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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 Sermons
Sinner, Listen to This
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 20
Last night I happened to find a digital copy of an old book called The Gospel of Forgiveness, published in 1878 by Scottish theologian Robert Candlish. It is essentially a 19th-century “gospel book,” written to convince sinners to come to Christ. Within its cover the reader finds a great deal of warmhearted gospel appeal. One get the se...
Sermon List Tops 10,000
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 13
One week ago the sermon email list went over the 10,000 mark for the first time. That’s a significant milestone that was 14 years in the making. I started sending out sermons by email in 1998 shortly after we returned from a trip to India. I started with about 20 names on my list, a handful of friends who wanted to read the sermon they heard ...
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…
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 ...
25 Sermons for Thanksgiving
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, November 5, 2011
Thanksgiving is a profoundly Christian holiday in that it focuses us on the God as the true source of all our blessings. As the hymnwriter said, “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small, all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.” Here are 21 sermons appropriate for Thanksgiving. You are welco...
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Day 3: Young Nak Presbyterian Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 23, 2011
Here’s the video from Day 3 of our Korea-China trip featuring our visit to the Jeju Young Nak Presbyterian Church....
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Three Days at Mt. Sinai
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 23, 2011
A few years ago–about eight years ago, I suppose–I received an email out of the blue from a man named H. B. Charles, Jr. who wrote to ask me a question about something I had written about preaching. I didn’t know him or the church he pastored, Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. Through an email correspondence we b...
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J. C. Ryle’s “Expository Thoughts” Now Available in Ebook Format
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, September 20, 2011
For many years I’ve turned to J. C. Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels when I wanted to study a text from the gospels. Ryle, an evangelical Anglican who served in the late 1800s in Great Britain, had an uncanny ability to get to the heart of each passage. More than that, he knew how to find the “preachable truths&...
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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My Sermon on the Sunday After 9/11
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 11, 2011
In the last 24 hours I have an opportunity to revist the sermon I preached on the Sunday after 9/11. At that point America was still struggling with the enormity of what happened just five days earlier. In that sermon, called Living by Faith in an Uncertain World, I wrapped up by giving Five Lessons to Ponder.I share them here because ten years lat...
iPad Preacher
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 15, 2011
Sometimes you’ve got to change with the times.For the last two days I’ve been trying to figure out how to put my sermon notes on my iPad. I was greatly prodded in this direction by my friend Greg Kuehn, pastor of Sierra Bible Church, who told me how much I would like it. He uses an app called DocsToGo that let’s him import his not...
Looking for Sermon Tapes from Northeast Bible Church, ca. 1983-1988
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 5, 2011
We’re looking for sermon tapes from Northeast Bible Church, Garland, Texas, from 1983-1988. Those were the years I served as pastor of that congregation.Back then cassette tapes were pretty exciting because no one had heard of the Internet, the iPhone, podcasting, YouTube, and all the other technological marvels that we take for granted. ...
50 Good Friday/Easter Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 23, 2011
We have put together an online collection of 50 Good Friday/Easter sermons. Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you, including sermon preparation or in Bible studies, or simply for your own blessing as we prepare our hearts for Holy Week....
Great Sermons are a Bother
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 6, 2011
In one of his books Warren Wiersbe quotes a famous preacher who said, “Great sermons are a bother.” He meant something like this. In the ministry we’re tempted to try and solve our problems by preaching one “great” sermon. Of course no one knows exactly what a “great” sermon is. I suppose in this context it...
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....
40 New Year’s Day Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 26, 2010
Since January 2 is the first Sunday of 2011, we have put together a webpage with 40 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 devotional read...
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New sermon video - “On the Victory Side”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 30, 2010
This sermon ranges from Tiger Woods to Brit Hume to Bill O’Reilly and from the Philadelphia Phillies to the Chicago Blackhawks.
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Reformation Sunday Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 25, 2010
October 31 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 this Sunday. Here are a ...
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Sermon video: “Did I Make a Mistake?”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 13, 2010
There are going to be many opportunities for us to look back and regret or second-guess decisions that we have made. If we are not careful, this can lead to a kind of paralysis and hinder our ability to make good, positive decisions in the present and future....
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Preaching at Youngnak Presbyterian Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 10, 2010
On Sunday morning we worshiped with the English-speaking congregation at Youngnak Presbyterian Church in Jeju City. This growing congregation is one of hundreds of churches planted by the mother church in Seoul. It currently attracts around 1600 worshipers every Sunday, making it the largest church on Jeju Island. Until recently the church did not ...
Sermon Video: “Our Coming to You Was Not in Vain”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 26, 2010
Over the weekend we remembered that it has been five years since our final service at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL. At the end of all the goodbyes, we knew the Lord was moving us in a new direction. Little did we know that our family was about to expand and that we would eventually become grandparents. We didn’t know about the door...
New Sermon Video – “Do not Grieve the Spirit”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 8, 2010
The following sermon is 5 years old and is one of the last sermons I preached at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL, where I served as pastor for 16 years.The sermon is based on Ephesians 4:29-32, which begins this way:"Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to ...
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“John Mark” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 21, 2010
Notes from Chapter 15 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “John Mark” based on 2 Timothy 4:11, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.""Let fools scoff at enthusiasm and sneer at zeal. I only lament that there is so little of either."&l...
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New sermon video – “Are We All Hindus Now?”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 20, 2010
Though the vast majority of Americans identify with the Christian faith, we are becoming more like the Hindus who believe there are many paths to God.
“The Incomplete Biography” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 20, 2010
Notes from Chapter 14 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “The Incomplete Biography” based on John 21:25, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”...
“The Man With the Measuring Line” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 19, 2010
Notes from Chapter 13 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “The Man With the Measuring Line” based on Zechariah 2:1, “Then I looked up—and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand!”“If I had to characterize this age in a sentence, I should characterize it…
“The Divine Judgment” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Notes from Chapter 12 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “The Divine Judgment” based on Acts 1:25, “Which Judas left to go where he belongs.”“Scripture satisfies itself with this simple, solemn sentence: He fell, that he might go to his own place.’”“The worst …
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“The Elims of Life” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Notes from Chapter 11 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “The Elims of Life” based on Exodus 15:27, “Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water."God “has his Elims ready for tired and discouraged hearts. W...
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“Lengthening and Strengthening” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 16, 2010
Notes from Chapter 10 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “Lengthening and Strengthening” based on Isaiah 54:2, “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes.”“I can see no sign of decay about the …
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“Walking Without Fainting” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 15, 2010
Notes from Chapter 9 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains a sermon called “Walking Without Fainting” based on Isaiah 40:31, “Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”...
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“Hindrances” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 13, 2010
Notes from Chapter 7 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. Chapter 7 contains the sermon “Hindrances” based on Galatians 5:7, “You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”“The difference between an excuse and a hindrance is the difference between a feigned and a real obsta…
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“Temptation” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 12, 2010
Notes on Chapter 6 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains a sermon called “Temptation” based on 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a...
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“Sin and Grace” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Notes from Chapter 5 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “Sin and Grace” based on Romans 5:20, “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more.""The text suggests a battlefield; it tells of a conflict that has been proceeding since time began, which is proceeding now, which i...
“The Death of Christ” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Notes taken from Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. Chapter 4 contains a sermon called “The Death of Christ” that examines Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 15:3 that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures."The Cross was never meant to be a puzzle, a baffling, hopeless mystery.""And in so far ...
“The Son of Man” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 9, 2010
Notes taken from Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. Chapter 3 contains the sermon called “The Son of Man” based on Jesus’ question in Matthew 16:13, “Who do men say the Son of Man is?” Dr. Jones explains what it means to call Jesus the “Son of man.” “We are perhaps more familiar with difficulties...
“The Unaccountable Man” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 8, 2010
Notes taken from Chapter 2 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. This chapter contains the sermon “The Unaccountable Man” The chapter title refers to that moment in Christ’s ministry when he returned to his hometown and the people began to wonder, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” ...
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“Paul’s Certainties” by J. D. Jones
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 7, 2010
Notes taken from Chapter 1 of Paul’s Certainties by J. D. Jones. The book takes its name from this sermon. I think I could summarize the message this way: “There many things we don’t know and some things we do know. The things we do know are so certain that they give us strength to bear those things we do know.” “The &r...
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…
New Video Page Goes Live
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 4, 2010
After months of work our new video page has just gone live. At the same time our homepage has been redesigned to emphasize our new video content. If you check out the video page, you’ll see that we have video of sermons, interviews, answers to questions on our FAQs page, a video called “The Heartbeat of Keep Believing Ministries,”...
“Arise, to Nineveh We Go . . .”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, July 31, 2010
This week at Word of Life I preached through the book of Jonah using the theme “Outrageous Grace.” God seems to have used the messages to touch many hearts. Just this morning as I was walking back from breakfast, a woman stopped me and said that the messages had given her a lot to think about. “I never realized how much I’m ...
Hope’s Journey
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 24, 2010
On our flight from Amsterdam to Atlanta I listened to the audio of a sermon called “Hopes’ Journey” that Bryan Chapell gave at Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. I think it’s one of the finest sermons I’ve ever heard. Chapell makes a compelling case that it’s not enough to teach people doctrine an…
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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Samson Podcasts Start This Week
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 23, 2010
This week we are starting a five-part podcast series called “Samson: A Man for the 21st-Century.” In January and February of 1990 I preached these messages at Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, Illinois.Probably no sermon series from my early years in Oak Park made such an impact. For years afterward people would say, “I re...
23 New Year’s Day Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 28, 2009
Here are 23 sermons appropriate for the beginning of a new year. Some of them speak to faith, some to courage, some to the need for trust in God’s promises, some to contentment, and some to overcoming fear. Please feel free to use this material in any way that might be useful as you prepare sermons and Bible studies. When You Need to Know, Y...
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Preachers I Listen to on my iPod
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 15, 2009
A friend asked me to recommend a few preachers he should listen to for his own benefit. It’s fascinating to think about how technology has changed the answer to that question. Thirty years ago it meant, “Where can I get cassette tapes of messages by Pastor so-and-so?” Fifty years ago it meant, “What conference should I atten...
21 Thanksgiving Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 9, 2009
Here are twenty-one 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 Ingra...
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Growing Up Too Fast?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 8, 2009
This morning I’m speaking on “As for Me and My House: Winning the Battle for Your Family” at Faith Bible Church in Vineland, New Jersey based on Joshua’s stirring words in Joshua 24:14-15. In order to show the challenge we face in raising our children to serve the Lord, I compiled a list of things that have changed over the ...
Five Sunday Night Questions Preachers Should Ask
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 30, 2009
As any preacher will tell you, some of the most agonizing moments of the week come after the sermon is over, after the service has concluded, after the sanctuary is empty, after the people have gone home, and after the Sunday afternoon nap. Preachers are people too, and they naturally wonder, “How did I do today?” Besides being evaluate...
How to Preach on Predestination
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 20, 2009
Few doctrines stir up as much controversy as the doctrine of predestination. It’s easy to spend time in the pulpit arguing instead of encouraging the flock of God. Last Sunday Phil Newton preached a fine sermon on Romans 8:28-30 called God, The Christian, and His Purpose, Pt. 2. I commend it to you as a fine example of how to deal with a diff...
