid visas. To those who never travel overseas that may not sound serious, but it is. A vi...
Friday Night Musings
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 18, 2009
**I’m writing this note from our hotel room in Birmingham, Alabama. We drove over from Tupelo this afternoon so we could have dinner with Nick and Elizabeth. Tomorrow we plan to visit the Alabama State Fair in nearby Pelham–if it ever stops raining. It seems like we’ve had rain for two weeks, and the current forecast calls for mor...
Threads of Circumstance
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 13, 2009
During my college years I worked briefly at a carpet mill in Chattanooga, Tennessee. My job was fairly low-tech, mostly pushing a broom and keeping the walkways clean. In my spare moments I loved to watch the huge carpet machines at work. As I stood in the back I could see huge spools of yarn—dozens of them, of every conceivable color—s...
Happiness is a Choice
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, September 10, 2009
I received a letter from a friend in Florida who wrote to tell me about an unexpected change of plans in his life. Suddenly his future was not as certain as he thought it was. To make things worse, the change of plans was not definite. Things might change or they might not. But he wouldn’t know for a few months so he couldn’t do anythin...
Still Believing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Last Sunday I received a note from Alice McQuitty in which she gave a quick update on how Andy’s treatments for colon cancer are progressing. I have written about Andy here and here. We have known Andy and Alice for 26 years and count them as dear friends. I wrote Andy a note saying that we were going to “dig in” and pray for him ...
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Bull Poker and Stage 3 Cancer
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Unless you are a fan of rodeo, you may not have heard about a fun event called “Bull Poker” in which three or four cowboys sit around a table in the middle of the arena with a bull let loose to wreak havoc. While the cowboys sit at the table playing poker, the bull roams freely. Eventually the bull is bound to charge the table, scatteri...
This and That
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 12, 2009
*Last night I spent an hour talking with Peter Wang in China via Skype. As you can tell from the picture, he was wearing a brand-new Keep Believing t-shirt that we sent over from the States. For over three years Peter has been preaching my sermons to the house church he pastors. Only he doesn’t just preach my sermons directly. He studies the ...
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The Bridge of Grace
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 11, 2009
I ran across this fine quote from Charles Spurgeon courtesy of our friends at Of First Importance:"The bridge of grace will bear your weight, brother. Thousands of big sinners have gone across that bridge, yea, tens of thousands have gone over it. I can hear their trampings now as they traverse the great arches of the bridge of salvation. The...
We Encourage People Everywhere to Keep Believing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 7, 2009
Here’s the fourth thing you need to know about KBM:4. We encourage people everywhere to keep believing. Sometimes it’s hard to keep believing.I remember saying that–in an off-the-cuff manner–at a KBM board meeting several years ago. It happened at the end of a planning retreat, as I was giving my final comments just bef...
What Your Critics Want Most
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Here’s a thought to remember the next time you are criticized . . . What your critics want most is to know that they have been heard, that someone took them seriously, that they weren’t put down or laughed at or ridiculed for whatever they are unhappy about. Just being heard is a big deal.Recently my wife and I lodged a complaint w...
Full House
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 31, 2009
I talked with a young man whose life has radically changed in the last year. His story goes something like this. He was raised in a Christian home where he was taught the Bible from an early age. When he was a teenager, he attended Sunday School and youth group every week. He memorized Bible verses and attended a Christian camp where he was challen...
Not a Tame World
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 30, 2009
My mind has repeatedly gone back to a song I heard during our week at the youth camp in Florida. One night just before I spoke a young woman sang a song that had been written by one of the worship leaders. I don’t remember much about it except that she had a good voice, she sang in a bluesy style, and the last line of each verse ended with an...
The One Question You Should Ask
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Michael Hyatt has written a blog entry on the one question you should ask when something negative happens. Instead of asking, “Why did this happen?” you should ask, “What does this make possible?"Do you see the subtle shift? Suddenly, your attention moves from the past—which you can’t do a thing about—to th...
“Heal My Faith, Lord”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, July 7, 2009
A few days ago a friend told me about a Bible teacher in the 1800s who had an unusual way of dealing with people who came to him with various spiritual problems. After listening to them, he would pray for their faith to be healed. “Lord, Margaret is struggling right now with many questions and many doubts. She feels overwhelmed by all that sh…
How to Catch a Stolen Snake
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, June 26, 2009
Here’s a story from Perth, Australia sent along by my friend Pat Sullivan. Seems that someone stole a python from a wildlife center in Perth. The thieves no doubt thought they had made a clean job of it, but the snake did not cooperate. The six-foot long python swallowed a woylie, which this article describes as an endangered marsupial. Turns...
No Regrets
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 25, 2009
A friend asked for my thoughts on living with no regrets. To me it’s all about direction. A few years ago the Lord gave me a set of sayings that I call the First Law of Spiritual Progress:I can’t go back.I can’t stay here.I must go forward.In truth, there is no such thing as a life lived with no regrets in the literal ...
The Day Jonathan Edwards Got Fired
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Fred Sanders reminds us that yesterday was the anniversary of the day in 1750 when Jonathan Edwards was voted out as pastor of the church in Northampton, Massachusetts.The vote was 230 to dismiss him, 23 to keep him as pastor.That’s 10-1 against him.That’s after being the pastor at Northampton for 23 years.I should add one point....
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My Father, My Sons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 21, 2009
A man never knows when his job is done partly because he never really knows what his job is. He gets one message from watching TV, another message by hanging out with his friends, a third message from his job, he hears something else when he goes to church, and he tries to make it all work when he goes home. In my case I’ve tried to mak...
Bible Bus–June Update
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 16, 2009
During our Caribbean cruise last week I finished reading through the Bible. When we left San Juan, I had some reading left to do in Romans and Matthew. By the end I had finished them both, thus reaching my goal of reading through the Bible in 2009. I have since started reading it through again, this time beginning with Ezekiel, a book I found both ...
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Keep Hope Alive
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 14, 2009
An old man and an old woman, childless for decades, are promised by God that someday they would have a baby. Abraham responds with total honesty. He laughs out loud at the Almighty. When Sarah hears the news,she laughs, too. How could such a thing happen? Twenty-five long years pass while they wait for God to keep his promise. Now he is 99 and she ...
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The God of My Future Problems
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 13, 2009
It’s hard to believe, but we’re almost halfway through 2009. What will the rest of this year bring? Will the economy turn around? What will happen in the Middle East? And what will happen to us personally? No one knows but God. It happened not long after I returned from Belize in 1992. While rummaging through an accumulated mountain of ...
More Self-Evident Truths
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 11, 2009
Yesterday I put forth a modest collection of “self-evident truths.” Here are seven more:1. If it’s truly important, you will find time to do it. How many times have we made excuses for not doing something when in the end, we know we didn’t do it because it just wasn’t very important to us? Actions speak louder than wor...
Self-Evident Truths
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 10, 2009
I’ve been mentally compiling a list of self-evident truths that cannot be denied. You can ignore them but you can’t disprove them. Here is my list so far, with a few explanatory comments: 1. Life goes on. No matter what we do, life goes on. If we foul up, life goes on. If we hit the jackpot, life goes on. Whether we laugh or cry, shout ...
Lesson From a Cave
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Over lunch with a friend, he told me about something unusual that happened when he attended a conference where a noted Christian author was speaking. Suddenly and without warning, during the middle of her address, a man stood up and verbally attacked her. Although taken aback, she recovered and responded with kindness. My friend said...
Plan B Living
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, June 8, 2009
Some time ago I heard the following statement on the radio and thought it was worth passing along: “The key to success in life is how well you adapt to Plan B.” There is a world of truth in that simple sentence. So many of us go through life frustrated because we’re still working on Plan A. That’s the one where everything wo...
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Dallas Willard on Humility
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 6, 2009
My friend David Steinhart, pastor of Forest Park (IL) Baptist Church, shared some insights on humility from a tape on leadership by Dallas Willard. Humility is a quality that is hard to define and even harder to develop. Very few people would admit to praying for humility even though the Bible instructs us to humble ourselves under the mighty hand ...
25 Affirmations About God’s Will
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, June 5, 2009
Durng the Friday edition of “Christian Life Today” on American Family Radio, we talked about what it means to know and do God’s will. It’s been my experience that most Christians are sincere and truly want to do God’s will if only they could figure out what it is. And most people realize there is no easy answer to the ...
Four Unrelated Links
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 4, 2009
Here are four unrelated links. I thought I would pass them along because each one is useful in its own way. The Gospel and the Gosselins Pooped Pastors.com The Loudest Cheers in Heaven Chinese Calvinism Flourishes ...
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Feed Yourself and Come to Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 31, 2009
During Sunday School today our teacher made a telling comment about people who complain they aren’t “being fed” when they come to church. Probably there is no complaint more frequently heard from unhappy churchgoers. “I’m just not being fed.”That usually means they don’t like the sermons they’re heari…
Give Tongues of Fire and Hearts of Love
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 24, 2009
Here’s a great missionary hymn (one source called it one of the greatest ever written) by Isaac Watts (1674-1748). I should add that it is entirely new to me. Watts wrote many hymns, most notably “Joy to the World,” “Alas! And Did My Savior Bleed,” and “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” On this Lord’…
Unless You Pray
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 18, 2009
A friend wrote a note saying that she was copying this part of my sermon What If and taping it on her computer as a reminder to pray for others:
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“I Get to Go See Jesus”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 9, 2009
This afternoon Marlene and I talked to Nancy Magnusson on the telephone. She and Kent have been dear friends since we met them soon after moving to Oak Park 20 years ago. Over the years we got to know them in many different ways. Kent served on the board of Oak Park Christian Academy, and he and Nancy spent untold hours helping the school go forwar...
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You Can’t Help a Liar
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 8, 2009
I originally wrote this column in February 2007 and in the process of doing some research came across it this week. The message is timeless. Recently I spent time with someone involved in ministry to students. Occasionally he is faced with difficult disciplinary decisions when the young people break the rules of the group. “I’ve dealt w...
“Much Work for Us Yet to Do”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 7, 2009
On this National Day of Prayer we need to remind ourselves that God works through history to accomplish his purposes. During the Civil War Abraham Lincoln often drew on his faith in God sometimes to comfort, sometimes to challenge his countrymen. During the early days of the war, at a moment when there was no news from the front and many feared the...
God of Our Fathers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 7, 2009
Did you know that America has a “National Hymn"? Most people don’t know that, but we do, and I’m not speaking about the National Anthem. I’m talking about the hymn God of Our Fathers. We don’t hear it or sing it very often nowadays, and that’s a pity because in many ways, it is an ideal marriage of tune and ...
My Best Fifteen Minutes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 18, 2009
“I wouldn’t trust my best fifteen minutes to get me into heaven."So said the preacher and I agree with him. In that one sentence he uttered a profound theological truth. I can think of five reasons why it must be true:1. Fifteen minutes isn’t long enough.2. Fifteen of my “best” minutes can’t make up f...
Bible Bus Update–April
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 17, 2009
It’s been over a month since my last Bible Bus update. In January I committed to reading the whole Bible book by book. I’m not following any particular plan, simply reading one book at a time from beginning to end. Since my last update I have read the following books: Leviticus, Joshua, Judges, Hosea, Psalms, Amos, 1 Corinthians, Coloss...
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The Minister’s Fainting Fits
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 16, 2009
This morning I happened to pick up my well-worn copy of Spurgeon’s Lectures to My Students, a book I have read and re-read over the years. It remains in the top handful of most useful books on the ministry I have ever read. And by chance (or I should say, by providence) I opened the book and read again Spurgeon’s famous chapter called T...
“But Some Doubted”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 13, 2009
Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the S…
Easter Sunday: Empty
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 12, 2009
Many years ago I was asked to perform a graveside service for a man I barely knew. I was young and inexperienced and wanted to say a few words of comfort. I fumbled my way through the ceremony and came to the closing prayer. When I got to the part about the resurrection of the dead, the words stuck in my throat. I could barely finish my prayer. I ...
Day 40: Silence
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 11, 2009
The four gospels do not tell us much about what happened on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We know that after Jesus died, the disciples stayed behind locked doors for fear of the Jewish leaders (John 20:19). Their fear was well-founded because on that Saturday, the chief priests and the Pharisees met with Pilate and asked him t...
Day 39: Hands
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 10, 2009
“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ’Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last” (Luke 23:46).Luke is the only writer to record the last words of the Son of God. Every word tells us something important:Father—This was Jesus’ favorite title for God. It spoke of the in...
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Day 38: Finished
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 9, 2009
“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ’It is finished’” (John 19:30). All of us have unfinished things cluttering up the highway of life.
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Day 37: Thirsty
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 8, 2009
“Later, knowing that all was now completed and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, ’I am thirsty’” (John 19:28).It is one of the ultimate ironies of the biblical story that Jesus cried out “I thirst.” He who is the water of life now dies of thirst. Jesus has not complained at all about his physi...
Day 36: Forsaken
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 7, 2009
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34).All eyes focus on the center cross. It is clear the end is near. Jesus is at the point of death. Whatever happened in those three hours of darkness has brought him to death’s door. His strength is nearly gone, the struggle almost over. His chest heaves with every breath, his...
Day 35: Family
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 6, 2009
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, ’Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ’’Here is your mother’” (John 19:26-27).Only those who have watched a loved one die can understand what it means for Mary to be near the cross on that...
