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- Homemade Gods (37:08)
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 Pastors
Pastor, Don’t Be Stupid!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 8
A few days ago I received a message alerting me that a certain pastor (whom I do not know) has been preaching my sermons word for word on Sunday morning. And he does so without attribution.To make matters worse, he posts the audio files online.Let me start by saying that I am a friend and supporter of preachers everywhere. I post my sermons precise…
Random Notes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 7
A few thoughts on a variety of topics:1. The China broadcasts continue three times a week (M-W-F) at 6 AM CDT (7 PM China time). Check out our Chinese website and the iPhone and Android apps.2. We have just posted the Spring 2012 KBM Newsletter with the headline “We Need More Anchors.” Later this month we expect delivery of 100,000 copi...
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Stay
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 1
New England has a reputation as a difficult place to do ministry. One pastor from Massachusetts called it a “cold” region for gospel ministry. But almost everyone senses that a “quiet revival” is underway. No, it’s not like the South where megachurches sprout up like dandelions in the spring. But churches are growing i...
New England Notes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 23
Southbridge, MAI’m writing this update from the lobby of the Southbridge Conference Center, a vast convention center built on the site of the former American Optical Company building. We arrived on Friday after a longish trip from Tupelo via Memphis, Detroit, and Hartford. Someone welcomed us on Facebook by saying that, “No one ever come...
On the Road to New England
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 20
This morning we start a major ministry trip to New England. A year ago Marlene and I spoke at a one-day conference for pastors and wives in Brunswick, Maine. A few weeks later we were invited to return to New England for three conferences in Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont.You can find out all the details by going to Church Focus New England. Each ...
India Pastors Conference
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 31
For the past two days we’ve been meeting with these pastors for a time of encouragement. They all come from the same general region of India. As you can see from the photo, most of the pastors are young, with perhaps a year of training, and nearly all of them pastor multiple congregations. Some pastor four churches at a time. Today they ...
44 New Year’s Day Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 26, 2011
Since January 1 is the first Sunday of 2012, we have put together a web page with 44 New Year’s Day sermons. Please feel free to use this material in any way that you like. Use it, amend it, change it, improve it, and make it your own. Perhaps you’ll get some good ideas for a sermon. Or you may want to use it for your own devot...
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46 Christmas Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 3, 2011
Feel free to use this material any way you like, including in sermon preparation or for a Sunday School class or a small group. Or use these sermons simply for your own blessing as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord. Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned at Christmas This series explores the idea that every major Christian doctrine can ...
Five Reasons to Preach the Whole Book of Daniel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 18, 2011
This morning I finish teaching the book of Daniel to the students at Word of Life Bible Institute in Hudson, Florida. Since this is my fourth year to teach this one-week course, I’ve gotten a bit of rhythm in my teaching. Each year we start off strong with the story of Daniel and his friends courteously but firmly refusing to eat the food at ...
The Future of the Chinese Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 4, 2011
This little boy represents the future of the Chinese church.Earlier this week his mother put him down for a nap in the apartment where we stayed in Dalian. His grandfather serves as a church worker in a Chinese city with very few Christians. He and his mother and father and grandfather came to Dalian to spend two days with us. I was very pleased wh...
When Should a Pastor Leave a Church?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 21, 2011
The question came from a young man pastoring his first church. I don’t know much about the congregation he serves except that it is small and filled with mostly older folks who don’t want to change.At least that’s how the young pastor sees it. Both he and his wife have been feeling discouraged. After three difficult years, here is…
On My Way to LA
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, September 19, 2011
Today I’m flying to Los Angeles to take part in the Fall Church Institute at Mt Sinai Missionary Baptist Church. When I received this invitation a few months ago from Pastor George Hurtt, I was glad to accept because he asked me to speak on one of my favorite topics–expository preaching. I’ll be leading a workshop on preachin...
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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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Latest KBM Newsletter Now Online
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 1, 2011
The Spring 2011 newsletter has just been posted online. In this issue we share good news about our recent one-day pastors conference in Brunswick, Maine. You can check out our travel schedule for the rest of the summer and learn how we serve as “quartermasters” for the body of Christ around the world. Plus you can learn what we’ve...