Will We Die for Our Religion or for Our Devotion?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 10, 2009
You’ve probably never heard of David Platt. I hadn’t either until our son Nick told me about this amazing pastor at this amazing church attends in Birmingham called the Church at Brook Hills. After listening to several podcast sermons, I got a good idea why Nick likes the church so much. And now Christianity Today Online has published a...
We Believe in the Power of Preaching
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Here is the second thing you need to know about KBM . . . 2. We Believe in the Power of Preaching. People who come to our website often talk about how much we have to offer. And we do have a lot to offer. But the heart of this website, indeed the heart of our online ministry, rests in the 850+ sermons we make available free for downloading. How...
Speaking Tonight in Tupelo
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 15, 2009
I’m speaking tonight at 6:30 PM at the Awaken Service at Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo. If you are in the area, I hope you will join us.…
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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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“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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The Big “If”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Last Sunday Todd Wilson, senior pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park, IL, preached a powerful message on persevering in your faith from Colossians 1:21-23. He began with an illustration about how hard it is to climb Mt. Everest and then applied it to the Christian life. He challenged his hearers to take seriously the big “if” i...
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Life on the Edge—New Podcast
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 8, 2009
We have just uploaded a new podcast called Life on the Edge. In it I argue that being saved doesn’t mean being safe in the world. Being truly saved means being so safe in God that you are willing to risk everything for the sake of the Kingdom. The message, which was originally given to college students, challenges all of us to stop playing it...
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AOL Still Blocking Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Over the holidays I had several AOL subscribers ask if I had stopped the weekly sermons. The answer is no, I haven’t stopped, but AOL has been blocking them since the middle of November. That means that over 600 people (out of 5200 on the subscriber list) aren’t getting the sermons at all. We have tried several things to get the sermons…
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New Year’s Day Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 29, 2008
We have already posted a section with thirteen sermons appropriate for the Sunday before or after New Year’s Day. They would also work for a New Year’s Eve Service. As always, you are welcome to use this material in any way you see fit. Take it, use it, add to it, amend it, improve it, make it your own, and then use it in sermons, Bible...
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...
Exodus Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 8, 2008
Today I gave an introduction to the book of Exodus to a group of a Baptist pastors in Birmingham. As a followup to that meeting, here are links to various messages on the Keep Believing website related to the book of Exodus. Plus I have added a link to a sermon series on the Ten Commandments.I had a wonderful time with the pastors. It’s fun b...
Sixteen More Christmas Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 6, 2008
Here are four Christmas sermon series. Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you, including sermon preparation or in Bible studies, or 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 Chris...
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Twenty-Six Christmas Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 5, 2008
Here are twenty-six Christmas sermons you are welcome to use in any way that might be helpful to you as you prepare your heart for the celebration of our Lord’s birth.
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New English-Chinese Podcast
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 25, 2008
We have just posted our first podcast in two languages. Several weeks ago I spoke for the 100th Anniversary service of the Chinese Bible Church of Oak Park, IL. Just before I spoke, I was introduced by Pastor Timothy Fung, the pastor emeritus and a longtime personal friend. Pastor Fung serves on the Board of Reference for Keep Believing Ministries....
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...
The Pulpit Leads the World
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 7, 2008
For the last several weeks I’ve been reading Preach the Word, a collection of essays on expository preaching in honor of Kent Hughes who served for many served as the senior pastor of College Church in Wheaton. Leland Ryken and Todd Wilson served as editors of this very fine set of essays. It’s the best book on preaching I’ve read...
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What Does It Mean to be Filled with the Holy Spirit?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 26, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called What Does It Mean to be Filled with the Spirit?Last week I sent this sermon out via email to over 5000 people. Since then, I’ve revised the sermon a bit and added two new sections—one on the role emotions should play in the filling of the Holy Spirit and one on the fact that “Be fille...
A Note From Pastor Peter in China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 14, 2008
I have written before about my friend Peter who pastors a house church in China. In the last few months, we have been working with Peter to establish “Keep Believing China” to provide Chinese-language translations of sermons on the Keep Believing website. So far Peter has translated over 100 of my sermons in Chinese. He keeps the Bible ...
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New Podcast—Asymmetric Spiritual Warfare
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, September 11, 2008
Earlier today we posted a brand-new podcast called Asymmetric Spiritual Warfare. It seems appropriate that this podcast should come on 9/11 because the treacherous attack that occurred seven years ago is the classic modern example of asymmetric warfare. Although the War on Terror didn’t start that day, our understanding of it changed forever ...
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Two Sermon Fragments
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 10, 2008
This afternoon I started working on a sermon on Hebrews 11:13-16. I’ve been behind this summer in sending the sermons out each week, mostly because of my travel schedule, and today I thought I could catch up a bit. After I wrote the first draft of the sermon, I decided it was too long. In fact, it doesn’t even contain an illustrati…
The 500-Year Flood and the Kingdom of Christ
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 18, 2008
It’s always a challenge to rightly relate natural disasters like the current flooding in Iowa, Missouri and Illinois to the larger themes of the Bible. Last Sunday Eric Schumacher, pastor of Northbrook Baptist Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, gave a fine sermon called The 500-Year Flood and the Kingdom of Christ. I commend it…
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Come Before Winter
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 27, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called Come Before Winter. Here’s an excerpt:Procrastination destroys many good intentions. More marriages die because of slow neglect than from deliberate desertion. Things essential and basic are neglected every day. We mean to say a word of encouragement, but we never get around to ...
KBM and the China Earthquake
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 26, 2008
Two weeks ago a devastating earthquake struck the Sichuan province in China. At first the death toll was estimated to be 32,000. As of this writing, the number has climbed to 65,000. The final figure will be far larger. Over 300,000 were injured. Tens of thousands are missing with over 5 million left homeless. Yesterday a s ...
“When You Need to Know, You’ll Know” Podcast
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 22, 2008
We have just posted a new podcast called When You Need to Know, You’ll Know. You can download the file, listen to it online, or listen to it via iTunes. Based on Proverbs 3:5-6, this message explains five key words that will help you discover God’s will for your life.You can read the text version of the message ...
Heading North
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 22, 2008
I am writing this note at 5:44 AM on Wednesday morning. I’m up early because in a few hours we will be on the road again. We plan to spend tonight in Chicago and then travel tomorrow to Camp Forest Springs in Westboro, Wisconsin. That’s north of Madison, north of Stevens Point, and north of Green Bay. I’m ...
Five Messages on Forgiveness
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
A special greeting to all our Back to the Bible friends. And welcome to the Keep Believing website. Thank you for listening to the broadcasts this week, and thanks even more for visiting our website. Several years ago I preached a five-part series called Total Forgiveness. Here are the links to those messages. They will fle ...
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Chinese Translation of “The Healing Power of Forgiveness”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
The Chinese translation of The Healing Power of Forgiveness has just been released. You can order copies fromElim Christian BookstoreB1F, No. 210, Sec. 4Chung-Hsiao E. Rd.Taipei 106Taiwan R.O.C.
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Be Still and Know
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 20, 2008
We have posted a new sermon called Be Still and Know. The sermon came in response to a question from a friend in China who wondered why God sent the terrible earthquake that took so many lives in the Sichuan province last week. As I considered his question, my mind was drawn to Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God. ...
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WMBI Interview with Nancy Turner on Tuesday Morning
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 19, 2008
On Tuesday morning I am doing a radio interview with Nancy Turner on WMBI-FM in Chicago from 10-11 AM CDT. We’ll be talking about my new book Fire and Rain: The Wild-Hearted Faith of Elijah. We’re going to focus on what it means to be a risk-taker for God.
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Three New Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Here are three new sermons we have posted on the website in the last few days:Why God Chooses Splendid Sinners and Lovable LosersStrength for the JourneyWhat You Seek, You Find
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Tuesday Morning Scattershooting
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Various, mostly unrelated notes from hither and yon . . .William McGurn has some nice words about Wheaton College in the Wall Street Journal.Speaking of Wheaton, Eric Rubio had a great freshman year there.Several people have called or written to ask about Josh and Leah who teach English in Nanchang, China. After the devasta ...
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Rock Bottom Truth
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 22, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called Rock Bottom Truth. Here’s an excerpt:When we read a verse like Jeremiah 29:11, we ought to ask ourselves, “What difference does being a Christian make?” We suffer as others suffer. We get sick, we face trouble, and we go through the full range of human experiences. A ...
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KBM Worldwide Outreach
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 21, 2008
Derek Taylor, our gifted web designer, just sent around a report showing that since we launched the new Keep Believing website on March 8, we have had visitors from 162 countries. Here are the top 15 countries in terms of visitors:1. United States2. Canada3. United Kingdom4. Philippines5. Australia6. India7. Singapore8. Sou ...
Sermon Delivery and Anti-Spam Software
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 21, 2008
Speaking of the sermon emails, we are still having problems getting the sermon through to certain subscribers. As far as we can tell, the sermons are being blocked by Hotmail and MSN. That means over 500 people on the list aren’t getting the sermons at all. It has to do with the anti-spam software that the big ISPs us ...
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Tupelo, Not Oak Park
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 21, 2008
I sent out a new sermon last night and began my message by saying, “Greetings from Oak Park” and mentioned riding my bike yesterday. It was a brain freeze. We’re in Tupelo, not Oak Park. That’s what I get for writing the intro notes at midnight.
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 ...
Four for Dallas
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 15, 2008
When we arrived home last night from our trip to Chicago, Mark and Vanessa greeted us with the good news that Vanessa has been accepted as an incoming student at Dallas Theological Seminary. That means we will have four members of our family moving to Dallas this summer.It happened like this. Sometime last fall Mark began t ...
God Has a Bigger Plan
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 8, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called God Has a Bigger Plan. Here’s an excerpt:A few days ago I received word that Rusty Farabaugh died five years after being diagnosed with Stage 4 liver cancer. Shortly after his initial diagnosis he saw one of my books and was drawn to it because, as he wrote me later, “I wa ...
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Check Out the Keep Believing Links
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 7, 2008
Today we have added a Links section to the website. You will find it on the Blog page in the left-hand column. Scroll down past the Archives and the Categories. We organized the links this way:Bible Study ResourcesHere you will find websites that offer Bible commentaries and encyclopedias, Bible translations, and several mu ...
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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. ...
40 Years Ago
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 4, 2008
Forty years ago today Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis, TN. This morning’s Tupelo Daily Journal contains two articles relating to his legacy:Forty Years LaterOn Wednesday Dr. King’s niece, Alveda King, visited Tupelo. She has gained considerable attention for her work on behalf of the unborn. ...
Where Does Brian Bill Get His Illustrations?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 4, 2008
Brian Bill is one of my favorite preachers. I say that because a) I have know him for almost 20 years, b) I have seen his pastoral work up close and personal, and c) I read his sermons every week. Brian serves as pastor of Pontiac Bible Church, a growing congregation located about 80 miles south of Chicago. On his sermon pa ...
Intelligent Design: Has It Been Expelled?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 3, 2008
On Friday morning I’m taking part in the monthly Fire Away! program on American Family Radio. Our topic will be “Intelligent Design: Has It Been Expelled?” The title is a reference to the upcoming blockbuster movie called Expelled! featuring Ben Stein. The program airs live from 10-11 AM Central Time. Go to the Americ ...