Sunday Interlude: Brave
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 5, 2009
This is Holy Week, and around the world Christians are celebrating the momentous events that took place 2000 years ago. Although there are many things that separate us, here is one thing about which all Christians agree. Holy Week is at the center of the Christian faith. For one glorious week, differences of language, culture, rac...
Day 34: Pardoned
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 4, 2009
“I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). This is the story of the dying thief who believed in Jesus and was saved at the very last second.Was any man ever in a more desperate situation? Brutally crucified, the is dying in agony for sins he had committed, crimes he had done. He is a guilty man jus...
Day 33: Them
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 3, 2009
“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).It is enormously significant that the first word from the cross is a word of forgiveness. These words teach us that Jesus came to establish a religion of forgiveness. He is at heart a man of forgiveness. He came into t...
Day 32: Betrayal
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 2, 2009
There are two things that perplex us about Judas. First, why did he do what he did? Second, after he had done it, why did he feel so guilty? He was so evil that he sold the Lord Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Later he felt such remorse that he committed suicide.Over the centuries there have been many different reactions to his story. Many peopl...
Day 31: Sifting
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 1, 2009
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).These words must have seemed strange to Peter, coming as it were out of the blue. It has been well remarked that Peter in many ways is the most huma...
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Day 30: Battle
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 31, 2009
“I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:15). Genesis 3:15 is the first mention of the gospel in the Bible. You might have missed it because the name Jesus isn’t in the text, but he is there nonetheless...
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Day 29: Losing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 30, 2009
Why didn’t Jesus fight back when he was arrested? Losing is not a popular idea today. It’s definitely not a very American concept. As George Patton famously remarked, “Americans love a winner. America will not tolerate a loser.” We all want to be on the winning team. That’s why millions of people fill out their March M...
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Sunday Interlude: Gentleness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 29, 2009
Proverbs 15:1 tells us that “a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger." I have a friend who learned this verse the hard way. Whenever she said something in a harsh tone, her mother made her write this verse 50 times on a sheet of paper. It must have worked because many years later she has no trouble recall...
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Hello from Manila
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 27, 2009
I am writing this note from our room on the 8th floor of a hotel not far from the Manila airport. We arrived around 1 AM after a 29-hour trip from Tupelo. Suffice it to say that this morning (we’re 13 hours ahead of Central Daylight Time in the U.S.) we are tired but ebullient. All the Filipinos we have met have been very friendly and glad to...
Day 27: Frivolous
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 27, 2009
It is now early on Good Friday. Jesus was arrested by the Jews sometime around midnight. Since then he has been taken from one hearing to another: Annas, Caiaphas, the Sanhedrin. They all had their shot at him. Along the way, he has endured mocking jokes, insults, and false accusations. The Jews want him dead but only the Romans have the power of c...
Day 26: Paradox
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 26, 2009
Who is ultimately responsible for the death of Jesus Christ? The answer may surprise you. According to the Bible, God takes responsibility for the death of his Son. This is the first part of Isaiah 53:10 in the New International Version: “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer.” The New King James gives th...
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Day 25: Distracted
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 25, 2009
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41-42). Spurgeon comments that the little word “but” is a very useful pause for all of us very busy saints of God. Many ...
Day 24: Will
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 24, 2009
C. S. Lewis remarked that there are only two prayers in the universe: “My will be done” and “Thy will be done.” Everything we pray fits into one of those two categories. I know from long experience that it’s not easy to sincerely pray “Thy will be done.” Like most people, I would prefer that my will be don...
Day 23: As
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 23, 2009
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). There are 11 words in the text, but only one of them is important for our purposes. It’s the little word “as.” Everything hangs on the meaning of that word. “As” is the conjunction that joins the first half of the petition with the…
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Sunday Interlude: Truth
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 22, 2009
“What is truth?” (John 18:38).Sometimes a question tells you all you need to know. With those three words Pontius Pilate revealed his own vacillating nature. Although he knows Jesus is innocent of any crime under Roman law, he dare not appear weak in the eyes of the Jewish leaders. When Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth l...
Day 22: Doubt
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 21, 2009
“When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (Matthew 11:2-3).Some people have trouble with the concept that a Christian could ever entertain serious doubts. But there are whole books of the Bible that deal with the i...
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Day 21: Heart
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 20, 2009
“And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:30). If these words sound both severe and unnatural, then we have understood them correctly. Before saying anything to lessen their impact, we need to take them ...
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Day 20: Dudley
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 19, 2009
When I started this Lenten blog series, I knew that sooner or later I would write this entry. I knew it because Dudley, our three-year-old basset hound, has taught me so many good lessons.It is late at night as I write these words, and things are quiet in my corner of the world. I’m the only one awake at this hour. Marlene is asleep in our be...
Day 19: Mistreatment
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 18, 2009
“When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly” (1 Peter 2:23).I submit to you that this is not a natural way to live. When we are insulted, our natural inclination is to return an insult for an insult. But Jesus chose another way...
Day 18: Sheep
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 17, 2009
It is said that Bernard of Clairvaux in the 12th century first penned the words to one of our favorite hymns, O Sacred Head Now Wounded. The second verse speaks to the issue of our sin and the death of Christ:What thou, my Lord, hast suffered was all for sinners’ gain;mine, mine was the transgression, but thine the deadly pain.Lo, here I fall...
Day 17: Illumination
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 16, 2009
“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).What do these words mean? The dictionary defines light as “a source of illumination.” That provides the key to our definition. To be the light of the world means illuminating the darkness so that others...
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Sunday Interlude: Sparrows
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 15, 2009
“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father” (Matthew 10:29). If you check your Bible dictionary, you’ll discover that sparrows were among the humblest birds in Bible times. They were considered food for the poor, and because they were so cheap, the poor co...
Day 16: Sword
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 14, 2009
A few years ago a friend gave me a Civil War Cavalry saber as a gift. Until today I didn’t know much about its background. After checking the inscription on the sword, I discovered that it is a U.S. M1860 Light Cavalry Saber produced by Mansfield and Lamb in Forestdale, Rhode Island. During the Civil War the company produced more than 37,000 ...
Day 15: Secrets
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 13, 2009
Years ago I knew a Christian counselor who often repeated one key phrase. “You’re only as sick as your secrets.” Then he would add: “If you’ve got a lot of secrets, you’re really sick.” When we sin, everything within us screams out “Cover it up. Turn off the lights. Bury the evidence. Destroy the tap...
Can We Be Certain About Our Decisions?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 12, 2009
Several months ago I wrote a column called Are You in the Center of God’s Will? Recently I received an email with the following question: I recently read your article regarding living in God’s will day by day, moment by moment. Maybe you can help me with some confusion regarding making choices along the lines of God’s will and gui...
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Day 14: Daily
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 12, 2009
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). The key word here is “daily.” As someone has noted, the problem of life is that it is so daily.So routine.So mundane.Several years ago I read about a distinguished Christian leader who made the following observa...
Stephen Baldwin Comes to Tupelo
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 11, 2009
This morning I spent two hours with actor Stephen Baldwin when he came through Tupelo with my longtime friend (and KBM Board of Reference member) Kevin McCullough. Several months ago Stephen and Kevin teamed up to launch a very popular weekly program called BMX Extreme Radio. Even though the program has been is very new, they are already on 160 sta...
Day 13: Bigheartedness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Mark 9 tells of a time when John came to Jesus with the news that there was a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name but because he was not a follower of the apostles, they told him to stop. Jesus corrected John with words these simple, insightful words:"Do not stop him. No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say any...
Bible Bus Update–March
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 11, 2009
It’s been awhile since my last Bible Bus update. Since then I have finished reading through these books of the Bible:
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Should We Be Worried?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Yesterday at the beginning of our broadcast on American Family Radio, Tim Wildmon turned to me and said, “What’s on your heart, Ray?” I told them that everywhere I travel, people express their concern about the direction of our country. That includes, but is not limited to, the current economic crisis. In many cases these uncertai...
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Day 12: Ophthalmology
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine dealing with diseases and surgery of the eye. I know a little bit about that, having had five surgeries on my eyes over the course of a five year period. I am enough of an expert to know this much. When you are looking for an ophthalmologist, you want someone who knows what he is doing, who doesn’t oper...
Day 11: Ambition
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 9, 2009
“Not so with you. Whoever wants to become great among you must first become your servant” (Mark 10:43). The whole episode begins with the strange request of James and John and ends in a heated dispute. It’s all perfectly natural because we were born to compete, to fight for the top spot, to look out for number one. Winning and los...
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Sunday Interlude: Time
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 8, 2009
“What do you want me to do for you?” (Mark 10:51).Since Daylight Savings Time begins this morning, we’re all turning our clocks ahead one hour. That means we “lost” an hour overnight. Now we have even less time do what we need to do today. Or that’s the way it feels. Against that backdrop, let’s consider th...
Day 10: Delay
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 7, 2009
“Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days” (John 11:6).Think about that for a moment. Jesus is the Son of God with power to heal the sick, yet when he hears about Lazarus whom he loved, he did not rush to his side to heal him. It does make sense on the surface. If you love someone, and if you can hel...
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Day 9: Toads
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 6, 2009
Lent feels like a long journey, and it is meant to feel that way. We often start in late February when winter still has a firm grip, and it seems like the promise of Easter and the coming of spring are a long time away. And the very nature of Lent, with its emphasis on introspection, repentance and confession, can weigh upon us, especially in the e...
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Day 8: Peacemakers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 5, 2009
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:8).Peace never just happens. You have to go out of your way to make peace. That’s why Jesus said, “Blessed as the peacemakers"—not the peacewishers or the peacehopers. In a world torn by strife and fueled by hatred, we need Christians w...
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Day 7: Depletion
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 4, 2009
“Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me” (Luke 8:46). That’s what Jesus said when the sick woman fought through the crowd to touch the hem of his garment. In some way that we don’t fully understand, Jesus was conscious of God’s power flowing out from him into the body of the woman. Power that had be...
Day 6: Christlikeness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 3, 2009
“Conformed to the image of his Son” (Romans 8:29).How does the Father shape us into the image of his Son?A new Christian gave the answer with unusual insight. I pass it along for your consideration.I can see now that when I prayed for tolerance, God handed me a seemingly intolerable situation. When I prayed that God would show me ...
Day 5: Unhurried
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 2, 2009
Charles Hummel’s classic booklet called Tyranny of the Urgent begins with a simple question. “Have you ever wished for a thirty-hour day?” Heads nod all round. When Hummel first wrote his classic essay in 1967, he identified the telephone as among the chief offenders against a peaceful life. What would he say today about the Inter...
Sunday Interlude: Storms
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 1, 2009
In the traditional reckoning of Lent, Sundays are not counted as part of the forty days because they are considered a sort of “mini-Easter” leading up to Easter itself on April 12. So instead of being Day 5 in Lent, this is the first of six Sunday “interludes."It happens that I am writing this at a conference center no...
Day 4: Excuses
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 28, 2009
In an article about John Henry Newman’s Lenten sermons, Edward T. Oakes said that Newman had one theme that he returned to time and again:No one sins without making some excuse to himself for sinning. Somehow when I read that, my mind drifted back to a volleyball game more than thirty years ago. I remember that it happened after a churc...
Day 3: Death
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 27, 2009
Death may seem like a heavy topic for Lent but it is, after all, what Ash Wednesday is all about. When the worshipers come, they have a little bit of ash (usually taken from the burning of the palm crosses used in the previous year’s Palm Sunday) smudged on their forehead, sometimes in the sign of the cross. More importantly, the pastor then ...
Day 2: Vision
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 26, 2009
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). Think of these simple words. Pure.Heart.See.God.We know what those words mean individually, but put them together and we enter a new realm. How do I know if I am “pure in heart"? What does it mean to “see God"? And how should we put these phrases...
Day 1—Wilderness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 25, 2009
This is Day 1 of Lent, the forty days of preparation leading up to Easter, the day of ultimate celebration. A quick check of the Wikipedia entry will give you some helpful background. Note that in the Western tradition, Lent starts today with Ash Wednesday and continues until Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. Sundays are not counted as part of ...
News and Notes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Herewith a collection of (mostly) unconnected items . . .*This morning I’m going to be on American Family Radio from 11 AM-12 Noon Central Time. To listen live, click on the link and then click on “AFR-Talk.” You can also watch the live video stream.*We have just posted a new sermon called Miracles Come in Many Varieties. We sent ...
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Prayer When All Hell Breaks Loose
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 23, 2009
Over the weekend I received an email from a friend who said:We need your prayers, all hell has broken loose in our lives the devil has attacked me on my job, in our finances and upon my ministry. Please keep us in your prayers we need a breakthrough.It occurred to me that in these uncertain economic times, when so many are losing their jobs and whe...
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A Leftover Thought
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 21, 2009
A leftover thought from our Thursday night Men’s Bible study:You find out how much you love money when you have less of it today than you had six months ago. …
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Prodigal Yet
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 20, 2009
Yesterday I shared a short poem by the Canadian poet Ethelwyn Wetherald called “My Orders.” I happened to find that poem in a blog entry by Tullian Tchividjian. In doing further research I found another poem by Ethelwyn Wetherald called “Prodigal Yet.” It is shattering in its power. If you do not deeply understand this, then...
My Orders Are to Fight
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 19, 2009
Until this week I had never heard of Canadian poet Anges Ethelwyn Wetherald (1857-1940). Here is a short poem she wrote called “My Orders.” It’s a good word for Christians who find themselves in a difficult situation with no quick end in sight. Her words apply equally to someone trapped in a bad relationship or someone who feels l...