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Pastors and Wives Meet in Brunswick, Maine
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, May 4, 2011
On Tuesday a group of pastors and wives met in Brunswick, Maine for a day of fellowship and encouragement. The Mid-Maine Pastors Conference sponsors a yearly get-together at a local hotel. When Pastor Mark Rockwood of Berean Baptist Church in Brunswick heard that we were going to be speaking in New Brunswick, he asked if we could stay over to speak...
Report from Rochester
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 5, 2011
This morning we wrapped up the John 17 conference in Rochester, New York. Church leaders from all over the region gathered for three days of fellowship and biblical teaching. Pastor Ray Viola of Koinonia Fellowship was on a missions trip to India two years ago when after preaching on Jesus’ prayer in John 17, especially the prayer that &ldquo...
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15 Skills of Great Preachers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Lately I’ve been thinking about what makes a “great” preacher. The answer must necessarily be subjective. After listening to hundreds of sermons by hundreds of preachers (some famous, most not) in various settings for 45 years, I’ve come to some conclusions about “great” sermons and “great” preachers....
Questions for a Pulpit Committee
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 4, 2011
I have a friend who will soon be interviewed by a pulpit committee for the position of pastor. He wrote to a few friends asking for some “killer questions.” Here are a few of the suggested questions:1. What’s the elephant in the room that no one wants to address?2. When people in this community hear the name of this church, what d...
Q and A video – Should Christians Be Involved in Politics?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 30, 2010
The last election was mean-spirited and it was hard to discern between truth and lies. Should Christians separate from political activism and focus on “Christian work” instead?
Don’t Change Your Vote
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 26, 2010
A note arrived from a pastor asking an unusual question. When the leaders of a particular ministry met, they were evenly divided on whether or not to dismiss a staff member. Because the vote was deadlocked, the pastor cast the deciding vote in favor of termination. When word leaked out, certain people were very upset, including some who threatened ...
Let’s Meet J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 6, 2010
In 1898 a young man named J. D. Jones became the pastor of the Richmond Hill Congregational Church in Bournemouth, a popular English seaside resort. The church building is located near the Central Square so that whoever preached there could draw people from all directions. That’s what J. D. Jones did for 40 years. He was called “the man…
Battling the Black Dog
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 13, 2010
It’s a little-known and rarely discussed secret that pastors sometimes struggle with depression. There are many reasons why we prefer not to deal with this problem openly. Because we look to our pastors as spiritual leaders, it’s hard to think of them wrestling with fear, discouragement, doubt and depression. And pastors feel the pressu…
Don Gerig
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 24, 2010
The word arrived via email from a friend that Don Gerig died last night. I felt glad and sad when I heard the news, glad for Don and sad for the rest of us. Not quite a year ago Don started a blog called Gerig’s Musings detailing his journey through brain cancer treatment. If you read the entries, you get a good sense of how a Christian fac...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 26–"Unconscious Decay”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 26, “Unconscious Decay."A man growing better does not measure the stages of his progress, nor does a man becoming worse realize the headway of his descent. Men who live nearest to the heart of God do not prate of their visions nor boast of the light in t...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 25–"Eagles, Race-horses and Plodders”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 15, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 25, “Eagles, Race-horses and Plodders.”The high art of walking is one which the minister must master. He must have a genius for plodding. The clergyman who is able to trudge bravely through the years, filling the months with quiet honest work, pressing h…