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The 3 AM Sermon Question
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 3, 2008
Bryan Chapell offers the following scenario for preachers. It’s 3 AM Sunday morning and your wife rolls over, wakes you up, and asks, “Honey, what are you preaching on this morning?” If you can’t answer in one clear, crisp sentence, your sermon isn’t ready to preach.
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Friend Wheel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 2, 2008
This neat little drawing is called a Friend Wheel. It’s one of the applications you can add to your Facebook page. Vanessa told me about it over the weekend, and so of course I signed up for it. According to the data supplied with the drawing, it contains an amazing 375 “nodes” and 3054 links. Each of those “nodes” a ...
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How to be Happy in Babylon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 30, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon in the “Surivor Babylon” series called How to be Happy in Babylon. Here’s an excerpt:That was the seductive appeal of Hananiah (Jeremiah 28). He was like the popular “prosperity preachers” who make lavish promises of health and wealth if only you will “sow a seed of f ...
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How People Find Us
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 29, 2008
Earlier today Derek Taylor, our gifted web designer, sent a list of the keywords that people typed into a search engine that led them to the Keep Believing website. All of these searches happened in the last 48 hours. And many of them probably had never heard of this ministry. Here is the list:what about the the pigmy who n ...
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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 ...
Spreading the Word in Turkey
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Early this morning we received this note:Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ!!! I cannot thank you enough for the encouragement that I have found through reading your weekly sermons. I have even been able to print a few and pass them on to other English speakers in need of support/counsel/encouragement here in ...
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What If
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 25, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called What If. Here’s an excerpt:Sometimes I hear well-meaning Christians say something like, “Even if it’s not true, it’s still better to be a Christian. Think of all the things you gain by being a Christian. You have Jesus in your heart.” No, you don’t! ...
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Let’s Go to the Holy Land in 2009
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Some of you will remember that Marlene and I led a very successful tour to Israel in January 2007. We had so many people who said, “We want to go with you next time,” that we promised to lead another tour in two years. I am happy to report that plans are underway for a Holy Land tour in 2009. Yesterday Marlene spent an hour ...
Did Jesus Descend Into Hell?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, March 22, 2008
The Apostles’ Creed contains the phrase, “He descended into hell.” This is widely taken to be the answer to the question, “Where did Jesus go between his death and resurrection?” Christians have debated the phrase, the question, and what happened to Jesus after his death and before his resurrection. Here are two sermo ...
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 ...
Midnight Miracle
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 18, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called Midnight Miracle based on Luke 22:49-51. This is the story of Jesus healing the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest, in Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed and arrest. This is the final miracle of bodily cure performed by our Lord and the final miracle before he went to ...
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Eighteen Easter Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 17, 2008
Here are eighteen Easter sermons. You are welcome to use this material in any way that might be helpful to you as you prepare your heart for the celebration of our Lord’s resurrection from the dead.Where is Jesus When We Need Him? Going All In: “The Third Day He Rose From the Dead"Good News from the GraveyardEaster a ...
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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 ...
Galatians Remixed
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 10, 2008
Jeff Williams is in the process of writing a series of creative blogs called Galatians Remixed. It’s not a commentary in the usual sense. It’s a dramatic retelling of the story behind Galatians based on conversations between Paul and a young man named Scribus to whom Paul dictated the latter. Through the convers ...
Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part 1
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
We have posted a new sermon called Why You Need Your Enemies and Your Enemies Need You—Part 1. Here’s an excerpt:Nothing seems more natural than to hate those who have mistreated us. But here we learn a better way. After I had preached on this topic, a man came to me afterwards and said, “Everything the world says ab ...
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Why AOL Users Didn’t Receive This Week’s Sermon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 4, 2008
We are having more and more problems with people not receiving the weekly sermon emails. That’s a growing problem with everyone who uses email both on the sending and receiving end because of the proliferation of spam. Last year spam messages increased by 100%, which anyone can attest by checking your email for fraudu ...
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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Some Advice to the Discontented
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 20, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called Some Advice to the Discontented. Here’s an excerpt:You are where you are right now because God wants you there. You may be happy about your current circumstances or you may be miserable. Most likely you are somewhere in between. It doesn’t matter. You are where you are at ...
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Where is Nanchang?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 19, 2008
This map shows where Nanchang is located in relation to several to important Chinese cities—Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong—and also the island of Taiwan. A quick glance tells you that Nanchang is located in the southern part of the country. It was originally one of the so-called “furnace cities” where emperors would banish ...
iPod Paradise
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 17, 2008
I can’t tell you where we are at the moment except that we are in the air somewhere between Chicago and Shanghai. I can report that we’ve been in the air a long time, that we’ve had three meals, and that we have watched at least three movies and a bunch of TV shows. To be truthful, we haven’t exactly ...
Florida State Fair Photos
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, February 16, 2008
Located on the midway, the Live Prayer Gospel Tent covered5000 square feet and seated 300 people. This young man and his mother helped prepare the books for distribution. These four teens received copies of An Anchor for the Soul. A gospel group prepares for a concert inside the tent. Marlene Pritchard, Lee Fay, Scott an ...
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Trapped!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 11, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called Trapped! Here’s an excerpt:What do you do when you don’t like the circumstances of your life and it seems as if those circumstances aren’t going to change anytime soon? The answer is that God doesn’t look at your circumstances the same way you do. You don&rsquo ...
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Photos from the Florida State Fair
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 10, 2008
Tonight Marlene and I went with Scott and Doreen Mahlstedt to visit the Florida State Fair in Tampa. Incredible weather—mid-70s, blue sky, light breeze plus vast crowds of people, music, rides, lights, cotton candy, corn dogs, deep-fried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and funnel cakes. We had a blast. I’m going t ...
When God Prays for You
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 31, 2008
We have just posted an updated version of a sermon called When God Prays for You. Here’s an excerpt:A friend gave me a tape of a speech Gary Olson made in April 1998. Gary was a former elder of the church I pastored in Oak Park, and for many years was the head football coach at Oak Park-River Forest High School. He ma ...
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Friday Live Interview on American Family Radio
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tomorrow I’m being interviewed on American Family Radio from 10-11 AM (Central Time) as part of the monthly program “Fire Away!” Here’s the topic for the program: Does the Bible support capitalism or Communism?” Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association, sent me this further explanation:What I wo ...
Indio Messages
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 26, 2008
Here are the messages I preached at the Indio Mid-Winter Bible Conference this week:Have a Blast While You LastThe Hardest Doctrine to BelieveJoseph and the Providence of GodWhen God Prays for YouDon’t You Believe in Miracles?Praying For Your ProdigalWhen You Need to Know, You’ll KnowIf I Believe, Why Do I Doubt ...
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James Maxwell
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 25, 2008
Although he is only 22 years old, James Maxwell is the interim campus minister at Heidelburg College in Ohio. He attended Oak Park Christian Academy. Sounds like he has a very effective ministry with his fellow students.
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How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 22, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon called How to Be a Leader People Want to Follow. Here’s an excerpt:When someone asked General Norman Schwarzkopf the secret of his success, he replied very simply, “I never walk past a problem.” Another friend put it this way: “Just remember, when it comes to solving ...
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Warming Up in Indio
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 21, 2008
5:44 PM I am writing this note from my motel in Indio, California. My day really started last night when I finally sent the sermon out at about 1:45 AM. I slept for about three hours, got up at 5 AM, and made it to the Columbus airport in time to catch my 7:15 AM flight to Chicago where light snow was falling at O’Har ...
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Have a Blast While You Last
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 16, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon on the website called Have a Blast While You Last. Here’s an excerpt:It happens that I am writing these words at a missionary guesthouse in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It is instructive to consider the preceding paragraph this way. What if I had been born in a village in Bolivia? My life woul ...
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I Am a Sinner Too
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 15, 2008
We have just posted a new sermon on the website called I Am a Sinner Too. Here’s an excerpt:Those serving in the ministry face many temptations, among them pride, excessive self-importance, power mania, laziness, envy, immorality, insensitivity, cruelty, hard-heartedness, procrastination, bitterness, hypocrisy, foolis ...
Tom and Janine Throssel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 14, 2008
Just before we left the SAM guesthouse to go to the airport for our trip home, we recruited another missionary to take one final picture of us with Tom and Janine Throssel. We met them in the mid-90s when they attended the church in Oak Park during their student years at Moody Bible Institute. Tom and Janine helped out in t ...
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Fifteen Sermons for New Year’s Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 26, 2007
Here are fifteen sermons with themes appropriate for New Year’s Day. Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you either in your own personal study or as you prepare to teach and preach this Sunday.Do You Know What Time It Is?You Can Stumble But You Won’t FallPeace, Be Still!When You Need ...
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Immanuel and Islamabad
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 24, 2007
I just read an inspiring meditation on Isaiah 9:7 called Immanuel and Islamabad. If you are feeling discouraged this Christmas season, read this meditation and rejoice that the Babe of Bethlehem is the one true King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And of his kingdom there will be no end.
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A Sermon for “Poor Performers” and “Splendid Sinners”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 16, 2007
After writing yesterday’s entry, I decided to expand it into my weekly sermon, Good News for Poor Performers and Splendid Sinners. Here’s an excerpt:The very first thing the angel says is, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard” (v. 14). What prayer has been heard? No doubt he means the prayer ...
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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His Kingdom Will Never End
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 11, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called His Kingdom Will Never End. Here’s an excerpt:Meanwhile the battle rages on between the two kingdoms—King Jesus on one side and Satan on the other. In these last 20 centuries, the light has spread until it seems like there are a thousand points of light chasing away the darknes ...
Robert Shaw Conducts the Hallelujah Chorus
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 10, 2007
Here’s a video of Robert Shaw conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus in a stirring version of the Hallelujah Chorus:
Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned at Christmas
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 7, 2007
Here is a four-part sermon series called “Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned at Christmas.” It is based on the idea that every major Christian doctrine can be found in the story of our Lord’s birth. Please feel free to use this material in any way that might be helpful as you prepare to preach and teach this week ...
Songs of Christmas
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 7, 2007
Here is a four-part sermon series called “The Songs of Christmas.” Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you, including sermon preparation or in Bible studies, or simply for your own blessing as we prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord.The Cradle and the Cross: Simeon’s So ...
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Christ B.C.
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 7, 2007
This four-part series explores the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus Christ. Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you as we prepare for the celebration of our Lord’s birth.Born of a VirginA Prophet Like MosesLamb of GodSeed of the Woman
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Why Did the Wise Men Smell Like Smoke?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 7, 2007
Overheard in Sunday School last week . . ."Why did the Wise Men smell like smoke? Because the Bible says they came from afar."The class convulsed in laughter although I didn’t get it at first. It helps if you hear someone say it with a deep Southern accent.
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Twenty-Five Christmas Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Here are twenty-five Christmas sermons. You are welcome to use this material in any way that might be helpful to you as you prepare your heart for the celebration of our Lord’s birth. When Was Jesus Born? Overcoming LonelinessDoes Jesus Know My Name?Out of EgyptThe King Has Come!Dear Sarah: A Letter About Forgiveness ...
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Does Jesus Know My Name?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 5, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Does Jesus Know My Name? Here’s an excerpt:This is the ultimate answer to the answer to the question, “Does Jesus know my name?” In John 10:14 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me.” The last time I saw my father before he died, he was in the Inte ...