Four Cracked Pots
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 18, 2009
We have just added a new sermon called Four Cracked Pots, based on the stories of Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, four very flawed, very human, very fallible heroes from the book of Judges who made many mistakes (some of them disastrous) and yet they are mentioned in Hebrews 11:32 as men who lived by faith.It’s the sort of sermon that bri...
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Early Morning Courtesy
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 11, 2009
“If a man loudly blesses his neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse” (Proverbs 27:14). I hadn’t thought about this verse in a long time until a friend in China asked me about it via Facebook IM this morning. How could it be,...
The 60/60 Experiment
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 9, 2009
This morning Brian Bill announced a new idea called the 60/60 Experiment. I like it so much I think we should all do it. It goes like this.1) Set the chime on your watch (or your iPhone) to go off every hour on the hour. The chime reminds you that God is with you every moment of every day. Now here’s the cool part. When you hear the chime, yo...
“From ___________ to Jesus”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 8, 2009
On Friday I sent out a new sermon called From Rahab to Jesus based on the story of the prostitute who hid the spies when they came to search out the city of Jericho (you can find the story in Joshua 2 and Joshua 6). Because she hid them and then hung a scarlet cord out her window, she was spared when Joshua and his army destroyed the city. One sing...
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Prayer After a Sudden Death
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 7, 2009
This morning the email brought sad news of the sudden death in the family of someone we know. A friend’s father died last night of a sudden and massive heart attack. He had just turned 60. The whole family is in shock right now even as they begin the process of making funeral arrangements. What do we say in a time like this? How should we pra...
Depreciate Not the Cross
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 5, 2009
Any list of the famous ministers of the 1800s must include the Scottish churchman and poet Horatius Bonar. A highly popular author in his day, Bonar edited two magazines, wrote many tracts and many books and penned over 600 hymns, including I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say. In 1874 he wrote a brief book on Hebrews called The Rent Veil. In the Preface…
Wrapping Up the Men For God Rally
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 31, 2009
Saturday NightBangor, MaineI am writing this note from my hotel room in Bangor, Maine. We finished the final session of the Men For God Rally in New Brunswick around 4:30 PM and then drove two hours to Bangor. First things first. I want to say thank you to Barry Beebe, president of New Brunswick Bible Institute, for inviting me to speak at the rall...
Get to Know the Character of God
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 29, 2009
There is one final thing necessary in preparing for the ministry. You might state it in a dozen different ways because it has to do with what happens inside your heart. Here’s how it comes out for me.Get to know the character of God.Nothing is more important than that. As I look back over my own pilgrimage, I am sure that I did not appreciate...
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Who Ministers to You?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 25, 2009
Several weeks ago Paul Bubar asked if I would speak last Wednesday night at a church about an hour north of Word of Life. During the drive to the church, Paul and I talked about his fifty years of service with Word of Life. At one point he mentioned that in the early 70s, he had invited Dr. Lee Roberson, noted pastor and founder of Tennessee Temple...
Comfort Cafe
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 23, 2009
Check out Comfort Cafe, “an ezine and resource center offering women facing difficult life challenges hope, help and healing.” This month’s theme is “coping with divorce.” Ruth Wood, the editor, told me they are featuring three of my messages. ...
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Seven Ways to Deal With Doubt
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 12, 2009
Most Christians struggle with doubt at one time or another. Doubt is not sinful but it can be dangerous. It can also be a spur to enormous spiritual growth. It’s what you do with your doubt that matters. Here are seven simple suggestions about how to handle your doubt.1. Admit your doubts and ask for help.Tell the Lord about your struggles. G...
His Prayers Made the Difference
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 5, 2009
This morning’s funeral service for John Sergey lasted an hour-and-a-half, longer than usual, but that was to be expected for a man who lived so long (91 years) and accomplished so much. But in listening to family and friends, one fact stood out above everything else. John Sergey was a man of prayer. I think Sergei Nikolaev, pastor of the Temp...
What Will You Leave Behind in 2009?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 4, 2009
I wasn’t planning on blogging about this until I read Joe McKeever’s fine article called When to Retire and What to Do Then in which he quotes George MacDonald who said, "The first thing in all progress is to leave something behind."And all God’s people said, “Hmmmmm." What are you going leave behind in o…
One-Year Bible Blogs
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 3, 2009
Since this is January and the time for new beginnings is upon us, many people have resolved to read through the Bible in 2009. Some of you made the same resolution last year and ended up capsized somewhere in Leviticus. Others made it to First Chronicles, some made it all the way to Daniel, others to Acts, and a few made it all the way from Genesis…
Adverbs for the New Year
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 2, 2009
It happens that I am writing this note from Dallas, TX where we are spending the weekend with Josh and Leah and Mark and Vanessa. On my morning walk I started thinking about how we should live in 2009. And I started thinking about adverbs.Adverbs.Haven’t intentionally thought about adverbs since I took English from Mrs. Graves in the ni...
31 Questions for the New Year
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 1, 2009
The first day of a new year is a good time to stop, reflect, refocus and consider where we are going. The question for today is not, “Where are you going?” but rather, “Where will you be when you get there?” This morning all of us are taking the first steps on a 365-day journey. Where will you be when you arrive at December ...
Hang on to “Yet”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 27, 2008
Yesterday I posted a new sermon called, simply, Yet. It’s about the importance of not giving up on other people or on our prayers or on the Lord because “God is not finished yet.” The little word “yet” makes all the difference between hope and despair. There is a world of difference between these two statements:"H...
Supernatural Blessings in 2009
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 25, 2008
A friend sent me a note that ended with these words:I pray that God would bless you, your family, and your ministry in a supernatural way in 2009!I like that so much that I decided to pass it along as my prayer for all our friends around the world in the coming year. …
Tenacious Winsome Courage
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 22, 2008
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how Christians should respond to the pressures we face every day. And I keep coming back to the same conclusion. I can summarize it in three words.Tenacious winsome courage.Tenacious means we don’t give up. Winsome means we face life with a smile, not a scowl.Courage means we do what needs to be don…
Just Keep Putting Your Shoes On Everyday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 19, 2008
A good friend sent an encouraging note this week about KBM. After writing some very kind words, he added this piece of advice: “Ray.... just keep putting your shoes on everyday and go to work.” None of us knows the real impact we have on the lives of others. I tell pastors who struggle with discouragement, “You’re not in a g...
Ticket to Ride
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 15, 2008
Here’s my first Christmas gift recommendation. Mark and Vanessa gave Marlene an early Christmas gift at Thanksgiving, a board game called Ticket to Ride. It’s a cross-country train adventure where each player tries to build railway routes connecting various American cities. It’s a combination of strategy, timing and the luck of th...
Shop Amazon and Help KBM
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 15, 2008
With only ten days left till Christmas, and the roads jammed with cars and the malls filled with people, maybe you should think about doing your shopping online.Maybe you should shop on Amazon.com. If you do, there is a way that you can help KBM with no extra cost to yourself. Because we are an Amazon Associate, we receive a small referral fee for ...
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Odds and Ends
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 11, 2008
**We just sent out the final sermon in the three-part series from Psalm 103. Although it went out to over 5200 people, we have no idea how many will actually receive it because we continue to have problems getting it to the Inbox of all those people. AOL has been blocking the sermons for the last month. We are cautiously hopeful that we have a work...
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Skip This Question—Or Ask My Wife
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Occasionally I’m in a meeting where someone will ask, “Are you closer to the Lord today than you were a year ago?” I never know how to answer that question in a satisfactory manner. I certainly hope that I am closer to the Lord today than I was a year ago, but my judgment is necessarily flawed because I don’t see myself clea...
Our Words
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 7, 2008
Yesterday Brian Bill had a short blog entry called Our Words. I liked it so much that I’m going to reproduce it here.I came across something today that serves as a helpful corrective when we’re tempted to say something we shouldn’t. Using the word HALT, we need to be careful in our conversations when we’re... Hun...
Prayer for a Marriage on the Brink
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 4, 2008
A few days ago I received the sad news of the impending divorce of some friends we have known for many years. Because we haven’t seen them in a long time, we didn’t have a hint of any trouble in their marriage. The crisis seemed to come out of nowhere. Understandably, family members are struggling with the news and trying to help any way...
Wednesday Odds and Ends
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 3, 2008
A few midweek items of interest . . .*If you are an AOL subscriber to the sermon list, you haven’t received the last two sermons because AOL has decided to block the sermons using their antispam software. This sort of thing happens routinely and those of us who don’t send out spam work hard to prevent it. We’re working on a soluti...
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Do What You Do
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 28, 2008
During a few free moments on Thanksgiving Day, I read most of Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts. If you are a football fan, you will certainly enjoy this book. And since Christmas is not far away, you might want to buy this for the sports fan in your family. There is much to commend about Tony Dungy’s approach...
And Can It Be
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 27, 2008
Several years ago when I made a list of My ten Favorite Hymns, I ended up putting “And Can It Be” in the top spot. This great hymn by Charles Wesley was largely unknown in the U.S. until the Billy Graham crusade at Harringay Arena in London in 1954. Later the Graham team used the hymn in many American crusades and made it famous. This p...
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Count Your Blessings
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 26, 2008
This morning I decided to find a version of “Count Your Blessings,” a gospel song written in 1897 by Johnson Oatman and published in a collection called Songs for Young People. As I perused YouTube and GodTube, I found several other songs by the same name, including the one made famous by Bing Crosby that includes the famous line, &ldqu...
Happy Thanksgiving, Betty Lou
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 26, 2008
I think I got my first letter from her six or seven years ago. It came in response to my book An Anchor for the Soul. I’m not totally sure how she got her copy, but I think someone gave it to her, and after reading it, she wrote to say thank you. Over the years I have received a number of letters like that. Someone reads a book I wrote, write...
Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah—Bless the Soldiers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 25, 2008
I’m posting music videos as we make our way toward Thanksgiving Day. Yesterday it was a medley of Thanksgiving hymns. Today I decided on “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah,” a beloved hymn that is perhaps not sung as much today as a generation ago. But this famous Welsh hymn (sung to a tune called “Cwm Rhondda") deserves t...
Thanks for Nothing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Often we are too flippant about God’s protection, as if we were in charge of everything. “What happened today?” “Nothing."But think of what didn’t happen. No one robbed you. No one shot you. You weren’t fired. You arthritis didn’t flare up—or if it did, you made it through the day. A truck didn&...
All Creatures of Our God and King
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 16, 2008
Check out this video of Fernando Ortega doing a beautiful version of “All Creatures of Our God and King.” I love the nature video that brings the words and music to life. Watch this, sing along, and prepare your heart for worship this morning....
Moody Radio Pictures From This Morning
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 14, 2008
This morning I spent an hour on WMBI-FM in Chicago with Nancy Turner. When we arrived at 9:50 AM, I had no idea what we would be talking about. We settled on a topic at 9:55, and once the program started at 10, we never touched the topic. We ended up talking how to deal with the fear that seems to be gripping so many hearts right now.Here’s a...
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Thanksgiving Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 9, 2008
Here are fourteen sermons appropriate for Thanksgiving. You are welcome to use this material in any way that might be helpful to you as you prepare sermons and Bible studies or simply to increase your own gratitude to the Lord for all his blessings. What Children Can Teach Us at Thanksgiving How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart&nb...
Despair is Not an Option
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 5, 2008
On one of his speaking tours, Richard Neuhaus was picked up at the airport by a man who kept talking about how bad things were in America and how difficult these times are. Finally Rev. Neuhaus had had enough of the doom and gloom talk. “These may be bad times, but they are only times we are given. And despair is a mortal sin.” He&rsquo...
If You Believe in the Sovereignty of God, You Must Vote
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 3, 2008
This will be my final, small contribution to this overly-long political campaign that thankfully comes to an end tomorrow. I have one and only one word of advice to my Christian friends.If you believe in the sovereignty of God, you must vote.Of all the things that have bothered me during these past few weeks, and believe me, there has been plenty t...
Confessing Our Filthy Rags
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 2, 2008
I was struck by the following quote from Paul Tripp (HT Of First Importance):Before you can ever make a clean and unamended confession of your sin, you have to first begin by confessing your righteousness. It’s not just your sin that separates you from God; your righteousness does as well. Because, when you are convinced you are righteous, yo...
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For All the Saints
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, November 1, 2008
Here is a video of one of my favorite hymns, “For All the Saints.” It comes from a worship service at Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church in Arlington, Virginia. I love the video because it’s a real church service, not a concert performance. I love the soaring melody that goes with this triumphant. When I hear it sung (which, sad t...
All Saints Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, November 1, 2008
This is All Saints Day, one of the finest, most joyful days of the Christian year. It’s the day when we remember and give thanks for all true believers around the world, especially those who have gone before us into heaven. Evangelicals often pay little attention to the Christian year (for various reasons), but this is one holiday that should...
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Reformation Day 2008
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 31, 2008
On October 31, 1517 an obscure monk named Martin Luther, desiring to spark theological discussion over the medieval practice of selling indulgences, nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. The spark he set off ignited a flame that spread across Europe and launched the Protestant Reformation. By challenging the ...