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 24–"Near to Men Near to God”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 14, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 24, “Near to Men Near to God.” A man may be a pagan alone, he cannot be a Christian. A preacher of Christianity must live as close as possible to men. Isolation to him is fatal. If he has a disposition which shrinks from the society of others his disposit...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 23–"Books and Reading”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 13, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 23, “Books and Reading."There are preachers who would be stronger in their ministry if they read fewer books.Books are numerous and cheap and no other working man in the town has so many hours in a wee which can be given to reading as the minister. A par...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 22–"Thy Speech Betrayeth Thee”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 12, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 22, “Thy Speech Betrayeth Thee."The greatest danger to which a young man is subjected in the Seminary, is not, as many timid folks imagine, heretical interpretations of the Scriptures but a style of language which the plain people do not understand.The ...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 21–"Mannerisms”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 11, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 21, “Mannerisms."Mannerisms as a rule are veritable dragons which throwing themselves between the preacher and his hearers must be warred against and slain. Eternal vigilance is the price the man of God must pay for deliverance from this plague of pulp...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 20–"Meanness”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 20, “Meanness.” ...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 19–"Foolishness”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 19, “Foolishness."Beginning a speech with an apology is a piece of nonsense unprovoked and inexcusable, but if you wish to break a man of that habit he must be caught young. Why squander time in announcing what will become perfectly clear before one si...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 18–"Pettiness”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 8, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 17,"Pettiness.” Certain vices only mar, others lacerate and kill. Not one of them kills more surely than a petty disposition. The Christian religion is nothing if not large.A sermon is the life-blood of a an baptized into the spirit of the Lord, and every...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 17–"Discontent”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 7, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 17, “Discontent."Discontent may be said to be one of the prevailing sins of the ministerial world. How prevalent it is the public does not fully know, for ministers who are discontented do not shout their dissatisfaction from the house-top.They write it ...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 16–"Vanity”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 6, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 16, “Vanity.” “Every gift, no matter what it is, has a coiled serpent it. A man’s deadliest danger lies ever at the center of his greatest strength.""Many a man has had his usefulness destroyed by the very gift which should have car...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 15–"Autocracy”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 5, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 15,"Autocracy.""The environment of a clergyman contains abundant nutriment for the nourishment of the papal proclivities of human nature.""If laymen were allowed to-day the privileges they enjoyed in the time of Jesus, and could say to mi...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 14–"Dishonesty”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 4, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 14, “Dishonesty.""If a man is crotchety he can be tolerated; if he is prejudiced or ignorant he can be borne with ; he may be lacking in a score of qualities which men count desirable and still be a useful and an honored man. But who can endure a mi...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 13–"Selfishness”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 13, “Selfishness.""Thick-witted men occasionally get the notion that they can glorify God by preaching theology and at the same time scorn their congregation.""If a minister says he loves God, and in his heart slights or despises his peo...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 12–"Building the Tower”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 12, “Building the Tower."A church likes to feel itself in the grip of a man who knows not only where he is going but also by what stages the goal can in all probability best be reached. Some men’s sermons are only bushwhackers fig...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 11–"The Value of a Target”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 1, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 11, “The Value of a Target.""It is easier to lose one’s way in the ministry than in any other calling.""Even men who work prodigiously on their sermons may forget the end for which sermons ought to be prepared.""An aiml...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 10–"Despondency”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 31, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson:"The world does not know how great a tax upon a sensitive man an earnest sermon is. No man can vitalize other men without devitalizing himself. Sermons that heal and lift have in them the red blood of the preacher’s heart.” “A disheartened man takes the...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 9–"Clerical Hamlets”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 30, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 9, “Clerical Hamlets."Whatever else a minister may be he must be preeminently a man of good cheer.” ...