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Should She Work Full Time While Her Husband Builds the Church?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The email arrived from somewhere on the other side of the world. It came from a person I do not know and described a most unusual situation, asking for my advice. Here are the particulars. A few years ago, this couple felt called of God to start a new church to reach immigrants in a city in Asia. Both husband and wife worke ...
How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 22, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called How God Revealed the Ingratitude of My Own Heart. Here’s an excerpt:A few years ago if you had asked me, “Are you a grateful person?” I suppose I would have said that I am about as grateful as the next person. And from the standpoint of our text, that would be a true statement. ...
The Hotel McKee
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 21, 2007
On the night that I resigned as pastor of Calvary Memorial Church in Oak Park in September 2005, God spoke to Tim and Elsa McKee. I didn’t know it at the time, but in retrospect it is clear that God spoke to them as clearly as he ever spoke to anyone. I knew nothing about it because our hearts were filled with emotion ...
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Will We See Our Loved Ones Again?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 20, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website called Will We See Our Loved Ones Again? Here’s an excerpt:Many of us have had the sad experience of going to a funeral and paying our final respects to someone we knew and loved in this life. Perhaps you laid to rest a dear husband or a sweet wife. Or perhaps you had th ...
Afrikaans Edition of “The Healing Power of Forgiveness” Now Available
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Afrikaans edition of The Healing Power of Forgiveness has just been released. It is available fromChristian Art20 Smuts Ave.PO Box 1599Vereeniging 1930South Africa
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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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“Life is Wonderful”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 16, 2007
Several weeks ago I printed the text of a message called Curing the Itch Mites that Marlene and I shared at the Couples Conference at Word of Life. When Nancy Eckardt of Sheboygan, WI read it, she wrote me this testimony about her marriage of 58 years. I loved it because it is a touching tribute to a godly man who is now in ...
If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 8, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website called If I Believe, Why Do I Doubt? Here’s an excerpt:In times of trouble, keep going back to what you know to be true. When I hit my 50th birthday five years ago, I realized that I believe less now than I did 30 years ago. Back then I thought I had everything totally f ...
Trading Food for Books in Prison
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 7, 2007
A few months ago we opened the Anchor Book Depot in Chicago to give away copies of a simple gospel book called An Anchor for the Soul. This is a continuation of a ministry that started seven years ago. Since then we have given away over 350,000 copies, mostly to prisoners across America. Sometimes the prisoners find the boo ...
House of Prayer
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Brian Bill explains why every church should be a House of Prayer.
Sleeping in Airports
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 29, 2007
This morning one of the pastors at Grand Ledge told me about a website called Sleeping in Airports. The site rates various airports on how comfortable they are if you have an layover and have to take a nap. Readers rate various airports worldwide, offering comments and voting for the best and the worst. Readers have voted S ...
Sermons at Sierra Bible Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 17, 2007
In my last message at Reno, I promised the congregation that I would post the text of my five messages on knowing God’s will. Here they are:How Can I Discover God’s Will For My Life?Sense and Nonsense About God’s WillThe Hardest Prayer You Will Ever PrayDon’t You Believe in Miracles? When You Nee ...
If You’re Going to Die By Hanging, You’ll Never Drown
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Tonight after the final service at Sierra Bible Church in Reno, a woman came by the book table. While she was writing a check, she said, “If you’re going to die by hanging, you’ll never drown.” I looked up and said, “What was that?” She smiled and said that that was a favorite saying of her father. She hated whe ...
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All In For Jesus
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 15, 2007
On Saturday Marlene and I flew to Reno, Nevada to speak at the Fall Conference at Sierra Bible Church. This is the second year in a row that we have come to Reno for the conference. Last year when I preached on doubt, I used the illustration of poker players going “all in” in order to win the game. That’s what we have ...
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The Christian and the Pharisee
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 14, 2007
I think it is a bit of divine serendipity that I just discovered this interview between R.T. Kendall and Rabbi David Rosen. Kendall served for 25 years as pastor of Westminster Chapel in London, and Rosen is the former chief rabbi of Ireland. Rosen calls himself a Pharisee in the sense of being a righteous Jew who seeks to ...
Men As Trees Walking
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, October 7, 2007
We have justed a new sermon on the website: Men As Trees Walking. Here’s an excerpt:We don’t get better at the same rate or in the same way.This is a good word for all of us who are praying for our loved ones who are away from the Lord. How often have we done what these neighbors and friends did for this blind m ...
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Pastor’s Seminar in Los Angeles
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, October 6, 2007
This morning I met with these men at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles. After eating breakfast together, we spent 2 1/2 hours talking about preaching. In the photograph the man to my immediate right (in the striped shirt) is Pastor H. B. Charles, Jr. It was at his invitation that I came to Los Angeles this ...
Two Sermons on JesusChristOnly.com
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 4, 2007
Recently I came across a website based in Australia called JesusChristOnly.com. It is a remarkable because it is focused exclusively on one person—Jesus Christ. Everything on the website is meant to help the reader know who Jesus is and how to know him personally. I heard about it through one of the men running the site, P ...
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Preaching This Sunday in Los Angeles
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 4, 2007
This Sunday I’m preaching at Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, California where H. B. Charles, Jr. is the pastor. He is one of my favorite pastors in America and has been for several years. I say that even though we have never met in person. Back when I was pastoring in Oak Park, he somehow found me ...
Trouble in the Church!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, September 15, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Trouble in the Church! Here’s an excerpt:Churches sometimes have difficulty getting enough members together to make up a quorum for a business meeting. But there’s one easy way to get far more than a quorum: Announce a moral scandal, a doctrinal controversy or an impending ...
How to Leave a Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 14, 2007
This week I received an email from someone I do not know asking for some advice. Recently they left the church they had attended for more than eight years. It wasn’t anything doctrinal and it apparently didn’t have anything to do with worship styles or mode or baptism or a new building program. They left because ...
Let’s Bring Back the Holy Kiss
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 7, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Let’s Bring Back the Holy Kiss. Here’s an excerpt:There are still cultures where the holy kiss is practiced today. I’ll never forget my first trip to St. Petersburg, Russia with John and Helen Sergey. When the men of the Temple of the Gospel greeted John, one after a ...
KBM Board Retreat
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, September 6, 2007
This morning Marlene and I on the road again, driving to Chicago for the Keep Believing board retreat this weekend. Starting tomorrow night our board is meeting in McHenry (located on the Fox River northwest of Chicago, not far from the Wisconsin border). Here is part of an email I sent to the board a few days ago in prepar ...
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Why We Pray
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 30, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Why We Pray. Here’s an excerpt:In the last two years God has led us in a new direction. After almost 27 years as a pastor, I now lead Keep Believing Ministries. And after spending all our time in large cities (Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago), we now live in Tupelo, Mississippi. As ...
A New Eye Chart in Ecuador
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Last week a team from Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, Mississippi traveled to the mountains of Ecuador for a medical missions trip. They stayed at a hotel located at 7000 feet above sea level, and during they day they ran a free clinic for a village at 10,500 feet. Several area doctors and nurses went on the trip along ...
I’m Coming To Rome Someday, I Hope
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 25, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called I’m Coming to Rome Someday, I Hope. Here’s an excerpt:Although Paul clearly states his great desire to visit the church at Rome, he cannot say when he will make the journey because he isn’t sure himself. Paul lays out his general priorities, explains his immediate pl ...
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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 ...
Portrait of a Godly Pastor
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 19, 2007
We have just added a new sermon called Portrait of a Godly Pastor. Here’s an excerpt:Someone has said that repetition is the first law of teaching. Few of us master a truth the first time we hear it. We do better if we hear it a second time. Repetition in a sermon is like jogging in place. By rephrasing a point, it gi ...
Anchors Away!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 17, 2007
The Anchor Book Depot has been busy recently. Here are some of the places we have sent the books:1) Military Torch Ministry, Norfolk, Virginia. The books are sent to sailors serving on ships deployed around the world.2) Camp Nathanael, Emmalena, Kentucky. We provided copies for a group of women completing a drug rehab progr ...
Up With Worship!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 13, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Up With Worship! Here’s an excerpt:There is a tendency today to be very hypercritical about worship. We tend to evaluate everything. We come with a critical mentality. We come shopping for a church, looking for this or that. I remember when I was a first-year seminary student. I ...
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Beautiful Feet
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 13, 2007
This morning Josh and Leah leave for China where they will be team leaders for a group of English teachers serving with ELIC. Last Tuesday they started their training in the Los Angeles area. On Thursday they met their team. Last night all the China teachers and leaders were commissioned for service. From Los Angeles they f ...
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 ...
My Sermon Prep Idea
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 7, 2007
In my 27 years as a pastor, I am fairly sure that I never came up with any distinctively new approaches to sermonizing. However, somewhere along the way I developed one practice that, as often as I used it, always served me well. Before I describe it, I should say that it rests upon two assumptions.1) You don’t know a ...
So You’re Preaching This Sunday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 6, 2007
Let’s suppose you’re a pastor and you’re preaching this Sunday. That’s six days away. To the man or woman in the pew, that seems like a long time, but it’s not. Perhaps you’ve heard of the Preacher’s Calendar. It goes like this . . .MondayTuesdaySundayThat’s the way it feels t ...
In God’s Waiting Room
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, August 5, 2007
We have just posted a sermon called In God’s Waiting Room: Lessons From the “Down Times” of Life. Here’s an excerpt:Here’s an insight you may never have considered. When God puts us in a position of waiting on him, the answer almost always surprises us. Consider the situation in Acts 1. The Lord Jesus told ...
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Wedding Pictures
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 4, 2007
Mark and Vanessa—the day before the wedding Practicing in the Gazebo Marlene and Maria (Vanessa’s mother) being seated.Sarah (Vanessa’s sister) and Nick entering the gazeboPanoramic view of the wedding Mark and Vanessa at the receptionThese are not the official wedding pictures. Those won’t be available ...
Breaking Points
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, July 14, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Breaking Points. Here’s an excerpt:I have a friend who is going through a crisis regarding his newborn grandchildren who are having serious medical issues. He spoke of being on a roller coaster of emotions as the doctors first gave bad news, then good news, then news that is som ...
Gull Lake Goes Young
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 13, 2007
A big Friday morning shout out to Ambush, Hoedown, Pickle Me Alamo, Make-A-Wish, Cubinator, Jeremy, the Chief, Night Light, and the whole crew at Gull Lake for making this such an enjoyable week. This was my fourth time to speak there—twice as part of Moody week and twice as the main speaker. Besides being a stunningly bea ...
Unworthy
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
We have just posted a new version of an old sermon called Unworthy. I first preached this message 20+ years ago when I pastored in Garland, Texas. I preached it again in my early years in Oak Park, IL. I hadn’t thought about it in years until I had a conversation with a total stranger who stopped me more or less out o ...
Blogspotting
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 11, 2007
A handful of noteworthy articles and websites:Stumbling After JesusOver 100 Foreign Missionaries Expelled by Chinese Government Secret Campaign (Here is the AP version of the story plus an update from the CT Blog plus a response from ELIC)The Amazing Human HairChildren Get Holier Than ThouSermons by David WilkersonBible Stu ...