Opposites
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Yesterday I received a message via Facebook (yes, I’m on Facebook, and if you are, come by and say hello) from a friend who is preparing a talk for an upcoming retreat. She said she wanted to focus on the importance of spiritual balance. She said she had been thinking about some opposites—or maybe some are what you would call complement...
Pray for Europe Today
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 23, 2008
Greater Europe Mission has set aside October 23 as a special Day of Prayer for Europe. Click on the interactive map to see details regarding the spiritual needs of each European country.…
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Check Out the New Podcast
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 23, 2008
Several weeks ago Marlene and I traveled to Cannon Beach Conference Center in Oregon for a midweek conference. The final session was devoted to questions submitted by conference attenders. We have just posted the audio of the Q&A session. When you listen to the session, you can hear Marlene asking the questions and also trying to keep me from r...
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A Dollar a Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 22, 2008
In his blog entry called Sacrifice vs. Offering, Brian Bill quotes a missionary who when asked about the sacrifices missionaries must make, explained it this way.It might feel like a sacrifice at the beginning but once you lay it on the altar, it becomes an offering.And that thought reminded me of a story I read years ago about an elderly minister ...
The Final Gift
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 21, 2008
A few days ago a man who happens to live in another country wrote me with the sad news that his sister-is-law is dying of cancer. The doctor says she does not have a long time to live. She has received the news with grace and faith and seems to be doing well. He writes in part because he is concerned for her. She has chosen, at least for the moment...
Random Thought
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 20, 2008
I’m glad we don’t know the future. Even the good stuff would scare us to death....
Our Last Night in PEI
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tonight we finished the final service of the Bible conference at Grace Baptist Church in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. Just a few minutes ago Marlene finished packing, tomorrow we turn in our rental car, and around noon we start the long trip back home. Before leaving this lovely spot, I want to say thank you to Pastor Steve Bray for...
The Real Hero of the Bible
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 16, 2008
This morning I ended up reading only one chapter. I was “reading the 16s” (see this entry for an explanation) so I decided to start with the first one—Genesis 16—and I never made it anywhere else. Here’s what you find in chapter:1. Sarah suggests that Abraham sleep with their Egyptian servant Hagar.2. Hagar gets pregna...
Prince Edward Island—Where’s That?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 15, 2008
By the time you read this Marlene and I will be on our way to Prince Edward Island.Okay, let’s stop right there and try to remember our 5th-grade geography. I say that because every time I’ve mentioned Prince Edward Island recently, I’ve gotten exactly the same response, a vague look that says, “I know I’ve heard...
A Pop Quiz—Seven Quick Questions
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 14, 2008
This morning I’ve been reading a pre-publication copy of Significant Living by Jerry and Shirley Rose. Subtitled “A Road Map for the Rest of Your Life,” it’s aimed at older Baby Boomers—people over 55, which happens to precisely my demographic. The book is fun to read because it switches back and forth as an ongoing co…
Too Short and Too Long Not to Laugh
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 12, 2008
I received an email from a friend going through a hard time. The details don’t matter except that this friend feels like giving up. My friend feels a bit guilty for feeling that way because not everything is going bad. Some things are actually pretty good. But there is a sense of frustration and emptiness and perhaps a bit of wishing that thi…
Time to Close Our Eyes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 10, 2008
In these confusing, uncertain times, I found this quote from John Calvin (HT Of First Importance) reassuring:Our circumstances are all in opposition to the promises of God. He promises us immortality: yet we are surrounded by mortality and corruption. He declares that He accounts us just: yet we are covered with sins. He testifies that He is propit…
“I want to see my husband—and Jesus”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 9, 2008
Yesterday Marlene and I ate breakfast with two women who are attending the Retirees Conference at Cannon Beach. One woman said she now lived in Oregon but she was really from California but shortly after World War II, she and her husband had lived for a few years in Michigan because it was her husband’s home state, but she didn’t feel a...
Reading the 8s
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 8, 2008
This morning I got up early and starting “reading the 8s.” Tomorrow I will “read the 9s” and on Friday I will “read the 10s.” This is all about a new Bible reading plan that I came up a month or so ago. Let me mention in passing that over the years, I’ve done almost every reading program imaginable. I&...
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Cannon Beach Slideshow
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Here’s a slideshow from the first full day of the Retirees Conference at Cannon Beach Conference Center on Oregon’s Pacific Coast. We have folks here from all across the Pacific Northwest plus California. The Beene Family, a Southern Gospel group, came all the way from Tennessee. Mila Polevia leads the worship with humor, grace, a…
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How God Teaches Us to Forgive
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, October 4, 2008
Overnight I received the following message:Thank you so much for your online material. I was just speaking with a friend about having trouble forgiving a family member. That exact family member ended up coming to work at my location. I knew when I saw them God was speaking to me to deal with my own heart and let go of the hurt, anger and ...
Are You in the Center of God’s Will?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 2, 2008
Are you in the center of God’s will for your life? The answer is no because there is no such thing as the “center” of God’s will.The Bible never talks about the “center” of God’s will. That’s an expression we’ve made up to describe a perfectionistic view of life that no one this side of heaven c...
Wake Up, Little Isaac
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Check out this video by Andrew Peterson. You’ll never read the story of Abraham offering his son Isaac in the same way again. (HT Brian Bill)...
Speaking Truth to a Friend
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, September 30, 2008
In response to my entry about how to deal with a sinning believer, someone asked a very good follow-up question: What do you do when your sinning friend asks why you have changed your behavior toward them? Why won’t you hang out like you used to?Why won’t you go to the ballgame with them like you used to?Why won’t you IM jokes bac...
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Shame Can Be a Good Thing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Near the end his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul includes this striking exhortation regarding disobedient Christians:Take note of those who refuse to obey what we say in this letter. Stay away from them so they will be ashamed. Don’t think of them as enemies, but warn them as you would a brother or sister (2 Thessalonians 3:14-15 NLT...
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A Good Verse from Psalm 56 on my 56th Birthday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 26, 2008
Here’s a good verse from Psalm 56 on my 56th birthday: In God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? ...
Marlene’s Report on the Pentagon Trip
Posted by Marlene Pritchard on Thursday, September 25, 2008
I asked Marlene to share her thoughts about our two-day visit to the Pentagon. Here’s what she wrote:So, you ask, what was your impression of the Keep Believing Ministries trip to the Pentagon? In a word — awesome! None of us slept well on Tuesday night anticipating the meeting on Wednesday morning. We had instructions to arrive at the ...
What I’m Reading at the Moment
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 19, 2008
Here is my current reading list. I finished the first one while I was in Spokane over the weekend. The other three arrived while I was gone.Men of Fire: Grant, Forrest, and the Campaign That Decided the Civil War.Doctrine That Dances by Robert Smith Jr. Nudge by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein.Sway by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman.Don’t …
How Warren Wiersbe Defines Ministry
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 19, 2008
During my trip to Virginia this week, Damaris Carbaugh shared with me Warren Wiersbe’s definition of ministry:Ministry takes place when divine resources meet human needs through loving channels to the glory of God. Memorize that—and then pray God makes it a reality in your life. …
A Note from Nagaland
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, September 18, 2008
Most of us don’t know where Nagaland is. The official government website calls it “a vibrant hill state Located in the extreme North Eastern End of India, bounded by Myanmar in the East; Assam in the West; Arunachal Pradesh and a part of Assam in the North with Manipur in the south.”...
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Writing the Bible Can Be Good for Your S0ul
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 17, 2008
When was the time you wrote out a book of the Bible word for word? Here’s an idea from the Old Testament that might be good for your soul.
“Lord, Do Things We’re Not Used To”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, September 15, 2008
I made it to my motel late last night after spending all day flying from Spokane to Salt Lake City to Atlanta and then to Lynchburg where Benny Mathews met me at the airport. Benny is the leader of Alpha Ministries, the sponsoring organization for the AWE conference that runs Sunday-Wednesday at Temple Baptist Church in nearby Madison Heights. Yest...
Photos from the Moody Spokane Retreat
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 14, 2008
Here are a few photos from the Moody Bible Institute Spokane Fall Retreat. Nearly 275 of us (students, faculty and family members) gathered at a beautiful conference center called Clearwater Lodge, about an hour north of Spokane. We all enjoyed the music of Elizabeth Hunnicutt who came from Minneapolis to lead worship. Because our group was so larg...
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Are You Ashamed to Go to Jesus?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 7, 2008
I ran across a quote from Robert Murray M’Cheyne that stuck in my mind because I have received several emails lately from people who feel that their sin somehow disqualifies them for forgiveness. Having felt that way many times myself, I can sympathize with them. But the truth is very nearly the opposite. If grace means anything, it must mean…
It’s Football Time
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 30, 2008
This is a glorious day in our house because football season has returned. People who have heard me preach know that I often say, “Football explains everything,” and it does. Last year, on this same Saturday, the opening day of college football, I wrote about what Ole Miss football means to our family. With us, as with many families, it&...
A Dying Pastor’s Final Message
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 30, 2008
For 40 years Rev. Jacob E. Eppinga wrote a column called “Of Cabbages and Kings” for the Banner magazine published by the Christian Reformed Church. He wrote his final column, at the age of 90, earlier this year. He went to be with the Lord on March 1, 2008. Knowing that he was dying of cancer, he summed up his faith and his fears and h…
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Twenty-Five Affirmations About Forgiveness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 29, 2008
A friend who has gone through a hard time sent me a list of things he has learned about forgiveness. His list started me thinking about forgiveness. Most of what follows comes from my friend, but I have rephrased a few things and added a few items of my own. This is obviously not a comprehensive statement about forgiveness—just a place to beg...
Be Thou My Vision
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 28, 2008
This morning I found this deeply moving version of “Be Thou My Vision,” one of my all-time favorite hymns. Wonderful words set to a beautiful Irish melody. Listen and be blessed. If you know the words, sing along. Augustine said, “He who sings, prays twice.”
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The Expulsive Power of a New Affection
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
When I was preparing yesterday’s blog entry, I kept thinking about a famous sermon by 19th-century Scottish preacher Thomas Chalmers. When I say the sermon is famous, I mean that it is reprinted even today in the books of great sermons. The sermon is called The Expulsive Power of a New Affection (pdf). Even though the language and style is ou...
Sleeping Together and Christ’s Global Cause
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 26, 2008
I received an email from a man who asked a very particular question. He is a Christian, divorced, and in his forties. He met a Christian woman who seems to be an answer to prayer. Over time they have fallen in love and hope to get married eventually. But they can’t marry right now because of financial reasons. Meanwhile they have starte...
Sunday Scattershooting
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 24, 2008
News, Notes, Comments . . .During our visit to Birmingham for our 34th anniversary, we stayed at the Hotel Highland near Five Points. Almost everywhere you look, you can see evidence of regentrifying as a younger generation rediscovers downtown Birmingham. We had supper with Nick and then ate lunch with Nick and two of his friends before driving ba...
Living Waters Q&A—Part 3
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 21, 2008
Here are the last questions from the Q&A at Living Waters last Friday:16) Is there an exact time appointed for us to die that only God knows? Does that mean that no matter what the circumstances around us, nothing can be done to change it?The questioner then added (wisely, I think) two words, “Time’s up.” The answer across the...
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Curing the Itch Mites
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 20, 2008
We have just posted a podcast called Curing the Itch Mites. The title comes from an attack of the itch mites that happened to most of the people who attended Mark and Vanessa’s wedding reception in Chicago in August 2007. Those tiny insects (invisible to the naked eye) left itchy red welts on most of our guests. Marlene and I were definitely n...
Living Waters Q&A—Part 1
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 18, 2008
For my final session on Friday morning at Living Waters Bible Conference in Maine, we had a question and answer session. My friend Bob Puffer moderated the session, in which we answered questions and also took questions for the floor. Today and for the next several days, I’m going to post some of the questions along with brief summaries of my...
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Godly Predictability
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 17, 2008
On Wednesday night at Living Waters, I was preaching on “How to Tame Lions” from Daniel 6. I began the sermon by pointing that when his opponents tried to trap him, Daniel didn’t change anything he was doing. And when they talked King Darius into passing a law that for 30 days all prayer must be made to the king, Daniel didn&rsquo...
Sermons From Living Waters
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 16, 2008
Here are links to the sermons I preached at Living Waters Bible Conference last week: Sunday AM If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt?Sunday PM Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You Monday AM The Four Freshmen (Daniel 1)Monday PM The World According to God (Daniel 2)Tuesday AM But If Not (Daniel 3)Tuesday PM The King Who Went Crazy (Daniel 4)We...
Six Conferences, Eight Weeks, Home Again
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 15, 2008
I just figured out that I have spoken at six conferences plus two churches n the last eight weeks—MEF in CO, Word of Life in NY, Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, NC, Maranatha in MI, Cannon Beach in OR, Berean Bible Fellowship in Stroudsburg, PA, Pinebrook in PA, and Living Waters in ME. I’m not sure how many sermons I’ve preached...
Day 2 at Living Waters
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 11, 2008
I have just wrapped up my second full day at Living Waters Bible Camp in Danforth, Maine. The name is well-chosen because the camp is located on the shores of a lake that defines the boundary between Maine and New Brunswick. On this side, you are in the U.S. On the other side, Canada. This morning when I asked how many Canadians were at the confere...
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Next Stop: Maine
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 9, 2008
I’m on the road again today, this time heading north, far north, all the way to Maine, in fact I’m going about as far north and east as you can go and still be in the United States. I’m heading for Danforth, Maine where I will be speaking at Living Water Bible Camp this week. This is my third visit to Living Waters, and I am alway...