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Copyright Good and Bad
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 29, 2010
Yesterday I received a note from someone who wanted to know my views on those who use my material in their own preaching and writing. It seems that he had run across an unusual case (at least it is unusual in my experience) and wanted to know my opinion. How do I feel when I find out that other people out there somewhere, unnamed and unknown to me,...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 8–"Impatience”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 29, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 8, “Impatience.""Excessive boldness is recklessness, and recklessness wrecks a church.""Spunk is good, but the servant of the Lord must be something more than fighting-cock or bulldog.""No other single sin works such havoc in...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 7–"Cowardice”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 28, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 7, “Cowardice.""It is easier to call a man a coward than to prove him one.""A man may be a coward without knowing it.""Surely no minister can be other than a coward unless strength be given him from above. All things conspire...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 6–"The Foremost of the Demons”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 6, “The Foremost of the Demons.""It is not true, as some men think, that all clergymen are lazy, but it is true that they like other men are tempted, and alas, too many of them succumb."’Not infrequently a man will fuss and bustle over m...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 5–"Starts Good and Bad”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 5,"Starts Good and Bad.""A bad start in a pastorate is disastrous. The blunders of the first few weeks may throw a shadow over many years.""When the minister goes into his new parish he ought to give himself at once to his supreme task, f...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 4–"Which Door?”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 25, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 4, “Which Door?""It is well for a man not to be too heavily weighted with theories at the beginning of his career.""A man ought to preach not where he wants to preach but where he can preach.""But suppose a field is hard, sha...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 3–"The Man from Macedonia”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 24, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 3, “The Man of Macedonia.""A student on emerging from the Seminary sometimes experiences a chilling surprise. The world does not seem glad that another laborer is now ready to enter the vineyard.""What shall the young man do? He cannot d...
Quiet Hints, Chapter 2–"A Mirror for Ministers”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 23, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 2, “A Mirror for Ministers.""Probably no other man in the town is subjected to such a constant stream of criticism as the minister, and possibly no other man profits so little by criticism as he.""Those who make the fiercest onslaughts o...
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Quiet Hints, Chapter 1–"Wherefore All This”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 22, 2010
Notes taken from Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers by Charles E. Jefferson, Chapter 1, “Wherefore All This.""Ministers as a body are I think the best men living on the earth.""But ministers to be as good as other classes of men must be better than they. No other set of men make such assumptions or bind themselves to suc...
Quiet Hints to Growing Preachers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 21, 2010
In 1898 Charles Edward Jefferson became the pastor of the Broadway Tabernacle in Brooklyn, New York. He stayed as pastor for 33 years of fruitful growth and expanding ministry. He had the “longest run on Broadway” of any of the church’s pastors. During his time thousands of people packed the sanctuary every Sunday to hear him prea…
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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Have You Prayed for Your Pastor Today?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 17, 2009
A friend sent me this over the weekend and I thought I would pass it along. It’s not the whole story about being a pastor, but it’s definitely part of the story. Here’s another reason to pray for your pastor:This soul-weariness shines through a few lines of sarcasm one minister wrote in his journal: “If I wanted to drive a m…
Maine!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 11, 2009
I’m writing this note–hurriedly–from the Cincinnati airport. So far I have completed two legs of a five-leg journey that started at 4 AM in Tupelo and will end in Danforth, Maine this evening. By then I’ll be at Living Waters Bible Conference, a lovely spot on the eastern edge of Maine, just across the lake from New Brunswic...
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...
I’m Glad Rick Warren Said Yes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 20, 2008
All in all, I’m glad Barack Obama invited Rick Warren to lead the opening prayer at next month’s presidential inauguration. I say that even though I share some of the reservations raised by other evangelicals. But weighing everything, I’m glad that the president-elect asked him, and I’m glad Rick Warren said yes. Here’...
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...
Next Stop: Florida
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 17, 2008
We are now halfway through our final big trip of the year. When we left on Thursday, we had four major events in front of us:KBM Open House — SaturdayChinese Bible Church of Oak Park— SundayWord of Life Bible Institute — Monday-FridayVisiting friends in Columbus, OH — Saturday-MondayIn terms of days we’re not yet at th...
Keep Believing Northern Ireland
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 31, 2008
Yesterday we received a note from a pastor in Northern Ireland. Here’s what he said:Greetings my dear brother from Belfast Northern Ireland. May I please thank you for your Bible sermons and studies. They have been a real blessing to me as a Pastor, who also needs feeding. Would you please give my greetings to your people and please...
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Two Things Pastors Should Learn From Barack Obama
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 1, 2008
Yesterday Barack Obama bowed to inevitable reality and resigned his membership at Trinity United Church in Chicago. He did what he had to do given a) his desire to be president, and b) all the publicity swirling around the controversial statements of his former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, and last Sunday’s guest prea ...