Hold Lightly What You Value Greatly
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 23, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website: Hold Lightly What You Value GreatlyHere’s an excerpt:The rich farmer did well in so many ways. He worked hard, he played by the rules, he spent his money wisely, he found good land, he worked it in the hot sun, he planted and he irrigated and when the harvest came in, h ...
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Happy Days
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, June 22, 2007
We are enjoying happy days in Tupelo because our entire family is together again for the first time since last July. Josh and Leah arrived on Tuesday, Mark flew in on Wednesday, I came home from Dallas yesterday morning and Nick drove over in the afternoon. Last night we ate pizza, looked at family pictures, laughed, told s ...
No Hopeless Cases
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 12, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website called No Hopeless Cases. Here’s an excerpt:Don’t judge God by the things you see around you. I received an email from a woman who has been witnessing to a Jewish friend for over 30 years. It’s not that her friend is hardened against the gospel. It seems to b ...
72 Hours of Service
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, June 11, 2007
This week the members of Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo, Mississippi are “taking it to the streets” in an effort to serve those who need their help in tangible ways. Basically the church is setting aside 72 hours this week—Thursday, Friday and Saturday—to serve the community in a wide variety of hands-on services. I ...
Lessons for Modern-Day Sowers of the Word
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 27, 2007
We’ve just posted a new sermon on the website: Lessons for Modern-Day Sowers of the Word. Here’s an excerpt:It’s easy for a pastor to be sidetracked into a thousand things that don’t really matter in the ministry. I meet pastors all the time who work hard, stay busy all week long, and have their hand ...
Graduation Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 26, 2007
Today was bright and beautiful in Birmingham. It seemed fitting for the day when our youngest son would graduate from college. We calculated that Josh entered college in the fall of 1998 and Nick graduated in the spring of 2007, making a full decade of having sons in college. And then we figured out that Josh entered Second ...
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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.” ...
On the Road to Birmingham
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, May 23, 2007
This morning we are packing for the start of another long trip. In a few hours we’re leaving for Birmingham for Nick’s graduation this Saturday from Samford University. We’re going early because I’m speaking tonight at 6:30 PM at CrossPoint Church in Trussville, a suburb on the NE side of Birmingham. ...
Interview Today with Janet Parshall
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, May 17, 2007
I am being interviewed today on Janet Parshall’s America from 3:15-4 PM (CT).
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God’s Multicultural Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 13, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called God’s Multicultural Church. Here’s an excerpt:We have some young friends in their early 20s who serve as pioneer missionaries to an unreached people group on the other side of the world. When I say “unreached,” I mean that in the literal sense. They are so far away from Am ...
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Notes at the End of the Week
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 12, 2007
Reflections on the last seven days . . .Last Sunday morning I preached for my friend Colin Smith at Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church in suburban Chicago. This was my third time to preach there on Sunday morning, and I commented that by the third time you no longer feel like a visitor but more like an extended membe ...
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Interview Marathon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 7, 2007
This is Day 5 of our seven-day trip to Chicago. We arrived last Thursday night and have been going pretty much nonstop since then. Friday was taken up with plans for the Skype shower for Mark and Vanessa, Saturday with putting together the Keep Believing mailing, Sunday with preaching at Arlington Heights Free Church and lu ...
Grumblers Anonymous
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 6, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Grumblers Anonymous. I preached this sermon at the Spring Bible Conference at New Brunswick Bible Institute, April 26-29, 2007. The conference ended with the graduation ceremonies. This message was part of my series on the parables of Jesus. Here’s an excerpt:I want to make a fe ...
Should Christian Leaders Receive Public Immunity?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 4, 2007
Last week I wrote an entry called Bill O’Reilly Doesn’t Quite Get It. My post drew quite a bit of comment and even stirred up a bit of debate about the existence of God. But the most fascinating response had nothing to do with what I wrote but with the fact that I wrote it at all. Someone sent an email objecting ...
Wednesday Shout-Out
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, May 2, 2007
It’s been a while since my last shout-out. So here we go. A big Wednesday morning shout-out to Barry and Linda Beebe and to Keith and Beth McMahon of New Brunswick Bible Institute. Thank you for making us feel so welcome. And a big shout out to Mickey Aldy, Mike Ferris, Ken Pickens, Mike and Matt Thorn, Mike Maynard, ...
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Video Tour of the Cosmos
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Ron Ethridge invites us to take a video tour through the cosmos to appreciate the greatness of God.
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Saint Evel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 27, 2007
Evel Knievel has become a Christian. That’s right. And when he gave his testimony on the “Hour of Power” broadcast, 400-500 people spontaneously came forward to be baptized. I first read about Evel Knievel’s conversion in this Christianity Today article. For those who are too young to remember his famous motor ...
Create in Me a Clean Heart
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 25, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Serious Call to Sexual Purity. Here’s an excerpt:Purity is worth it because the pure in heart see God. They know him deeply, personally, intimately. They have an inner peace that others do not have. They see God and know the comfort of his presence ...
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 ...
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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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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Chinese Translation of “The Incredible Journey of Faith”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 17, 2007
The Chinese version of The Incredible Journey of Faith has just been released. For other Chinese translations, click here and here.
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Exciting Days
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 12, 2007
These are exciting days at Keep Believing Ministries . . .* We recently completed the first phase of our Anchor for China project that will allow us to equip 50,000 Chinese pastors and house church leaders will copies of the Chinese version of An Anchor for the Soul.*We received permission to post the Chinese version of An ...
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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Where Is Jesus When We Need Him?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 7, 2007
We have just posted a new Easter sermon:Where Is Jesus When We Need Him?Here is an excerpt:We all live somewhere between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We are on the long Emmaus Road journey together. There are times when we feel alone and overwhelmed and doubts creep in and our heart gives way and we feel like we can&rsquo ...
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Looking for a Good Friday Message?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 6, 2007
Tonight many churches will have Good Friday services. If you are speaking at such a service and still don’t have your message nailed down, you might want to check out this brief message by Paul Barreca, pastor of Faith Bible Church in Vineland, NJ, whose son is deployed with the troops in Iraq. Each week he sends out ...
What the Future Church May Look Like
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 5, 2007
Keith Drury teaches at Indiana Wesleyan University. Lately he has been studying his students to get some hints on what the next generation of church leaders might look like. He offers 25 prominent characteristics of the coming wave in the church. Here are a few that caught my eye.1. From larger churches, yet value smaller o ...
Leah’s New Sermon CD Covers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 5, 2007
Check out the brand-new sermon CD covers Leah designed for the five CD sets we plan to offer. Click on the Stealth Attack cover and a slide show will come up on your screen. It will take you through the CD covers and the individual CD labels for all five sets. Leah did the designs and Josh helped post them on the Internet.O ...
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The Preacher and the Atheist
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Check out the Newsweek-sponsored discussion/debate between Rick Warren and Sam Harris. Rick is the pastor of one of America’s largest churches and author of the mega-bestseller, the Purpose-Driven Life. Sam is a noted author and an atheist who recently wrote a provocative column called God’s Dupes.Newsweek intro ...
Father, Forgive Them
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 30, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon called Father, Forgive Them. Here is an excerpt:In order to come to grips with the healing power of forgiveness, we need two things: soft hearts and courage. Some of us have been deeply hurt by the things others have done to us. People have attacked us, maligned us, mistreated us, abused us, ...
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Arise, My Soul, Arise
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 30, 2007
In 1742 Charles Wesley wrote a hymn called Arise, My Soul, Arise. Though greatly used by God in past generations, it is not often sung today, and I daresay that most under 30 have never heard it. For that matter, I can only remember singing it once or twice. I thought I would post the words to this powerful hymn to encourag ...
Would You Like a Free Copy of Stealth Attack?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 26, 2007
Would you like a free copy of my newest book, Stealth Attack: Protecting Yourself Against Satan’s Plan to Destroy Your Life?I would like to give you a free copy if you will help us get the word out. Before I explain how you can get a copy, let me tell you about the book.Stealth Attack contains clear teaching about spi ...
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 ...
Latest News from the KBM World Headquarters
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 20, 2007
This Sunday I’m speaking at Pontiac (IL) Bible Church in both morning services. This is a treat for me on several levels. When we moved to Oak Park in 1989, Brian Bill was one of the pastors on staff at Calvary Memorial Church. I knew immediately that he was a gifted leader. I can remember telling him early on that pa ...
A Note to Bellsouth Customers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 19, 2007
Several weeks ago I wrote about the problems that some people have receiving the weekly email sermons. In almost every case it happens because various companies use anti-spam filters that mistakenly regard the sermons as spam. Over the weekend we learned that Bellsouth has flagged the sermons as spam and has placed them in ...
Why We Don’t Have to Win Every Argument
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 19, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website:Why We Don’t Have to Win Every ArgumentHere’s an excerpt:When I lived in Dallas in the 80s, I became friends with Oliver Price, director of the Bible Prayer Fellowship. He wrote a document called Forgotten Secrets to a Live Prayer Meeting. The subtitle tells you wh ...
A Fragmentary Thought on Humor in the Pulpit
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 18, 2007
In general, a sense of humor in the pulpit is not a bad thing. Sometimes humor by itself helps to release tension. And a funny story often helps us see a truth in a new way. We’ve all heard sermons where the preacher made us laugh and then came the “zinger” that flew in under the radar, sort of “a spoonful of sugar ma ...
Mid-Afternoon Ramblings
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 14, 2007
It’s time to go for a bike ride. But first a few items on my desk . . . 1) Doug Bandow offers an up-to-date look on the struggle for religious liberty in China. Here is the money quote:Yet even as the PRC grows in international confidence, its Communist party remains paranoid, fearful of the very diversity encouraged ...
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When Christians Disagree
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 12, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website:When Christians DisagreeHere is an excerpt on three warning signs that you’ve let “your issue” impact your life negatively:Our danger is that not only will we disagree and separate, but that we’ll cross the line from justifiable disagreement to anger and bitterness ...
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 ...
Trouble With the Weekly Email Sermons?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 5, 2007
If you have signed up for the weekly sermon emails, this note is for you. If you signed up but aren’t receiving the sermons:In early January we switched to a new system for sending out the sermons. Even though visually the weekly sermons look the same, we are using a new company and a different program to send them ou ...
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Christianity Lives Because He Lives
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 4, 2007
Here’s a quote to keep in mind as millions of people prepare to watch the Lost Tomb of Jesus on the Discovery Channel tonight: “Christianity is a religion of facts, not of ideas. It rests upon the being of a personal God. It stands or falls with the reality of the statements in the Apostle’s creed. Its doctrines ...
Ballistic Christianity
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 25, 2007
We have just posted the sermon I preached last Sunday at Elmhurst (IL) Christian Reformed Church:Ballistic ChristianityHere’s an excerpt:Jesus saw the multitudes. That’s hard to do. In the last year, I’ve been traveling a lot, preaching in different places. I’ve been in and out of so many airports th ...
Merced, California, 7:25 AM
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 23, 2007
Two people have written me asking where we are at the moment. One friend said, “All I know at this point is that you are somewhere in the United States.” That’s very true. Yesterday morning I woke up at Cloudland Canyon State Park in north Georgia, near the Tennessee state line. This morning we’re at a motel in ...
Early Morning Wake-Up Call
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 16, 2007
Our day started unexpectedly at 3:14 AM with a phone call that jarred me out of a very deep sleep. Looking back, I was so fast asleep that when I woke up, I couldn’t quite figure out what was happening. It turned out to be Delta Airlines telling us that our 11 AM flight to Atlanta had been cancelled for mechanical rea ...