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Cannon Beach Q&A, Part 2
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 7, 2008
Here are a few more questions from the Friday morning Q&A at Cannon Beach. I would like to have your understanding of the role of men and women in the church.My short answer is that I believe God has placed the burden of leadership on godly, Christ-centered, servant-hearted men in the home and in the church. Note th...
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“Pray for China” wristbands
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 2, 2008
Voice of the Martyrs and China Aid Association have produced a wristband that says “Pray for China” in English and Chinese. As the Beijing Olympics are only days away, the eyes of the world are on China. Our Christians brothers and sisters in China need our prayers for courage, wisdom and the strength to be bold for Jesus. Marlene and I...
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Keep Believing China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 31, 2008
A friend sent me a framed drawing of the phrase “Keep Believing” in Chinese. The characters were drawn by a Chinese Christian who is teaching in America. That of course has great interest to us because all three of our sons have spent time teaching English in China. And it has a deeper meaning because four of my books have been translat...
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Davis and Kathy Duggins
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 30, 2008
One of the best parts of this trip to Pennsylvania has been seeing Davis and Kathy Duggins again. Kathy served as the church secretary at the church in Oak Park for 11 years. I know because when I asked her on Sunday, she immediately—I mean instantly—replied, “Eleven years.” And then she grinned. I think if I had asked for t...
Percy Crawford and Pinebrook Confernce Center
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Seventy-five years ago a young man named Percy Crawford started a camp on land just east of Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. In the years that followed, Pinebrook Bible Conference became one of the major stops on the Bible conference circuit in the 30s, 40s and 50s. Jack Wyrtzen preached here. Billy Graham met Cliff Barrows here. George Beverly Shea sang...
Digging Taters
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, July 26, 2008
5:47 AM Cannon Beach Conference CenterTime to pack my bags and head for the airport. This will be another long day that starts in Oregon and ends in Pennsylvania. But as I am packing, I am happy and grateful for a wonderful week of ministry at Cannon Beach.I am especially thankful for the worship team that made my job so much easier. For the ...
Final Day at Cannon Beach
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 25, 2008
My week at Cannon Beach has zipped right by. Today I speak twice. This morning we are taking questions from the audience. That’s always a fun time because people can ask anything they like—about my messages this week or about a Bible question they have or about the spiritual life or about anything at all. Mark Rice will moderate the ses...
John Stott’s Morning Prayer
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
John Stott, the well-known author and much-beloved former pastor of All Souls Church in London, begins eacy day with this prayer to each person in the Holy Trinity:Good morning heavenly Father. Good morning Lord Jesus. Good morning Holy Spirit. Father I pray that I may live this day in Your presence and please You more and more. Lord Jesus I pray t...
Cannon Beach
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, July 21, 2008
This week I am speaking at Cannon Beach Conference Center in Oregon. You couldn’t be much closer to the Pacific Ocean than we are. As I look out my window, I can see the waves rolling onto the beach about 40 yards away. The weather here has been a bit cooler than usual, and a whole lot cooler than Tupelo. Last night the temperature dropped to...
Ambassadors, Not Diplomats
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 17, 2008
In this busy election season, with so many competing viewpoints and so much clamor, and with all the needs of the world pressing upon us, it’s easy for the church to lose its way. Here is a wonderful reminder from Hugh Thomson Kerr (HT Of First Importance):We are not sent to preach sociology but salvation; not economics but evangelism; not re…
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The Shack—God in the Dock
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Perhaps the best portion of The Shack comes when Mack (the father whose daughter was abducted and murdered) faces Sophia, a personification of wisdom, in what we might call the Hall of Justice. In a scene reminiscent of the last chapters of Job, the grieving father who lives with the Great Sadness of his daughter’s death finally gets his chan...
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The Shack—Some Preliminary Observations
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, July 14, 2008
It isn’t often that self-published book rises to the top of the bestseller lists, in fact it is so rare that when it does happen, we ought to stand back and ask ourselves, “What’s going on here?” Several years ago William P. Young set out to write a story for his children. Some friends found out about the story and encourage...
Cancer’s Unexpected Blessings
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, July 13, 2008
I was saddened to hear of the death yesterday of Tony Snow, former Press Secretary to the President and well-known news anchor and commentator. He died of colon cancer at the age of 53. After he was diagnosed in 2005, he sought treatment and went into remission. When the cancer returned in 2007, he wrote an article for Christianity Today called ...
The Blood of Jesus vs. Our Sins
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, July 13, 2008
I found this quote (originally put in the form of a question) from John Bunyan a great comfort to my soul. If you sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sin you see in the world around you, and much more by the sin you see in your own heart, here is a good word from Mr. Bunyan. There is “more worth and merit in one drop of Christ’s blood to …
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Made It to Maranatha
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, July 12, 2008
I am writing this note from my room at Maranatha Bible and Missionary Conference in Muskegon, Michigan. If you check the map, you’ll see that Muskegon is on the eastern short of Lake Michigan. The conference center owns a nice stretch of beach where families go to swim during the day. The main buildings are located just over a wooded hill tha...
Of First Importance
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 11, 2008
Last year I discovered a daily email called Of First Importance that each day sends a free email to your inbox that contains a quotation from a classic Christian writer relating to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Think of it as a kind of spiritual Vitamin B12 for the soul. Many days I find the quote is just what I need to focus my heart on the Lord Jes...
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Billy Graham — From the 1957 Crusade in New York City
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 10, 2008
When we moved the KBM website to a new server a few weeks ago, we temporarily lost the ability to add video the website. I’m happy to say that we now have video capability, which we plan to use in greater ways in the future. Back when we were trying various ways to add video, I found a video clip of Billy Graham preaching in Madison Square Ga...
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Angry Man Alert
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 9, 2008
On June 20 the Bible Broadcasting Network carried a message called Angry Man Alert that I gave at the Word of Life Couples Conference last October. After it aired we received a number of phone calls and emails asking for copies of that message. Starting in three weeks we will begin podcasting all the messages from the Couples Conference ...
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Happy Days Are Here Again
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, July 7, 2008
Happy days are here again . . . 1) Marlene and I arrived in Tupelo about 3:30 PM, wrapping up a sixteen-day trip that took us to Colorado, New York and North Carolina. We are tired tonight and grateful for the open doors for ministry that God gave us as we traveled. When we woke up this at 5:30 AM this morning in Cary, NC, Marlene smiled and said, …
What Happened to the Weekly Sermons?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, July 6, 2008
The answer is, nothing has happened except that I haven’t sent one out in about two weeks, mostly because we’ve been on the road. In looking back I realized that for the last two years, I’ve taken a break from the weekly sermons during part of the summer because that’s my heaviest travel schedule of the year. This year I&rsq…
Our Need for a Savior
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, July 6, 2008
“He who looks upon sin merely as a fiction, as a misfortune, or as a trifle, sees no necessity either for deep repentance or a great atonement.He who sees no sin in himself will feel no need of a Saviour. He who is conscious of no evil at work in his heart, will desire no change of nature. He who regards sin as a slight affair will think a fe...
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On the Way to North Carolina
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, July 5, 2008
8:03 AM At the moment we are sitting at the Delta terminal at Kennedy Airport in New York waiting for our flight to Raleigh, NC. This is the final stop on our trip that began two weeks ago when we left Tupelo for the MEF Conference in Colorado Springs (that seems like a long time ago) and then on to Schroon Lake in upstate New York for a very busy …
You Can Reach a Prodigal Too Soon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 3, 2008
Tonight I met a pastor who shared a thoughtful insight with me. Sometimes in our attempt to reach out to the prodigals we know, we can intervene too soon. Do remember what happened to the prodigal son in Luke 15? After he had wasted all his inheritance inwildliving, he ended up feeding the pigs. As Eugene Peterson puts it, “He was...
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Lie Low and Exalt Christ
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, June 30, 2008
After the service tonight, we attended a get-together at the home of Wayne & Ruthie Lewis. Near the end Wayne asked Don Lough to share his vision for the future of Word of Life. In three years Don will become the new Executive Director of the worldwide ministry of Word of Life. During his talk Don shared that when he was named to succeed J…
Hello from Word of Life
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 28, 2008
Twenty-four hours ago we were in Colorado Springs. Tonight we are at beautiful Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, New York. As Jack Wyrtzen liked to say, we are high in the Adirondack Mountains, north of Albany and south of Lake Placid. I first came to Word of Life in the summer of 1971 when I was a student at Tennessee Temple College in Chattanooga...
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Carol Kent at the MEF Conference
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 24, 2008
The MEF Bible conference always begins with a Monday seminar that runs from 9 AM-3:15 PM. Yesterday 500 people gathered in a local hotel for the seminar. Carol Kent spoke twice and held us spellbound with the story of how their son was convicted and sent to prison for first-degree murder. You can read about it in her book When I Lay My Isaac Down. ...
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First Stop: Colorado Springs
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 22, 2008
We’re up early this morning because we’ll be traveling all the day,partly because we’ve got a long way to go and partly because there is no quick way to get from Tupelo to Colorado Springs. All week long we (I mean Marlene mostly) have been packing and getting things ready for this first leg of our summer conference schedule...
This Side of Heaven
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 21, 2008
On June 4 I wrote an entry called We Need Another Miracle, Lord about our dear friend Heather Bosgraf who had surgery that day to remove a tumor at the base of her brain. Though the surgery was successful in removing the tumor, she never fully regained consciousness. An MRI late last week showed that the cancer was spreading and had returned to the...
Giving Hope to Those Facing death
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 19, 2008
A friend asked me for a blog entry on a very important topic:Write a blog entry for me (and everyone who is facing death for someone that they love). Tell me what the Scriptures are that you read in the hospital when someone is dying. Where do we find hope? What gives comfort to the sick and the family? I remember people reading from Revelati…
I’m Visiting Your Church This Sunday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 18, 2008
This Sunday I’m going to be visiting your church for the first time. I’ve heard good things about it, and I’m coming to see for myself. Here are a few things that you might like to know about me before this Sunday: Remember that I don’t know what to expect and am probably a bit nervous about your church. A friendly “Hell...
Getting Ready to Travel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 18, 2008
This is “get ready to hit the road again” week. After a few happy days at home in Tupelo, we are about to begin our summer schedule. Starting this Sunday, we’ll be on traveling more or less nonstop until the middle of August. Here is our schedule:June 23-27 MEF Bible Conference, Colorado Springs, COJune 28-July 5&nb…
Farewell to China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Josh and Leah will be leaving China in the next few days to return to the US so that Josh can begin his studies at Dallas Theological Seminary this fall. You can read about their last few days in Nanchang (including some pictures of the students at Blue Sky University and pictures from a recent trip to the Chinese countryside) at their bl…
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Logos Bible Software
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 17, 2008
If I have seemed partly distracted for the last week, I blame it mostly on a new program on my laptop computer, theLogos Bible Software Scholar’s Library. Last fall a friend urged me to get this program because, he said, it would make the job of sermon preparation so much easier. After working with Logos for a week, I can see what he me...
Tim Russert’s Epitaph
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 14, 2008
After hearing the sad news about the untimely death of Tim Russert, I ran across this comment from Howard Fineman of Newsweek magazine:"Tim Russert Did Not Pursue False Gods, He Pursued the Real One” As far as epitaphs go, that one will do just fine. ...
2009 Holy Land Tour Update
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 14, 2008
Several months ago we announced plans for a tour to the Holy Land next year. Here’s the latest update:*We’re still planning to go in late October 2009.*We should have brochures ready later this summer.I invite you to join us for this trip of a lifetime. You will see Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Capernaum, Caesarea, Tiberias, Nazareth, Jericho,...
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New Resources on the KBM Website
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 12, 2008
We have just posted a new podcast, a new sermon, and radio interview on Bible prophecy. The podcast is called Think on These Things from Philippians 4:8. Click here to read the print version. The sermon is called By Faith from Hebrews 11:1-2.Last Friday I joined Kerby Anderson on American Family Radio for an hour-long broadcast on Bible prophecy. We ...
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The Holy Spirit is Not the Author of Chaos
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Last night I happened to watch a few minutes of Tony Evans preaching from Galatians 5:19-24 on the works of the flesh versus the fruit of the Spirit. Near the end he made one point I had never heard before. It begins with the observation that Paul contrasts two different categories:Works of the flesh (v. 19)Fruit of the Spirit (v. 22)Tony noted the...
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Tuesday News and Notes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 10, 2008
*Yesterday my new laptop computer arrived. It’s a Micro Express IFL 9025 that got a good review on the PC World website. It’s amazing how far the technology has come since I bought my last laptop 20 months ago. *One thing you forget is how long it takes to set up a new computer. I’ve spent hours last night and today transferr...
Priceless
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 8, 2008
A man wrote to say that he had purchased a copy of An Anchor for the Soul to give to his friend “Joe” who lives in a distant state. He and “Joe” have had many conversations about the Lord. Now he plans to send him a copy of the book with a prayer that God might use it in bringing “Joe” to salvation. This is ...
No Is A Complete Sentence
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 7, 2008
A good friendshared with mesome of thewisdom he has learned about life lately. He mentioned onething that stuck in my mind. “No is a complete sentence.” There is life-saving truth in those five words. When faced with various choices, sometimes we get in trouble because we talk too much. Because we want to fit or w...