Climbing Kilimanjaro
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 31, 2008
That awesome mountain in the photograph is Kilimanjaro, tallest peak on the African continent. I have a particular interest in this mountain because one of my sons, two of my brothers, and a sister-in-law and two nieces will soon be climbing it. As I write these words all of them are en route to the great mountain.It all s ...
First Tell Them What You Are For
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 19, 2008
Before the week just past fades away, I want to make a comment on last Tuesday’s runoff special election in the Mississippi 1st Congressional District, won by a Democrat named Travis Childers. This is big news. I know it because the national commentators have been talking about it all week long. Let me put it this way ...
Earthquake Damage in China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 18, 2008
The New York Times has published this interactive map showing the earthquake damage in China. Click on the camera icons to see photos from the region. The death toll now stands at over 32,000, with the final numbers expected to be much higher. A friend in China told us that for the first time, the government is concerned ab ...
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Looking for a Pastor to Start a New Church?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 1, 2008
William Willimon offers some thoughts on the qualities a pastor needs who wants to start a new church. It’s not what I expected, but I agree 100%.
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Kosher for Passover Caffeine Free Pepsi
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Steve Tanner reviews Kosher for Passover Caffeine Free Pepsi and it’s not an April Fool’s joke. I don’t think they sell this in Tupelo.
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Could a Pastor Suffer from Depression?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Could a pastor suffer from depression? The answer is yes. It happened to Tommy Nelson, pastor of Denton (TX) Bible Church. In a chapel service at Dallas Seminary, he tells his story. You can listen to the audio or watch the video of his gripping presentation.
Are You An Open Nester?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Are you an open nester? If so, that’s a good thing.
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Oklahoma!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 3, 2008
This morning I’m on my way to my first-ever speaking engagement in Oklahoma. About a year ago I received an email from Randy Wilson, pastor of Bethany Free Will Baptist Church in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma (a suburb of Tulsa) asking if I would speak at the Oklahoma Free Will Baptist Pastors Conference. He became acquainte ...
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The Ten Books Club
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 2, 2008
I was thinking recently about some goals for my life, and one of them was that I wanted to do some intentional reading in 2008. I read a lot, all the time really, but not very much of it is what you might call intentional or planned or with a purpose. I’ve always been a “jump reader,” meaning that I jump from one book ...
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 ...
Three Good China Books—And One More
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 27, 2008
For those wishing to know more about the church in China, these three books are a good place to begin.Jesus in Beijing by David Aikman Before writing this book David Aikman served as the Beijing bureau chief for Time magazine. If you want the most up-to-date treatment of the Christian movement in China, start with this book ...
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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 ...
Two Radio Interviews
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 19, 2007
This afternoon I taped a radio interview regarding the spiritual warfare aspects of the shootings at Virginia Tech. You can hear the interview on WINA (Charlotteville, VA) this Saturday between 6-9 AM EDT on the morning program with Jay James.Tomorrow morning I am doing a live interview on the same topic on WFLA (Orlando, F ...
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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 ...
Korean Version of “The Incredible Journey of Faith”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 11, 2007
The Korean version of The Incredible Journey of Faith has just been released.
Letter From a Friend
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 6, 2007
We have just posted a sermon called Letter From a Friend. It begins like this:"I need to ask your forgiveness."Thus began a letter from a friend. The letter went on to describe a situation that was very understandable to me. During a phone call with someone else, my friend made a comment that he now regretted. And so he now ...
Do Pastors Exaggerate Attendance Figures?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 12, 2007
A recent survey on One News Now asks, “Do Evangelical Pastors exaggerate attendance and conversion numbers?” According to 63% of those who responded to the online survey, the answer is yes, pastors do sometimes exaggerate attendance figures. The non-scientific survey was occasioned by an article called Body-Count Evangelism ...
Da Colts! Da Colts!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 10, 2007
So we arrive back home late last night, dead tired from a week of ministry at Word of Life Florida. Besides speaking 11 times, I had lunch and supper meetings, meetings between the services, people to talk to, books to sign, people who wanted me to pray with them, and so on. It was a good week, always is when I go to a conf ...