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The Romans Challenge
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Years ago—about 15, to be exact—I decided to preach through Romans. At that point I was 14 years out of seminary and thought it was time I tackled Paul’s greatest epistle. Before then, I had taught through it in a Sunday School class on a chapter-by-chapter basis. I thought my congregation would benefit from a detai ...
Men’s Luncheon at Harrisburg Baptist Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, February 12, 2007
Today I spoke at the monthly men’s luncheon at Harrisburg Baptist Church in Tupelo. I was pleasantly surprised to see 60-70 men gather for the meal and brief message. Most of the retired men came at 11:30 AM for the meal while quite a few of the younger men came in right at 12 noon. I had a good chat with Pastor Forr ...
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How to Kill a New Christian
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, February 9, 2007
Here are two new sermons that have just been posted on the website:How to Kill a New Christian—Part 1How to Kill a New Christian—Part 2Here’s an excerpt from Part 2:Christians love to fight over our deeply-held beliefs. Unfortunately, sometimes we fight for things that don’t matter very much.Once upon a time a ...
Word of Life Alaskan Cruise
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, February 8, 2007
Last summer I was invited by Word of Life to be the Bible teacher on an Alaskan cruise. This will be a unique vacation opportunity because it is actually a combination train excursion through the Denali National Park followed by a cruise starting in Anchorage and ending in Vancouver. You can sign up for the train excursion ...
Peace, Be Still!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 29, 2007
Here is a sermon I preached during our Holy Land tour:Peace, Be Still! A Short Sermon on the Sea of GalileeHere is an excerpt:The disciples were afraid because they were men who were used to being in control of life. They knew how to handle hard situations. There wasn’t a weakling among them. And yet, when put in a li ...
Herod Then and Now
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 28, 2007
When we boarded the plane in Tel Aviv on Friday morning, I picked up a copy of the English edition of the Jerusalem Post. The headlines reported that the president of Israel is taking a leave of absence because of serious accusations of sexual misconduct. One story noted that should he eventually step down or be impeached, ...
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Back Home
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 27, 2007
We made it back home late last night. For us it meant waking up in Jerusalem at 2 AM and arriving home in Tupelo 28 hours later. We were worn out but very grateful for the wonderful trip we had to the Holy Land. On our last day we had this group picture taken on the Mount of Olives.Here are the intrepid pilgrims who joined ...
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Israel Trip—Day 3
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 20, 2007
Caesar Resort Hotel, Tiberius, IsraelOn the shores of the Sea of GalileeToday we hopscotched across northern Galilee, visiting the valley beneath Mt. Arbel where Jesus would have walked on his journey from Nazareth to Capernaum. Then we saw the amazing “Jesus Boat,” an actual fishing boat dating from the time of Christ that ...
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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Love on the Great Wall
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Shortly after midnight on Sunday night, the phone rang, jarring us awake. We had been expecting the call but it came as a surprise anyway because we were already asleep. On the other end of the phone, I heard Mark’s voice, “Mom and Dad, we’re engaged.” He was using a cell phone to call us from the Great Wall of ...
Sermons for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 16, 2007
On January 21 thousands of churches will observe Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. Since 1973 this observance has taken place annually on the Sunday closest to the anniversary of the Roe v Wade decision that legalized abortion in America. Here are some sermons that may help you in your preaching and Bible teaching this week. T ...
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Bible Map
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 15, 2007
Check out the Bible Map—a remarkable new tool that uses modern technology to bridge the gap between the ancient world and the 21st century. Here’s how it works. You enter a Bible chapter that contains a geographic reference or the name of a region or a people group. When you click on the highlighted words in the text ...
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Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 11, 2007
We have just posted a new sermon on the website:Do Not Neglect Your Spiritual Gift
John Piper’s Remarkable Sermon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 10, 2007
At the Passion 07 conference in Atlanta last week, John Piper preached a remarkable message with a remarkable title: How to Deal With the Guilt of Sexual Failure for the Glory of Christ and His Global Cause. The title brings together several themes that at first glance seem unrelated—guilt, sexual sin, the glory of Christ ...
Miniature Earth
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Check out Miniature Earth for a sobering view of our world (HT to Dwight Nelson).Here are two blogs from the other side of the world:The Journey (Australia)Life in China
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
Back Online
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, January 7, 2007
We are back online now with the new format, which as you can tell doesn’t look a lot different from the old format. We’re on a new server and we’re using a new blog software. The Comments feature is turned back on and we welcome your comments on any topic. Special thanks to Nicko Sahlas for many hours of h ...
Moving Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, January 5, 2007
For the last few months we have been working on a redesign of the KBM website. Part of that process involves moving all our files to a new server. Like any large project, it takes time and must be done in a series of steps. We begin that process today. One of our goals is not to lose any of your comments during this transit ...
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Sandy Spisiak
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 4, 2007
When word came that Sandy Spisiak died last night, succumbing finally to the cancer that had dogged her steps for the last seven years, I was sad but not surprised. Nor, I suppose, was anyone surprised who knew her during the long years when she fought as hard as anyone could ever fight to stay alive. She was around 40 when ...
New Podcast—"Changing Your Mind”
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 31, 2006
My sermon called “Changing Your Mind” is now available as a podcast. Special thanks to Lynette Hoy for doing the technical work to make it happen.
My Ten Favorite Contemporary Worship Songs
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 31, 2006
A few months ago I wrote about my ten favorite hymns. Later I added another entry on my top ten gospel songs. At the time, I promised that I would eventually write about my favorite contemporary worship songs. I intended to get around to it earlier but kept putting it off until Steve Boisse reminded me a few days ago. So on ...
Adoption: Plenty of Room in the Family
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 30, 2006
Here is the newest sermon to be added to the KBM website:Adoption: Plenty of Room in the Family
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What’s Happening in China?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, December 29, 2006
Get Religion has up-to-date coverage on Christmas in China. Anthony Bollback has posted the latest edition of China Clippings.Mark writes from China with a call for pastors who preach with ferocity and compassion.On December 22 eight house church leaders were tried and sentenced to prison. I found an excellent news article ...
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Sermons for New Year’s Day
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Here are twelve sermons with themes appropriate for New Year’s Day. Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you either in your own personal study or as you prepare to teach and preach this Sunday.You Can Stumble But You Won’t Fall One Word You Shouldn’t Say in 2007 Three Things Not ...
Looking Back On a Year of Blogging
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 26, 2006
Here are the most popular weblog entries of 2006. In terms of response, the first two stood out far above the rest. In compiling this list, I counted comments plus emails plus personal comments made to me. By “popular” I mean only that these entries brought the most feedback, not that people always agreed with what I wrote. ...
What God Wants for Christmas
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 23, 2006
I received this note from Brent Finchum, a missionary serving with Word of Life in Birmingham, AL: Just wanted to tell you that I preached from an outline you prepared this last Sunday. It was called What God Wants for Christmas from Micah 6:6-8. Thank you for putting these tools on the KBM website. It was a great starting ...
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 ...
New Testament Hyper-Concordance
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 17, 2006
From reading Brian Bill’s blog, I learned about a new Bible study tool called the New Testament Hyper-Concordance. It’s an online concordance to every important word in the New Testament. You click on a word like “obey” or “Egypt” or “road” or “heaven” and the program immediately displays every mention of that p ...
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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 ...
Four More Christmas Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 13, 2006
As you can tell, I’ve been ransacking my sermon archives to pull up all the Christmas sermons. This is part of our commitment at KBM to provide a wide range of free biblical resources via the Internet to people around the world. In the process, I discovered four sermons that had never been posted on the website. I jus ...
Christ B.C.
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 13, 2006
This four-part series explores the Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus Christ. Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you as we prepare for the celebration of our Lord’s birth.Born of a Virgin A Prophet Like Moses Lamb of God Seed of the Woman
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Songs of Christmas
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Here is a four-part sermon series called “The Songs of Christmas.” Feel free to use this material in any way that may be helpful to you, including sermon preparation or in Bible studies, or simply for your own blessing as we prepare our hearts for the birth of our Lord.The Cradle and the Cross: Simeon’s Song Jesus the ...
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Christmas Personalities
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Here is a four-part sermon series on some of the noteworthy people in the Christmas story. You are welcome to use this material in any way you like, including preparing sermons and Bible stories, or simply for your own personal blessing as we prepare to welcome Christ to our world.We Three Kings Herod: The Man Who Tried to ...
Everything I Needed to Know, I learned at Christmas
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Here is a four-part sermon series called Everything I Needed to Know, I Learned at Christmas. It is based on the idea that every major Christian doctrine can be found in the story of our Lord’s birth. Please feel free to use this material in any way that might be helpful as you prepare to preach and teach this week or ...
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Christmas Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Here are seventeen Christmas sermons. You are welcome to use this material in any way that might be helpful to you as you prepare your heart for the celebration of our Lord’s birth. Why the Virgin Birth Matters A Question For Jesus Eighth-Day Savior From Jacob to Jesus When Was Jesus Born? The ABCs of Christmas I&rsqu ...
Saint Harry
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 11, 2006
Tonight I got a call from a man whose voice I did not recognize. The Caller ID said he was calling from somewhere in Ohio, but I didn’t recognize the number or the location. “Is this Saint Ray?” I hesitated for a moment and then said yes. “Do you know who this is?” Having no idea, I suggested that it was President Bus ...
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New Podcast and a New Audio Sermon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, December 11, 2006
While I was in Chicago, I completed a podcast on the theme “Is Anger Always Sinful?” It’s fairly short, only about 6 minutes long. Lynette Hoy also uploaded the audio of a sermon I preached at Word of Life last week:Don’t You Believe in Miracles? (mp3 format)
How to Be a Godly Rebel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, December 10, 2006
Here’s the latest sermon in the series “The Transformed Life” from Romans 12-16:How to Be a Godly Rebel (Romans 13:1-7)
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What’s a Shout Out?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 9, 2006
Last night Duane Follman asked me to explain a “shout out.” It’s means to shout out “hello” to a friend. It’s like when you’re walking down a crowded street and see a friend on the other side so you raise your voice and shout out, “Hello!” to him. A shout out is a heartfelt Hello! to friends across the dis ...
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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Tuesday Links
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Mark has posted some new pictures from China. Josh has posted pictures of Thanksgiving at the cabin. Look for the November 28 entry.Andy McQuitty’s weekly note references something I wrote about the date of Jesus’ birth and draws some helpful application. Ryan Whitley writes a blog called Just One More.Check out ...
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Brimstone for the Broad-Minded
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 27, 2006
Tim Keller explains how to preach hell in a tolerant age. If we are going to faithfully preach the gospel, we must preach about hell to people who don’t want to hear about it. The loss of the doctrine of hell and judgment and the holiness of God does irreparable damage to our deepest comforts—our understanding of God& ...
1 John Resources for January Bible Study
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 27, 2006
This morning I am speaking at the Birmingham Baptist Pastors Conference. Each year the Southern Baptists set aside time for their January Bible Study, focusing on different books of the Bible. Last year it was Nehemiah; this year it is the letters of John, known in the English Bible as 1 John, 2 John and 3 John, generally r ...