When Striving is Bad
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 30, 2008
Recently I attended a prayer meeting with a group of godly people, the purpose of which was to seek God’s face on behalf of the city in which they lived. I listened as they asked God to unite Christians so that the body of Christ would make a positive witness to the city, they prayed for open hearts, they asked the Fa ...
The Holy Spirit and Gospel Evangelism
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 30, 2008
A friend from overseas sent the following email several days ago:What is the relevancy of the Holy Spirit in the gospel message in our times? I am working on a paper but would appreciate to get different views from different scholars.I am not a scholar, but I am happy to offer my brief thoughts on this vital question. Here ...
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Rejoice Evermore
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 28, 2008
After our unplanned visit to the cemetery (see below), my mind drifted back to a scene from the final episode of the John Adams miniseries on HBO. Adams is now almost 90 years old, having outlived his wife, several of his children, and all of his contemporaries (except Thomas Jefferson). His health failing, Adams looks and ...
Mama Pritchard and Papa Pritchard
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 27, 2008
The most memorable part of the weekend happened on Friday afternoon, on the 50-mile drive from Tupelo to Oxford. As we were leaving, Alan called to say that the main road into Oxford was blocked because they were setting up for the Double Decker Festival, and instead of taking Highway 6, we should drive to New Albany and ta ...
“How Can I Pray For You?”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 17, 2008
“How can I pray for you?"When several friends asked that question during our visit to Chicago last weekend, I gave the same answer every time."Pray Philippians 1:9-11 for us."That’s Paul’s prayer for the Christians at Philippi. I discovered it when I preached a sermon series called Praying With Paul in 2003. Of ...
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Love is Blind But Marriage is a Can Opener
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Last October Marlene and I spoke at a Couples Conference at Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, New York. Recently the Bible Broadcasting Network asked if they could use those messages as part of their Building Blocks for the Family program. They are broadcasting our first message today at 1:30 PM (Central Time). Click on thi ...
Six Simple Words
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 6, 2008
A friend e-mailed me with the news that his mother’s cancer surgery had been successful. He ended his message with this statement: “God is God, good, and great.” As I pondered his words I was struck at once by their simplicity and profundity. How much truth those six little words contain. They summarize ...
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Do You Preach From a Manuscript?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 5, 2008
This question arrived a few minutes ago. I’m going to take a stab at it and then invite others to weigh in. Perhaps this is a question you could post on your blog. I’m a young guy just starting to preach. I’m still learning how to exactly formulate my notes and thoughts for good delivery on Sunday morning. ...
Irritability—A Moral Sin
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 28, 2008
Yesterday I listened to a sermon on 1 Corinthians 13 by Haddon Robinson in which he dealt with the phrase in v. 5 that says “love . . . is not easily provoked” (KJV). Other translations say “it is not irritable” (NLT), “not easily angered” (NET), “does not take offence” (NJB), is “not quick tempered” (CEV), is “not quickly ...
A Simple Prayer
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 27, 2008
Today,For what I am that I ought not to be,Forgive me.For what I am not that I ought to be,Forgive me.Be with my mouth in what it speaksBe with my hands in what they doBe with my mind in what it thinksBe with my heart in what it feelsWork in me…through me….for me….in spite of meIn the precious name of J ...
iPod Homiletics
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 26, 2008
For Christmas Mark and Vanessa gave me an iPod Shuffle, a neat little device, smaller than a credit card, in which I can store songs or sermons and listen to them (using the “ear buds” provided with the Shuffle) as I travel. It turned out to be a most practical and welcome gift. Once I got the hang of it, I started taking m ...
The Absent Are Safe Here
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 24, 2008
This weekend I listened to a podcast sermon by Haddon Robinson in which he told a story about Robertson McQuilkin, former president of Columbia International University. He put up a plaque in his living room that said, “The Absent Are Safe Here.” That meant that neither he nor his wife would speak unkindly about those not p ...
Twenty-Two Words
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 24, 2008
Abraham Piper (son of John)Writes a blog calledTwenty-two words.Every post contains onlyTwenty-two words.Very cool.Check it out.
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Silent Saturday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 22, 2008
The four gospels do not tell us much about what happened on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We know that after Jesus died, the disciples stayed behind locked doors for fear of the Jewish leaders (John 20:19). Their fear was well-founded because on that Saturday, the chief priests and the Pharisees met wi ...
Download Today’s Interview on WMBI
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 21, 2008
Today I spent an hour on WMBI radio in Chicago tracing the events of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Nancy Turner (host of “This the Day!") and producer Mark Breta came up with the idea of reliving the day Christ died and the morning of his resurrection. They invited me to paint word pictures of the key events, interspersed ...
Happy Holy Week
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 16, 2008
I woke up this morning thinking about three friends. One recently lost his job, one may be on the verge of losing his job, and third one doesn’t like her job. All three have questions about what God is doing, what he is saying, and why things aren’t going so well right now. I have heard from all three of my frie ...
Eliot Spitzer and Us
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 15, 2008
It is widely remarked this week, in the wake of the scandal that brought down the governor of New York, that Eliot Spitzer is a victim of his own arrogance. Hubris is the word most often used, it being a fine old word that comes to us from the classical Greek of ancient Athens. Hubris means something more than sinful pride. ...
Teaching Galatians at the BI
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 12, 2008
This week I’ve been teaching Galatians to 250 first-year students at Word of Life Bible Institute in New York. So far I have given seven lectures covering chapters 1-4. I also spoke at staff devos yesterday and in the Chancellor’s Chapel this morning. So it’s been a busy week. Judging from the response of ...
Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part 2
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 11, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part 2. Here’s an excerpt:When faced with someone who has mistreated you, ask God to do for them what you want God to do for you. Seek the blessing for them that you want God to do for you. Think of it this way: The greater th ...
The Biggest Number in the World
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 29, 2008
I heard about a Chinese pastor who said he often asks his congregation, “What is the biggest number in the world?” People usually say something like a trillion times a trillion times a trillion. The largest number anyone has ever given a name to is the googolplex. The pastor then points out that the biggest number in the wo ...
Let the Rich Man Go
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 28, 2008
A pastor told me the following story. It seems that in his congregation there was a very rich man who decided to leave the church because the pastor was preaching through Romans and the rich man thought the book was “too difficult.” He didn’t like the pastor preaching on such a “difficult book” and so he decided it wa ...
When You Have Two Good Choices
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 7, 2008
A email arrived from a friend with a question that came up during a discussion time with some young women—most of them in their early 20s. All the young women are single. Here is the question that came up during the discussion:"How do you make decisions in life when both roads seem to be good?” We were talking about ...
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The Next 1000 Years of Christianity
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 6, 2008
In a recent edition of Willow Creek magazine, Kevin Kelly tries to imagine the next 1000 years of Christianity. To put that in perspective, suppose we took a Christian in 1008 (maybe from Africa or Spain or India) and asked him to imagine what the church would look like in 2008. No matter what he said, he would be unlikely ...
March of the Unqualified
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 23, 2008
If you are feeling discouraged today, check out this video. It’s a vivid reminder that God loves to use imperfect people to accomplish his work. If you are still a “work in progress” with a long way to go, if you feel inadequate, cheer up. Here’s a good reminder that God has always chosen “unqualified” people to ...
Why We Shouldn’t Give Up the Fight
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Today marks the 35th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that effectively legalized abortion in America. Since then over 40 million unborn babies have been legally killed in our country.I can still remember when abortion first gripped my heart as a moral issue that Christians cannot avoid. It happened in 1 ...
Going Deeper
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 20, 2008
“The Almighty who blesses you with blessings . . . of the deep that lies below” (Genesis 49:25).Several years ago a good friend called out of the blue to say hello and to see how I was doing. During the course of our conversation he gave me an insight about God’s purposes in allowing us to go through hard times. “If ...
Wearing Glasses While I Preach
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 19, 2008
I had a hard time preaching this morning.It happened because I forgot to take my reading glasses with me when I left for the conference. And that happened because until recently, I haven’t needed reading glasses when I preach. Until nine years ago I wore glasses all the time. If you see older pictures of me, I’m ...
Grab It and Do It
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A friend sent this comment after reading Have a Blast While You Last:I have adopted a phrase from your latest sermon, “Whatever turns up, grab it and do it” as my theme for 2008. It seems that’s exactly how most days go. I rarely finish what “I” planned.I agree 100%.
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Any Shanghai Hotel Recommendations?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Next month Marlene and I are traveling to Nanchang, China to visit Josh and Leah. We will be spending two days in Shanghai at the end of the trip. Does anyone out there have any hotel recommendations for us? I’d like to find a reasonably priced hotel located somewhere near the downtown area.
The Best Time to Plant a Tree
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 1, 2008
This morning when I woke up, I remembered a Chinese proverb that goes like this:“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.”Lots of people make resolutions on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately the best intentions in the world easily get laid aside once we have to go back ...
Safer Than a Known Way
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 31, 2007
On Christmas Day 1939, King George VI of England gave a brief radio address to his troubled nation. England was already at war with Germany. Soon all of Europe would be plunged into the horror of brutal, unrestrained warfare. Hoping to calm the troubled hearts of his countrymen, the king offered words of encouragement as th ...
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Christmas in Nanchang
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 29, 2007
Josh has posted a slideshow called Christmas in Nanchang. “The Father is doing BIG things in Nanchang these days.”
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Mr. Sam
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 23, 2007
This morning at church one of the pastors made a presentation to an elderly gentleman known affectionately to the entire congregation as “Mr. Sam.” The pastor began by noting the price of gas in 1952 (17 cents/gallon) and the price of a new home ($17,000) and the cost of a stamp (3 cents). He went on to say that Mr. Sam mad ...
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The Bible in 50 Words
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 22, 2007
It’s amazing how simple some things really are. Take the Bible, for instance. At first glance, it’s an intimidating book filled with strange names, places we’ve never heard of, books we can’t pronounce, and verses we don’t understand. Even people who have read the Bible for years still have tro ...
News, Notes, and Random Thoughts
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 21, 2007
6:31 PM I just found a recipe for Chile Chocolate Almond Cookies. Seems like a strange taste combination. If anyone tries this recipe, let me know how it goes.5:47 PM Earlier today we received this encouraging email from someone in Hawaii: “I found your website after I Googled for writings about Proverbs 21:31. Your October ...
Good News for “Poor Performers” and “Splendid Sinners”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 15, 2007
This afternoon I read a bit from Faithfulness and Holiness by J. I. Packer. The book consists of Packer’s short biography of J. C. Ryle, the noted British Anglican leader of the 19th century, and a reprint of Ryle’s justly-famous book called, simply, “Holiness.” I happened across this quote from Ryle’s cha ...
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Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Year 2007
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 15, 2007
The folks at Merriam-Webster have announced the the 2007 word of the year, based on the votes of thousands of readers. The winning word is . . . w00t!That’s right. There actually is a word called w00t. Note the double zeros, which makes it seem like something out of science fiction, which isn’t far off the mark ...
Four Prayers to Keep Your Heart on Track
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 9, 2007
In a recent newsletter (pdf) Ramesh Richard shares four prayers that keep his heart focused on the things that matter most:1. If I shame your name, please remove me.2. If I squander your resources, please remind me.3. If I shy away from opportunities, please reinforce me.4. If I steal your glory, please restrain me.Ramesh t ...
A Fine Meal at the Yocona River Inn
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 8, 2007
Tonight we had a wonderful meal at the Yocona River Inn, an amazing restaurant on a country road about six miles outside of Oxford. During the football season, you can hardly get in on the weekends. Tonight we were the third group in the restaurant. When the meal was served, I prayed a prayer asking God’s blessing on ...
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Ants Crawling Across a Rembrandt
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 30, 2007
A friend once told me that we are like ants crawling across a painting by Rembrandt. We crawl across the dark brown and think all of life is dark brown. Then we hit green and think, ’"Oh, this is better. Now all is green.” But soon comes the dark blue and then a splash of yellow, a streak of red, and then another patc ...
“I Have Only 2 Dollars to Give”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Here is a check we received from an inmate at a prison in New York. After reading “An Anchor for the Soul,” he decided to send a donation to our ministry. “I have only 2 dollars to give but it is the thought that counts,” he said. His letter illustrates why we started the Anchor Book Depot. And it stands as a reminder of ou ...
“What Can We Do To Help?”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 18, 2007
Lately I’ve been reading Jon Meacham’s book Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship. I keep coming back to one moment in June 1942 when during a visit to the White House, Prime Minister Churchill received the devastating news that the British garrison at Tobruk on the North African coast ...
Making Failure Impossible Since A.D. 33
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, November 17, 2007
Last Sunday Mark preached at Trace Crossing Church in Tupelo on The Great Commission: Making Failure Impossible Since A.D. 33. God gave Mark a very encouraging perspective on this familiar passage. Click here to listen online.
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Celebrate the Nations
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 11, 2007
We will never forget last night’s “Celebrate the Nations” concert at the Missions en Fete conference in Montreal. Here is the program (translated into English):Worship by the Reconciliation ChoraleAnnouncements and OfferingChildren’s ChoirCongolese ChoirCambodian ChoirLatino ChoirFilipino ChoirHaitian ChoirChine ...
Rule # 1: Don’t Forget Your Passports
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 9, 2007
Friday 1:09 PMO’Hare AirportWe were supposed to land in Montreal about 30 minutes ago, but we’re still in Chicago because at 5:30 this morning I suddenly woke up and said to Marlene,"Did we bring the passports with us?” I asked even though I already knew the answer. No, we didn’t bring our passports with u ...