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Who is the Most Influential Pastor in America?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 3, 2006
I have been pondering this question ever since my meeting with four pastors in Birmingham last Sunday night. Although this topic didn’t come up specifically, something was said that made me start wondering who is the most influential pastor in America. It’s a fun exercise if you are into that sort of thing (and ...
Just Do It
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 3, 2006
“Nothing would be done at all if a man waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault with it.” Cardinal John Henry Newman
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Where Have All the Pastors Gone?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 3, 2006
The email began very simply: “I am so discouraged.” The day before her pastor had resigned. Twelve years ago she had been brought back to the Lord by a pastor who seemed to be a godly man. Later he left his wife to enter the homosexual lifestyle. Then came a good pastor who was falsely accused of financial wrongdoing. Thoug ...
Welcome WCRF Listeners
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 3, 2006
This morning WCRF in Cleveland broadcast an interview I did on the subject of repentance. Here’s a link to the message we discussed:Repent! The Forgotten Doctrine of Salvation
Pastors and the Struggle of Prayer
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Phil Miglioratti has just posted an interview I did with him on Pastors and the Struggle of Prayer. Here is the heart of the interview:All of us as pastors struggle with prayer. And that struggle itself is not sinful. It is a reminder that we are made of flesh and that something in us will fight against prayer because praye ...
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China Clippings
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Anthony Bollback has posted the October issue of China Clippings. This month’s edition focuses on the spread of the gospel along the ancient Silk Road, part of the movement to take the gospel from China into the Muslim countries to the west and ultimately back to Jerusalem, where it all began 2000 years ago.
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Pastoral Plagiarism
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 29, 2006
Steve Sjogren has written a forthright defense of what might be called pastoral plagiarism. He says that the best communicators in our generation get 70% of their sermon material from other preachers. He also says that it is crazy to suggest that pastors should spend 25-30 hours on their Sunday sermon. The best communicator ...
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100 Things Learned the Hard Way
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 25, 2006
Jim Jackson has written 100 Things I’ve Learned the Hard Way as a Senior Pastor That I’ve Never Read in a Book. Pastors who read this list will nod in agreement. Church members will understand their pastor better. The following items caught my attention4. Choose your battles carefully; ask yourself, “Is th ...
Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 25, 2006
We have just posted the latest sermon in the series “Understanding God’s Plan (Romans 9-11)":Sinners in the Hands of a Merciful God
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Dog Quotes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 10, 2006
10:44 AM Judy Bowles sent along a link to Steve Staint’s website promoting “micro-enterprises” for indigenous people groups that have been reached by the gospel become economically independent. This site also provides links for people who want to know what God has done in the Waodani tribe since the five missionaries ...
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Monday, May 17, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 17, 2004
10:23 PM Tonight's OPCA Spring Concert featured the students in their finest musical presentation ever. Nancy Kamm brought out the music that was in the heart and soul of those children. At the end Terri Benno, chair of the OPCA board, presented Marlene with two scrapbooks of letters and pictures from present and former stu...
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Thursday, April 1, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 1, 2004
10:38 PM Kim Jahns sent an e-mail from missionaries in the Middle East with further insight into the impact of "The Passion of the Christ" in Muslim countries. In just a few short days, more Arab Muslims have been able to clearly hear (and see) the Gospel in their own language than we would be able to reach in a lifetim...
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Saturday, March 13, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 13, 2004
9:23 AM Here's a brand-new sermon called Show Me Your Glory, based on the words of Moses in Exodus 33:18. I preached this sermon last Monday at Word of Life Florida. 9:16 AM When I arrived at the church a few minutes after seven this morning, I saw some sleepy teenagers in the parking lot. Turns out they were the last ones ...
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Monday, December 29, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 29, 2003
11:20 PM Among the visitors Sunday morning, I met Jim and Sue Nicodem and their children Emily, Rachel and Andrew. Jim is the pastor of Christ Community Church in St. Charles, one of the most dynamic churches in the Midwest. Jim told me that he and Pastor Bob Boerman go back a long way together. 11:15 PM Quick Renovation Up...
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