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Don’t You Believe in Miracles?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 24, 2006
Here is the sermon I preached last Sunday at Calvary Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan:Don’t You Believe in Miracles?
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Thanksgiving Morning
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 23, 2006
I’m sitting at my desk looking out the window at the lake next to our cabin. The rising sun fills the tops of the trees, chasing away the darkness. The sky is clear-blue with not a cloud in sight. And there is no wind to speak of. A clear, calm, cool morning in northeast Mississippi. A little while ago I drove down t ...
China Clippings—November Edition
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Just in time for Thanksgiving Anthony Bollback has posted the November edition of China Clippings, focusing this month on the burgeoning Back to Jerusalem movement. Thousands of Chinese Christians have dedicated themselves to carrying the gospel outside China, through the Muslim countries to the west, all the way back to Je ...
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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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How the Internet is Changing Ministry
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 16, 2006
I ran across two recent articles that reinforced the notion that the Internet is radically reshaping how we will do ministry in the 21st century.Brian Bill pointed out an article in CT called What’s Next: Publishing and Broadcasting. Here is the money quote:Already, industry insiders are talking about on-demand kiosks ...
Three Noteworthy Articles
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Here are three articles only loosely connected . . . USA Today reports that blogging has now entered the classroom as an educational tool.Keith Drury has written a helpful analysis of how the Internet is changing the church. Church leaders would do well to consider all six points he raises. Click here to read responses to D ...
All Aboard for the Holy Land!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Our Holy Land tour leaves in 62 days, 21 hours, 8 minutes, 4 seconds—according to the counter on Mark’s China blog. He will be flying from Shanghai and meeting our tour group in Tel Aviv. The rest of our group will be flying from Chicago, Atlanta or New York.I mention this to say that time is running out for you to s ...
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Tuesday News and Notes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 14, 2006
1:12 PM A big Tuesday shout out to Sandra de la Cruz in Phoeniz, AZ, Regina Leveston, Duane and Holly Follman, Pastor Frank Walker, Rod Dixon and Alfreda Burke in Oak Lawn, IL, Deborah Tompkins Johnson in Woodbridge, VA, Claudia Moreno in Berwyn, IL, Steve Dunning, Ken and Mary Heffley in Batavia, IL, Reg and Brenda Harriso ...
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New Dudley Pictures
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, November 13, 2006
It’s been a while since I posted any pictures of Dudley, the basset hound that joined our family last Christmas Eve. In another week or so, we will celebrate his first birthday. He’s the best dog we’ve ever had, keeping in mind that like all bassets he loves to sniff and dig and get dirty. Last week he sta ...
Marriage Seminar at First Baptist Church, Tupelo
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, November 12, 2006
This afternoon I spoke for a marriage seminar at the First Baptist Church of Tupelo. A very attentive crowd of mostly younger couples gathered in the Fellowship Hall for the two-hour seminar. I saw quite a few folks I first met when I preached at FBC back last March. Incidentally, starting this week I will be teaching the W ...
She Was a Veteran Too
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, November 11, 2006
Someone who had known my mother when she was young sent me a packet of pictures along with a nice note. She knew that my mother died several years ago, and she thought I would like to have the pictures. Her note contained stories from the late 1940s when my mom and dad had just gotten married. Most of the pictures came from ...
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Friday News and Notes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, November 10, 2006
We’re wrapping up a good week at the SIM Retirement Village in Sebring, FL. Tonight I preach the last message in the Elijah series. Our flight from Orlando leaves at 6:20 AM, which means that we will need to leave Sebring about 3:30 AM to arrive at the airport in time to turn in our rental car and check in for the fli ...
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Good, Pleasing Perfect
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, November 4, 2006
Here is the newest sermon in the series “The Transformed Life” from Romans 12-16: Good, Pleasing, Perfect
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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
Happy Birthday, Josh!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, November 2, 2006
Happy Birthday, Josh!Our oldest son celebrates his 27nd birthday today. On Tuesday night we had an early birthday celebration with Josh and Leah in Chicago. Josh looked so happy and Leah was radiant. Being with them was the highlight of our trip.
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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 ...
Lloyd Perry’s Benediction
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 24, 2006
We got off to a great start this morning at Lancaster Bible College. Today through Thursday I am speaking in chapel for the Lloyd Perry Preaching Series. Dr. Perry published many books about preaching, taught homiletics for years at Trinity Seminary in Deefield, IL, and was one of the most influential preaching professors o ...
Changing Your Mind
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 20, 2006
Here is the newest sermon in the series The Transformed Life from Romans 12-16:Changing Your Mind
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Gulf Shores
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, October 19, 2006
This morning I’m writing this note from beautiful Gulf Shores, Alabama. We left Tupelo yesterday about 12:30 PM with Alan, Linda Hale and Paula DeCanter, driving down Highway 43, bypassing Meridian, then cutting across a country road south of Citronelle, Alabama, catching I-65 to Mobile, then across the bay to Highway ...
Monday in Reno
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, October 9, 2006
5:21 PM Just got back from our visit to Lake Tahoe. Hard to find the right adjectives to describe the sheer, overwhelming beauty. Awe-inspiring. Our hosts for the trip were Greg Kuehn, pastor of Sierra Bible Church, his wife Debbie, and Dave Smith, executive pastor. Dave and Greg have worked together for 17 years, and they ...
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Vegas, Baby!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, October 7, 2006
I’m writing this note from the Las Vegas airport while we wait for a flight to take us to Reno where I will be speaking at a Bible conference at Sierra Bible Church Sunday through Tuesday. In case I somehow forget where I am, I only have to look up and see the slot machines in the gate area. I can hear the incessant ...
Repent!
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 6, 2006
I just posted the sermon from last week: Repent! The Forgotten Doctrine of Salvation. This particular message has drawn more comments than any sermon in the last month.
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If You’re Looking For a Sign From God . . .
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, October 6, 2006
I saw this on the sign for the Eggville Free Will Baptist Church: “If you’re looking for a sign from God, this is it.”
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105 days, 3 hours, 36 minutes, 15 seconds
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, October 4, 2006
According to Mark’s China blog, we leave for Israel in . . .105 days, 3 hours, 36 minutes, 15 seconds. You could be with us in January when we . . .Take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee Float in the Dead Sea Ride a cable car to the top of Masada Share communion at the Garden Tomb Sing “Were Your There?” at St. Peter ...
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Last-Second Radio Interview This Afternoon
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, October 3, 2006
I am going to do an interview with Kevin McCullough on WMCA at 1:20 PM CDT to discuss yesterday’s tragic shooting of the Amish schoolchildren.
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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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Authors, Editors and Book Publishing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, September 28, 2006
This afternoon I sent a book manuscript by overnight mail to Moody Publishers in Chicago. This particular book started as a sermon I wrote in early February on Asymmetric Spiritual Warfare. When it is published sometime in the first half of 2007, it will be called Stealth Attack. Turning in a book manuscript always comes as ...
Three Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, September 25, 2006
Brian Bill preached a powerful sermon on Romans 5:1-2 called Making Peace With God.Phil Newton examines Christ’s message to the church at Sardis (Revelation 3:1-6) in his message Dead or Alive?I just posted a sermon on the Holy Spirit called The God We Hardly Know.
Men’s Retreat at Silver Spur
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 24, 2006
This weekend I spoke for a Men’s Retreat at Silver Spur Conference Center in Tuolumne, California, in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, just east of the San Joaquin Valley. It took me 16 1/2 hours to get here from Tupelo on Friday. In a few hours I leave for the return trip, which hopefully won’t tak ...
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It Was A Great Day When You Were Born
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, September 24, 2006
Happy Birthday, Nick!Our youngest son celebrates his 22nd birthday today. With our family so scattered at the moment—Nick in Birmingham, Mark in China, Marlene in Nashville, Josh and Leah in Chicago, and I’m in California—this is the best way to say how happy we are that he was born.
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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.
Faith Bible Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, September 19, 2006
I have returned home from a weekend trip to New Jersey to speak at Faith Bible Church in Vineland, in south Jersey about 45 minutes east of Philadelphia. I was pleased to discover that there are many Word of Life connections at the church. Pastor Paul Barreca and his wife Kim met at Word of Life Bible Institute and many of ...
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Forward-Leaning Defense
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, September 16, 2006
We have just posted a new sermon on the website:Forward-Leaning Defense
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123 Days, 2 Hours, 50 Minutes, 5 Seconds
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, September 16, 2006
Mark has a MySpace China blog. His counter says that there are 123 days, 2 hours, 50 minutes, 5 seconds until the Holy Land tour, January 17-26, 2007. By the way, we now have 15 people signed up for the tour. We expect to have a group of 25-30 people. If you are thinking about going with us, now is the time to sign up.
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Yes, We’re Still Going to the Holy Land
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 15, 2006
Yes, we are still going to Israel for our Holy Land tour, January 17-26, 2007. Since the ceasefire in July, the situation has become increasingly calm. The Go Israel site contains a wealth of information for travelers. I hope you will join us for this trip of a lifetime. You will see Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Caesarea, Tiberius ...
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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 ...
What Is Saving Faith?
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, September 6, 2006
We have just posted a new sermon on the website:What is Saving Faith?
Interracial Marriage
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, September 5, 2006
The following email arrived this morning: “A couple asked me if there was any biblical teaching on interracial marriages (whether or not they were right or wrong). I recall verses about being unequally yoked but believe that applies to believers and unbelievers. Any thoughts you could offer would be appreciated."The whole ...
The Evangelist and the Atheist
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, September 1, 2006
So what is the state of religious freedom in China? It depends on who you are and where you are and who you know and what you are doing. There have been many recent examples of crackdowns in China involving the house church movement. But there is some good news to report. A story out of Beijing this week offers an example o ...
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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What We’ll Eat in Heaven
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Two other notes from my visit to Hawthorne Gospel Church. Every service the pastor commented that I live in Tupelo, MS. At one point he said, “I just like saying that name.” I don’t think they get a lot of Mississippi preachers up in New Jersey—even though I’m originally from Alabama and have spent nearly all o ...
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Josh and Leah’s Wedding Pictures
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, August 26, 2006
Here are the pictures (taken by Nick Borton) of Josh and Leah’s wedding, July 22, 2006, at the First Congregational Church in Bennington, Vermont.
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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The War for China’s Soul
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 24, 2006
A friend who plans to travel to China in October asked which books he should read in preparation for his visit. I recommended these three:Safely Home by Randy Alcorn. A beautifully written, eye-opening novel about an American businessman in China whose life is changed by his encounter with Christians from the underground ch ...
32 Years Ago
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Today happens to be our 32nd wedding anniversary. It was a hot night in Phoenix when we got married on August 22, 1974. It’s a hot day in Mississippi, though not quite as hot but a lot more humid. That was a good day and today is a good day. A long time ago I realized that I “out-married” myself or as a friend told me ...
The Best Time to Plant a Tree
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 15, 2006
“The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is today.” Chinese proverb
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Outside In—a Blog About China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 15, 2006
A friend tipped me off to a China blog called Outside In. It gives you a good sense of what’s it’s like for an American to live in China today.
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Interview with Kevin McCullough on WMCA Today
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 15, 2006
I am being interviewed by Kevin McCullough on WMCA in New York City today from 1:20-2 PM CDT. We’ll be talking about Credo plus I’m sure we’ll discuss Israel and the crisis in the Middle East.