All Saints Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 1, 2007
This is All Saints Day, one of the finest, most joyful days of the Christian year. It’s the day when we remember and give thanks for all true believers around the world, especially those who have gone before us into heaven. Evangelicals often pay little attention to the Christian year (for various reasons), but this i ...
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Reformation Day 2007
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 31, 2007
On October 31, 1517 an obscure monk named Martin Luther, desiring to spark theological discussion over the medieval practice of selling indulgences, nailed his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. That happened exactly 490 years ago. The spark he set off ignited a flame that spread across Europ ...
The Best News I Know
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 21, 2007
“There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” Richard Sibbes (1577-1635), Puritan preacher and author.
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Love and Respect
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, October 20, 2007
When Marlene spoke to the women tonight, she recommended Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs. Turns out that several of the women at the conference have read it also. We started reading it the other day, and I can offer my opinion very simply.It’s the best book on marriage I’ve ever read. Period. No exceptions ...
Never Repeat What Someone Said Someone Said
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 11, 2007
I first heard this piece of advice about five years ago from a gifted Christian leader. He was speaking at a Bible conference and in the course of his message advised us to “never repeat what someone said someone said.” It only gets you in trouble.This is especially important advice when you are angry and in the midst of so ...
Brand-New Audio Version of Anchor for the Soul
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Yesterday we received our first copies of the audio version of An Anchor for the Soul. The two-disc set is available from Oasis Audio. The set contains an abridged version of the book on 2 CDs lasting approximately 2.5 hours. This would be an excellent gift for someone who likes to listen to books while they are driving or ...
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“What Jesus paid for Jesus will surely keep.”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 2, 2007
I just discovered a weblog called Of First Importance. Its purpose is simple and highly focused—to produce a new quote each day from a noted writer to help Christians live for the good of the gospel.One quote a day.Always about the gospel.This is a wonderful idea and an excellent use of blogging. Here is the quote for Augu ...
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Football!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, September 1, 2007
After months of waiting, college football kicks off later today. There were a few games on Thursday and a few more yesterday, but this is the real beginning. Later today we’re heading to the Liberty Bowl in Memphis to watch Ole Miss take on the Memphis Tigers. Nick came over from Birmingham so he could go to the game ...
Alphabet Praise
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 25, 2007
This week at Cannon Beach our worship leader was Mark Rice, pastor of a church in Kingman, Arizona. With the assistance of his son Reggie (a pastor in Sedona, Arizona) on the guitar and with the gifted Jan Klerekoper on the piano, we have had wonderful times of worship. One day Mark taught us to do Alphabet Praise. He said ...
The Opposite of Faith
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 23, 2007
Before every evening service this week at Cannon Beach, the platform personnel meet for a brief prayer meeting in a little room at the back of the chapel. Each night I’ve noticed a saying tacked on the door where you can’t miss it:The Opposite of Faith is Control.I have been thinking about that all week long, an ...
The Wife of My Youth
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Years ago, during a Thanksgiving service, I heard a man stand up and give thanks for the “wife of my youth.” With tears in his eyes, he gave thanks to God for the wife he had married as a young man. Now he was middle-aged, and he was still thankful for her. And he prayed that God would allow them to grow old together.This i ...
Cancer’s Unexpected Blessing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 9, 2007
White House Press Secretary Tony Snow reflects on Cancer’s Unexpected Blessings. Here is an excerpt:The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of th ...
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Babe Ruth is Dead—And So is Spurgeon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 8, 2007
The following story comes from my friend Dave Burchett. It seems that a young pitcher for the Texas Rangers had just been called up from the minors. He got his big chance because he had shown a fearless ability to throw strikes no matter who was at the plate. Finally the night came when he was going to pitch in the major le ...
I Met Jesus This Morning
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, July 22, 2007
I was glad to go to church this morning because we celebrated the Lord’s Supper as the climax of the worship service. And instead of being tacked on or hurried through, the entire service led to us to the Lord’s table. We began by singing songs that reminded us of Christ’s death on the cross. The pastor pr ...
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Dudley and Gary
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, July 21, 2007
Here are some pictures of Dudley and Gary taken by MaryAnn Spiegel who is visiting with us this week. They were taken in the living room of our home in Tupelo. Note that I spell Gary with one “r” despite the note from Anonymous who claims that I should be spelling it with two “r"s. Garry just doesn’t look right to me ...
Why God Chooses Cracked Pots
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 6, 2007
Today during an interview I was asked why so many of the heroes of the Bible had serious flaws. My answer was simple. That’s all God has to work with. All the perfect people are in heaven. The only ones on earth are the folks with serious weaknesses. The talent pool has always been pretty thin when it comes to moral p ...
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Our Final Day at Camp Nathanael
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 4, 2007
This morning’s service had a strong patriotic flavor. Several hundred people gathered under the tabernacle as we sang “My Country “Tis of Thee” and “America the Beautiful.” We also recognized those who had served in the Armed Forces and prayed for those currently serving around the world. After the service the adults ...
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A Prayer for Spiritual Warriors
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, June 25, 2007
In preparing my first message on spiritual warfare, I ran across this prayer taken from The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions by Arthur Bennett.O Lord,I bless thee that the issue of the battle between thyself and Satan has never been uncertain, and will end in victory.Calvary broke th ...
Word of Life, Day 1
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 24, 2007
I am writing this note from Word of Life Inn in Schroon Lake, New York, high in the Adirondack Mountains. I arrived here last night for the opening week of the summer camp season. This morning was picture postcard perfect—blue skies, emerald green forests, a few wispy clouds, light breeze, and calm water on the lake. It is ...
Just Do It
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Over the weekend we talked with someone (A) who told us about a friend of hers (B), someone she has known for many years. It seems that this friend (B) offended someone else (C) eight or nine years ago. The precise details don’t matter, except that what was done was petty and meanspirited. Now the course of life has c ...
Rambling
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, June 18, 2007
*After a hectic weekend, we are mostly moved in to our new home. But the process of moving is ongoing, at least for several more weeks. At this moment Marlene is out with Linda Hale, purchasing a bedroom set for the guest bedroom and a sofa sleeper for what will become my office.*This is necessary because at this moment on ...
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Microwave Christians
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 10, 2007
This morning in Sunday School David Langerfeld mentioned that there are too many “microwave Christians.” We want everything fast:Fast spiritual growthFast answers to prayerFast solutions to our problems But God doesn’t work on our schedule. David mentioned that Moses never got to enter the Promised Land during his lif ...
Just Like the Titanic
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 6, 2007
A few reflections as our Alaskan cruise draws to a close . . .*In preparing for this trip, I talked with many people who had taken an Alaskan cruise. They all loved it. I couldn’t find anyone who wasn’t amazed by the experience. You can add Marlene and me to that list.*We’ve had excellent weather the whole ...
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Counterintuitive Faith
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 24, 2007
Not long ago Marlene and I were having dinner with some close friends who are also supporters of our ministry. At one point during a delightful evening, the husband looked at me and said, “What you are doing is counterintuitive.” The dictionary defines counterintuitive as being “contrary to what common sense would suggest.” ...
Anchor Book Depot Update
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, May 23, 2007
When we started Keep Believing Ministries a year ago, our first goal was to restart the Book Depot that allowed us to distribute over 300,000 of copies of An Anchor for the Soul for use in prison ministry, military ministry, disaster relief ministry, and for general missionary outreach. It has taken most of this first year ...
A Pastor’s Prayer of Forgiveness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 21, 2007
This afternoon I did a one-hour radio interview with Kerby Anderson and Carmen Pate on a program called Point of View. Near the end we took a call from a man who said that he struggles with resentment toward others. He asked a very crucial question. “Is there a prayer I could pray that will help me forgive, and if so, how o ...
What is a Christian?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 20, 2007
Last Sunday I preached at Calvary Baptist Church in Tupelo on What is a Christian? I actually started thinking about the topic when Al Sharpton stirred up a theological kerfuffle during a debate with atheist Christopher Hitchens. During one exchange he said something that seemed to imply that Mormons don’t believe in ...
At Home in Tupelo
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 19, 2007
The big news is that we bought a home in Tupelo this week. Marlene and I are both amazed at how God brought all the pieces together. Because we are here for only a couple of weeks, we wanted to get a contract before we left again. In just a few days . . .We found a realtor we liked,Marlene looked at a lot of homes, andI loo ...
Speaking in Arlington Heights This Sunday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, May 2, 2007
This Sunday I’m speaking at Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church, 1330 N. Douglas Ave, Arlington Heights, IL 60004. Phone: 847-392-4840. I will be speaking in all three morning services—8, 9:30 and 11 AM. If you are in the Chicago area, I hope you will join us for one of the services.
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Was Jesus Mean?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 24, 2007
I confess to never having thought about the question until a friend raised it in an email recently.Was Jesus mean? The answer, obviously, is no. I think the question is meant to highlight a deeper issue. Why are some of the followers of Jesus so mean if he wasn’t? I don’t know that I can adequately answer that q ...
A Prayer for Every Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 23, 2007
Currently Marlene and I are reading through Isaiah together. Our practice is that one of us reads a chapter and the other prays. Today Marlene read Isaiah 42 and I prayed. As she read the chapter, verse 8 caught my attenion. “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to anyone else.” There are many simi ...
Inside the Wedding Ring
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 21, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Inside the Wedding Ring. Here’s an excerpt:I do not tire of quoting Jess Moody who said that people choose a church with their noses. They can smell the joy.That’s as good a summary as I’ve ever heard. People can smell the joy on Sunday morning. And they can smell th ...
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How to Spot a Healthy Church—Quickly
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 15, 2007
In the last 18 months I have come to a few conclusions about how to quickly gauge the health of the churches we visit—either to preach or simply to participate in a worship service. The Lord has allowed us to travel from coast to coast and to visit country cities, city churches and suburban churches—some large, some small ...
“I Remember Dr. Pritchard”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 14, 2007
Tomorrow morning I am preaching at Woodward Avenue Baptist Church in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This is a special treat for a number of reasons. Muscle Shoals is only a few miles from Russellville, the small town in northwest Alabama where I grew up. Back in the late 60s, when we wanted to take our dates to “the big city,” we ...
Don Imus and Us
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Don Imus, the hugely popular radio shock jock, made headlines last week for using a racial epithet to describe the Rutgers University women’s basketball team. There is no need to repeat what he said here. Everyone has read it and heard it numerous times. And there is no need to attempt a defense for the indefensible. ...
Sargeant Dudley and the Raccoon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Last night about 9:30 PM I put Dudley out so he could take care of his business before we put him to bed for the night. When I opened the door, instead of walking out as he usually does, he bounded out the door of the cabin, veered to the left and then ran down the hill that leads to the lake. Before I could follow him outd ...
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Korean Version of “Discovering God’s Will for Your Life”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 7, 2007
The Korean version of Discovering God’s Will for Your Life has just been released.
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The Great Firewall of China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 5, 2007
Is your favorite website banned in China? You can find out by going to the Great Firewall of China.
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Scattershooting
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 29, 2007
Scattershooting on a beautiful day in northeast Mississippi . . .1) Josh, Mark and Nick have started a three-brothers blog called A Thousand Words. Mark is the prophet, Nick is the humorist, and Josh is the philosopher.2) You can listen online to my sermon called “Ballistic Christianity” preached last Sunday at Pontiac Bibl ...
Pontiac Bible Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 25, 2007
Here are some pictures from our visit to Pontiac (IL) Bible Church. I first met Brian Bill in May 1989 when I was a visiting preacher at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park. After I became the senior pastor, we served together on staff for three years and developed a friendship that has continued to this day. Seven-and-a-ha ...
Why Don’t Pastors Preach From the Old Testament?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 7, 2007
“Why don’t pastors preach from the Old Testament?"The question came from the chairman of the pulpit committee of a large and growing church. In their search for a new pastor, they had interviewed the top tier of candidates, only to discover a disconcerting fact. “None of them preach from the Old Testament,” the chairm ...
You Can’t Help a Liar
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Recently I spent time with someone involved in ministry to students. Occasionally he is faced with difficult disciplinary decisions when the young people break the rules of the group. “I’ve dealt with everything you can imagine. Every sort of sexual sin. Cheating. Breaking the law. You name it, I’ve seen it,” he ...
Good News From China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 26, 2007
Anthony Bollback has posted the latest edition of China Clippings. Anthony and his wife Evelyn served as missionaries in China in the 1940s, leaving just before Communist forces took the city where they lived. When Marlene and I were at Word of Life Florida several weeks ago, we had the privilege of eating lunch with Anthon ...
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That Doritos Commercial
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 5, 2007
Did you see that Doritos ad that aired in the first quarter of the Super Bowl? In fact, it aired during the first commercial break after the kickoff. The ad featured a young man eating a bag of Doritos while driving a car. He is distracted by an attractive young woman walking by, also eating Doritos. As one commentator put ...
Do You Know What Time It Is?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Here’s the newest sermon (based on Romans 13:11-14) on the website:Do You Know What Time It Is?This is part of the series The Transformed Life (Romans 12-16)
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Lipping Your Prayers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 13, 2007
This week I’ve been reading a fine new book by J. I. Packer and Carolyn Nystrom called Praying: Finding Your Way From Duty to Delight, and along the way I’ve been thinking about the challenge of writing about prayer. Or preaching about prayer. It’s easy to fall into one of two traps. Either you make the re ...
Two New Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 7, 2007
Here are the latest sermons on the KBM website:God’s Medicine for a Sick WorldAdoption: Plenty of Room in the Family
Out of Egypt
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 22, 2006
I have just posted the online version of this week’s sermon:Out of EgyptI included a link to some online paintings of the flight to Egypt that I forgot to include when I sent out the email sermon yesterday.
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My Highest Honor—Person of the Year
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 21, 2006
I don’t know if you heard, but I was just named Person of the Year by Time Magazine. No kidding. You would think that in a year filled with international tension that they would have chosen someone like President Bush or the president of Iran or that crazy guy who runs North Korea. Or you might think they would have g ...
Dear Sarah
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 14, 2006
A few days ago I received a letter that took over a month to finally reach me. It came from someone I have never met. Because of the unusual nature of the letter, I began to think about the question, “What does forgiveness mean at Christmastime?” This week’s message is actually the letter I wrote to her. To protect he ...
KBM and the Internet
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Last month I wrote about how the Internet is changing ministry. This week I received two emails that illustrate the point:1) From Malaysia Dr Pritchard, I wish to request for your permission to print 2 of your articles for our church bulletin. 1) The Agape Factor (16/11/2006) 2) How To Be A Godly Rebel (8/12/2006) My church ...
Preparation Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 10, 2006
I am writing this note during the second quarter of the Cowboys-Saints football game. My back is to the screen but I can hear Al Michaels and John Madden describe the action. Marlene is resting on the sofa with Dudley sleeping on her lap. Jake, Alan’s chocolate lab, is spending the night with us because we forgot the ...
Baby, It’s Cold Outside
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 1, 2006
At the moment we are sitting in the Tupelo airport, getting ready to fly to Atlanta and then to Albany, NY. We’re on our way to a conference at Word of Life in Schroon Lake, high in the Adirondack Mountains. We’ll be there today through Wednesday, then it’s on to Chicago for some KBM home meetings. What gr ...
The Agape Factor
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 17, 2006
We have just posted the latest sermon in the series “The Transformed Life” from Romans 12-16: The Agape Factor: Twelve Ways to Love.
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Signs of a Restorable Spirit
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 10, 2006
It has been enlightening to read the many comments on the weblog this week. It’s clear that the Ted Haggard situation has touched a nerve inside the Christian community. Along that line, Eric Hogue asks, What is the appropriate “rehabilitation” for Ted Haggard? Marshall Shelley discusses the signs of a restorable spi ...
Ted Haggard Removed as Pastor of New Life Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 5, 2006
Kudos to the leaders at New Life Church for acting quickly to remove Ted Haggard from his position as senior pastor. Here is their letter to the congregation explaining the decision. When the facts are clear, as they evidently were to those doing the investigation, nothing is gained (and much is lost) by delaying the final ...
Jessica and Friends Community
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 26, 2006
The last three days at Lancaster Bible College have been eye-opening and deeply moving in ways we didn’t expect. For one thing, we stayed in the guest suite in the Presidential Manse where we got to know Peter and Paulette Teague. It’s always eye-opening to get up close and personal with the leader of a major Ch ...
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Reformation Sunday Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 25, 2006
October 29 is Reformation Sunday, which commemorates one of the most important days in church history. On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, sparking the Protestant Reformation. Many pastors will be preaching on the great themes of the Reformation th ...
Our Final Multi-State Trip of the Year
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 22, 2006
We are back home in Tupelo after our all-too-brief visit to Gulf Shores. We’re here just long enough to unpack, wash clothes, repack, and grab a few hours of sleep before heading out on our last multi-state trip of the year. We’re leaving here at 3:15 AM to drive to Birmingham where we will catch a Southwest fli ...
My Perfect Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 12, 2006
Not long ago some friends traveled from another state to visit us in Tupelo. During supper the wife asked me a question that seemed to come out of the blue: “What would your perfect church look like?” She caught me completely by surprise, and I realized that a) no one had ever asked me that before, and b) I had never given ...
Doubter Your Doubters
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 6, 2006
A friend sent an email that ended this way: “We are thinking of and praying for you. Remember – doubt your doubters.” The reference is to a sermon on dealing with doubt that includes this application: “Doubt Your Doubts, Not Your Faith.” My friend changed it (unintentionally, I think) to “Doubt your doubters.” That strikes ...
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Chinese Churches Challenge the Rules
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 6, 2006
I found a good article in the Washington Post about how some churches in China are challenging the rules of the Communist government. A sidebar to the article contains a video of authorities recently demolishing an illegal house church. The article discusses the new boldness of Christians in the Wenzhou and Zhejiang provinc ...
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Seven, Seven, Seven, Yes, Yes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 4, 2006
Several months ago a group of college students came to visit us. Around the breakfast table we started talking about spiritual warfare. That led to a long discussion about how Satan attacks us in multiple ways, that he rarely hits us head on, that he attacks from many directions at once, with the ultimate goal of discouragi ...
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Podcast of Interview re: Amish Schoolhouse Shooting
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 3, 2006
Today Kevin McCullough and I had a very honest, wide-ranging discussion of the issues raised by the tragic shooting of ten students at an Amish schoolhouse yesterday. Click on this link to listen to the interview that included calls from listeners. We discussed the role of spiritual warfare, the reality of sin, why anger wi ...
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Encounter on the Escalator
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 20, 2006
On Monday I flew home from a weekend conference in Vineland, New Jersey. As sometimes happens on the back end of a trip, I was thinking about things I have to do this week and it seemed overwhelming. Frankly, I felt a bit discouraged. When I got the Atlanta airport, I was feeling tired and down and as I sat on the train tha ...
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The World in the Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Phil Newton, pastor of South Woods Baptist Church in Memphis, TN is preaching through Revelation 1-5. Last Sunday he preached from Revelation 2:18-19, Christ’s message to the church at Thyatira. I found his message very challenging. He called it The World in the Church.
A Scene Out of the Waltons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 10, 2006
After I finished my final session of the Word of Life conference in Kokomo, Bob Cosby picked me up and we drove to Logansport, about 35 minutes away. He and Cathy live out in the country along with six of their eight children and Bob’s parents in a old farmhouse they are restoring. To call it a farmhouse is a bit of a ...
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Sidlow Baxter’s Secret
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 8, 2006
I have greatly enjoyed reading E. A. Johnston’s biography of J. Sidlow Baxter, the much-loved British Bible teacher who had a world-wide ministry and who gave us many books, including the majestic (and massive) Explore the Book. Near the end of the biography, Johnston comments on the “secret” of Baxter’s vibrant ...
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Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, September 7, 2006
Tomorrow morning starts a very busy period for us. I’m flying to Indianapolis and then driving to Kokomo for a two-day Word of Life leadership conference. I speak once tomorrow night and three times on Saturday. Then on Sunday morning I fly from Indianapolis to Columbus, OH by way of Chicago. At the same time Marlene ...
Oh Bull!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 31, 2006
Scott Mahlstedt sent me this email: Doreen and I are watching the PBR event from Chihuahua, Mexico this evening. We just saw a young bull rider named Tyler Thomson buck off a bull named Pastor RayThought you might be flattered? amused?I don’t know what to say, except that it reminds me that back in the late 90s Gary a ...
Our Awesome God
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 30, 2006
Here is the final sermon in the series “Understanding God’s Plan” from Romans 9-11:Our Awesome God
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Hot News
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 17, 2006
Here are some odds and ends on a hot and muggy afternoon (the only kind we have in Mississippi in August):1) We have just posted the newest sermon in the “Understanding God’s Plan (Romans 9-11)” series:God Unchanging2) Speaking of sermons, here are two that bear on the current situation in the Middle East:Seven Signs ...
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Time for a Vacation
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, July 3, 2006
This will be the last weblog entry I will post for five weeks. We all need a vacation from time to time, and the time has come for me. In three weeks Josh and Leah will get married in Vermont. Between now and then I will be speaking at two Bible conferences. Two weeks after the wedding, we are traveling to Chicago for a wed ...
Singing Through the Lord’s Prayer, Part 2
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Give Us Today Our Daily Bread Be Thou My Vision Breathe Children of the Heavenly Father Come, Ye Thankful People, Come For the Beauty of the Earth Forever Give Thanks God is Good All the Time God is So Good Good to Me He is Able God Will Make a Way Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah His Eye is on the Sparrow It is No Secret Let ...
Pictures from the KBM Board Retreat
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 4, 2006
Here are a few pictures Peter Faulkner took of the KBM board retreat at the cabin in the woods north of Tupelo, Mississippi:Seated (L-R): Ray Pritchard, Phyllis Raad, Judy Faulkner; Standing (L-R) Dave Hoy, Marlene Pritchard, MaryAnn Spiegel, Cliff Raad, Peter FaulknerFive board members plus DudleyNot everyone is singingA ...
George Washington Carver
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 29, 2006
“How far you go in life depends on you being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and the strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these.” —George Washington Carver
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Expolit!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 19, 2006
I am in the middle of two weeks of intensive travel. Monday-Wednesday I was in Madison, WI to speak at a Pastors’ Summit. Today I flew to Miami for my first-ever visit to Expolit, the annual Hispanic Christian booksellers convention. I am told that upwards of 30,000 people will attend one of the Expolit events this we ...
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Making the Baby
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 12, 2006
1) Thought for the day: When God called Abram in Ur of the Chaldees, he promised to make him into a great nation and to bless the whole world through him. Of course Abram was a prosperous, middle-aged businessman with a large personal fortune. He and his wife Sarai had no children, and they had no prospects for having child ...
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The Wedding Shower
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 6, 2006
Regular readers of this blog know that our oldest son Josh is marrying Leah Thayer in July. Today there was a wedding shower for some Chicago-area friends at a home in Oak Park. I am no expert on these things, since I can only remember attending one or two showers in my life, and never for the whole time. Leah’s paren ...
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Len Hoppe-A Friend Remembered
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 15, 2006
Len Hoppe was in his early 40s when he died in 1996. Tonight the family is gathering in Memphis for a ten-year service of remembrance. I first met Len when I came to Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park as pastor in 1989. In the kindness of God, we became very close friends. During our service together on the elder board, I ...
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Resurrection Podcast
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 14, 2006
I just recorded a new podcast with Stacy Harp on the evidence for the resurrection of Jesus.
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The Couples Retreat
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 8, 2006
9:58 PM The couples retreat seemed to go very well. I spoke three times, on “Respect: The Foundation of a Strong Marriage,” “A Judgmental Spirit: The Enemy of a Happy Marriage,” and “Commitment: The Key to a Lasting Marriage.” There was lots of chatter and laughter before and after the sessions, and a good bit of give-and-t ...
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Off to a Good Start
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 26, 2006
I think this is my 14th year to speak at Word of Life Florida. The nice thing about coming back is that you see so many friends year after year. This morning we saw Elizabeth Nelson, daughter of Harry and Millie Bollback who were called out of town suddenly because of a family illness. Paul Ward came up to say hello. We met ...
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Friday, March 26, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 26, 2004
4:33 PM We've added several more sermon series to the Sermons page: I Will Build My Church from Matthew 16 (4 sermons). This was my very first sermon series at Calvary in August and September 1989. Servants Unlimited (4 sermons) The Ten Commandments For Today (10 sermons) Why I Believe (10 sermons). This series became the b...
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Monday, February 23, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 23, 2004
10:15 PM Monday night shout-out to Frank and Laurie Livingston in San Antonio … Hi to Dave and Lynette Hoy on vacation near Destin, Florida … Good luck to my niece Megan and the Bradshaw Bruins as they take on Ramsay in the Alabama Girls 5A Regional Semifinals on Wednesday morning … Hat tip to Caroline ...
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Saturday, February 14, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 14, 2004
11:14 PM Diane Sawyer interviewed Mel Gibson for ABC Primetime. The interview airs Monday at 9 PM. When asked about the criticism the Passion movie has received, Gibson made this reply: Critics who have a problem with me don't really have a problem with me in this film. They have a problem with the four Gospels. That's wher...
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Sunday, December 7, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 7, 2003
9:34 PM Sunday Night The first photos of "Two From Galilee" are now online. Josh took the pictures and posted them here. 1) Click on the picture (or the "Two From Galilee" heading). 2) That takes you to a page containing six different albums of pictures from the performance: Joseph, Mary, Joseph and Mary, Supporting...
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Tuesday, October 21, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 21, 2003
11:32 PM Tony Blankley thinks General Boykin was right. So do I. 11:28 PM Dennis Prager describes 15 specific areas of conflict between Right and Left in Part 2 of The Second American Civil War: What It's About. Here's an excerpt:The fact is that this country is profoundly divided on virtually every major social, personal a...
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Monday, August 4, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 4, 2003
4:50 PM Turned out to be a fine day. The area around Gull Lake is mostly rural, with lots of back roads so I took off this afternoon and rode my bike for about 19 miles. When I came back, I walked down to the beach area and chatted with some of the folks. I have been struck this week by the friendliness of the people who co...
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Saturday, May 31, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 31, 2003
Is anyone reading these words going through a hard time right now? A friend sent me this devotional written over 110 years ago by Charles Spurgeon of London. Let his words comfort your heart today: “Perhaps, weary soul, the Lord is doing this to develop your graces. There are some of your graces that would never be discov...
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