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Last-Minute Revival
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, August 14, 2006
On Saturday I got a call from the pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Tupelo. Although I have never met him in person, Paul Brashier and I exchanged emails last spring when he invited me to speak for him. We never found a date that worked until now. It happened that Parkway had scheduled revival services on August 19-20 wit ...
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Code Two for Dudley Pritchard
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, June 24, 2006
We made it back home to Mississippi about 10:30 AM. A short night but a good flight and as we were driving back from the airport, I was savoring the blessings of the week just past. That’s unusual for me. Often when a conference is finished, I put it behind me and go on to the next thing on the calendar. But this week ...
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Between Trapezes
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 21, 2006
What happens to a church after a pastor leaves? The answer varies, depending on the church and the pastor and the circumstances. Several months ago I was contacted by a writer for the Oak Park (IL) Wednesday Journal, asking if I would take part in an article about the transition following my departure from Calvary Memorial ...
God is a Better Parent Than We Are
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, June 2, 2006
A few years ago, when we needed some encouragement, the Lord put this thought into my wife’s heart: “God is a better parent than we are.” No matter how much we love our children, he loves them even more. No matter how much we want the best for them, he wants it even more than we do, and he truly knows what it is best. ...
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More Thoughts on Congregational Singing
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, May 23, 2006
Well, I didn’t think I would keep writing about this, but now that I’ve gotten into it, I find that I have a lot on my mind. I think my interest in this topic has been stirred up because we’ve visited so many different churches in the last eight months. I have been surprised by my own reactions to the cong ...
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Tupelo Elvis Festival, June 2-4
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, May 14, 2006
Today we attended a very fine church in Tupelo with beautiful music, a fine message, and a moving tribute to the mothers who were present. I happened to notice the following announcement in the bulletin: “Churchwide Blood Drive, Sunday, May 28th. New ’Elvis Coming Home’ T-Shirts for participants.” You can’ ...
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A Holy Moment
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 29, 2006
Tonight we had a holy moment of profound worship when one hundred young people from Minnesota Teen Challenge shared music and testimonies with us. One young man said that his life was so messed up that if he had not come to Teen Challenge, he would either be dead or in jail like most of his friends. As I looked at the joyou ...
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The Cross and the Swastika
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 25, 2006
On Easter Sunday evening, Dr. Robert Rayburn of Faith Presbyterian Church in Tacoma, Washington preached a remarkable sermon about a Lutheran minister named Henry Gerecke who served as a Army chaplain during World War II. Before the war, he served as a pastor in St. Louis and then became the director of the St. Louis Luther ...
Thorpe Schoenle, Rich Pirate With Nerves of Steel
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 24, 2006
I just got through watching Thorpe Schoenle win $464,000 on the hit game show Deal or No Deal. On his way to winning the most money anyone has ever won on the game, Thorpe twice turned down the most money anyone had ever turned down. I’m glad Case # 2 didn’t have $1 million in it. Thorpe would have been walkin ...
Country Roads
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, April 16, 2006
Most people know that we’re living in the country. I was reminded again today how far out in the country we really are. When I woke up this morning, I noticed that the clock by our bed was blinking, which meant that the power had gone off overnight. It wasn’t until we saw my brother at church that we found out t ...
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A Holy Light Around the Cross
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 14, 2006
It is now about 6:30 a.m. on Good Friday. The six trials of Jesus are coming to an end. Soon he will be scourged, beaten, bloodied, and crowned with a wreath of thorns. Slowly he will lead the procession through the narrow streets of Jerusalem. When he falls under the load, Simon of Cyrene will be summoned from the crowd to ...
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Six Months in Mississippi—A Self-Interview
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 4, 2006
Quite a few people have asked how we’re doing and what our plans are for the future. In just a few days we will have been in Mississippi for six months. Here are the answers to a few questions that friends have asked.Q: Where exactly do you live? A: We’re living in a cabin by a lake a half-mile down a gravel roa ...
Powlison Expands on Piper’s Article
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, April 3, 2006
David Powlison has added some helpful expansions to John Piper’s article “Dont Waste Your Cancer.”
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Another Atheist Goes to Church
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 31, 2006
Cedric Stratton is an atheist. He is also a regular attender at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Savannah, Georgia. In the eleven years he has attended the church, he has become a beloved part of the congregation. According to this article, Stratton attends nearly every worship service and church event. He volunteers for ...
Cataclysmic Times
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 27, 2006
The following sermon has just been added to the website:Cataclysmic Times: Spiritual Warfare in the Last Days
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Soothing Ourselves to Death
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 23, 2006
Chuck Colson has an important article in the current issue of Christianity Today called Soothing Ourselves to Death. Here are a few excerpts:I admit I prefer traditional hymns, but even so, I’m convinced that much of the music being written for the church today reflects an unfortunate trend—slipping across the line f ...
How to Raise Up Godly Fathers
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, March 21, 2006
My friend Peter Odanga in Kenya is concerned about the rise of fatherless children in African society. “Dad is either too traditional, unfaithful to his marriage, abusing the child. The boy child is rebellious; the girl child falls into the hands of the wrong people. My plea is that we should stop being Africans and become ...
The 21-Day Challenge
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 19, 2006
This morning I preached on “Discovering God’s Will” at the First Baptist Church of Tupelo. I ended the sermon by sharing the following story: My wife and I had lunch with friends who were visiting from a distant city. As we began our meal the thought passed through my mind that the husband looked more relaxed than I h ...
Back to the Cabin
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 17, 2006
After more than two weeks living out of suitcases, it’s time to go home to the cabin in the woods. Alan sent an email saying that the big logs have been replaced and the workers have finished all the related repairs. We haven’t been able to live in the cabin since before our trip to Florida on February 23. It wi ...
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Three Links Worth Checking Out
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 16, 2006
1) Creation-Evolution Headlines. Some creation-evolution sites seem a bit drab to me. But this one offers a ton of useful information, updated daily, in a rolling weblog format. The writers stay on top of the latest news, offering instant analysis of stories from a wide variety of sources. This is a good example of how the ...
Ants in the Pants of Faith
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 15, 2006
We had an excellent conference at Camp Wonderland. Of my four messages, the sermon on doubt attracted the most feedback. Several people thanked me for raising a topic that we rarely talk about in church. That’s too bad because doubt not only is not sinful, it can be a catalyst for spiritual growth. One writer called d ...
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A “Sort of” Christian
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, March 13, 2006
Last Thursday I wrote an entry called “Pastor Ray, Isn’t That a Little Harsh?” , based on a question from a recent radio interview. It turns out that my entry stirred up a bit a controversy. The heart of it all stems from this comment: “If you deny the resurrection, you are not a Christian and should not be treated ...
A New/Old Trend in Worship
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, March 12, 2006
A recent article says that many contemporary churches are adding services that feature traditional hymns. I think this is a trend that is likely to increase in the years ahead. Many in the younger generation seek a connection to the church that goes beyond the flash and splash that characterizes the Boomer approach to worsh ...
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Why We Didn’t Unpack Tonight
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, March 3, 2006
When we arrived back at the cabin about 10:30 PM after twelve hours on the road, we found all the furniture piled in the middle of the living room. A large plate glass window had been replaced with plywood, and most of the electrical outlets had been taken out of the walls. This wasn’t a surprise to us because we live ...
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A Good Week in Florida
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 2, 2006
Our week at Word of Life Florida is quickly drawing to a close. Today our dear friends Billy and Paula Speer gave a concert during the second hour this morning. I first met Billy and Paula when we ministered together in a Schroon Lake in 2000. Later we ministered together twice at Living Waters Bible Camp in Maine. Billy is ...
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Two Helpful ’Da Vinci Code’ Books
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Here are the two best books I’ve seen evaluating the Da Vinci Code from a biblical and historical point of view:Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Darrell Bock The Da Vinci Deception by Erwin LutzerBock offers a detailed analysis of the early history of the Christian church, showing that it offers no support for the Dan Br ...
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First Baptist Church of Tupelo
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, February 12, 2006
This morning we visited the First Baptist Church of Tupelo. The church is at least 150 years old, making it Tupelo’s oldest church. The original building was used as a hospital during the Civil War. As befits an established church, it occupies a prominent location in central Tupelo at the corner of Church and Jefferso ...
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End of the Spear
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 8, 2006
This afternoon Marlene and I went to see End of the Spear, the much-discussed movie based on the story of the five missionaries who were murdered by members of the Waodani tribe in 1956. If you are an evangelical, you already know the outline of the story, and you have probably read Through Gates of Splendor by Elisabeth El ...
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Over 700 Free Sermons
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 26, 2006
11:18 AM Dudley just made his (unintentional) radio debut. When the interview started at 10 AM, he was asleep on the couch. About ten minutes into the program, Dudley decided he wanted off the couch so he could outside and take care of business. But Marlene was gone to town and I was on the radio talking about forgiveness. ...
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Interview on WMBI Tomorrow Morning
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 11, 2006
5:17 PM Just found out that I will be interviewed by Mark Elfstrand tomorrow morning on WMBI, 90.1 FM, at 7:45 CDT.
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Countdown to China
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 9, 2006
7:12 PM Special thanks to Randy Birkey and the team at Birkey.com for developing the Keep Believing site over the last few months. Since late September my main weblog has been on the Crosswalk website. Over the next few weeks, I’m going to migrate the daily weblog to this website. But it will take a while to make the ...
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Don’t Click Here
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, January 5, 2006
1:01 PM We leave for China in ten days.1:00 PM Check out the button to the left that says Don’t Click Here.11:04 AM While surfing the Internet, I found a weblog called A Day in the Life of Three Bassets.
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Starting in the Right Place
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, January 4, 2006
Around noon today I was interviewed by USA Radio regarding the coal mining tragedy in West Virginia. The interviewer wanted to know what I would say if the family members of one of the twelve men who died asked me, “Why did this happen?” My answer would have to be, I don’t know. The Bible offers many perspectives on t ...
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Troubling Deaf Heaven
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 2, 2006
5:03 PM “It is a great thing to be on the mount with God, and the mountains are meant for inspiration and meditation; but one is taken there only to go down afterwards among the demon-possessed and lift them up.” Oswald Chambers5:03 PM 28 miles.10:22 AM Cal Thomas has a helpful analysis of the Dover decision rejecting Intel ...
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Thusday, August 19, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, August 19, 2004
7:29 PM Today's entry in the Crosswalk weblog is called Paul Hamm and the Improbable Providence of God. 6:42 PM Two people asked me today if I was doing my century bike ride. The answer is no because that second big project is still only partly. It's a writing project for Crossway Books that is, ahem, slightly overdue so I ...
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Tuesday, August 17, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, August 17, 2004
1:22 PM Just received this note regarding the missionary boat "Glory to Thee" that was docked in the path of Hurricane Charlie in Florida: Hi Prayer Partners! We have just recieved word from our friends Bro. Tom and Jerry that after visiting Glory to Thee found that she is upright and still on her stands,with only minor...
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Friday, August 13, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, August 13, 2004
5:35 PM Just received this urgent email and request for prayer: Dear Friends of Missionary Boat Glory To Thee, If there was ever a time to pray for God's divine hand of protection it is now! Our missionary boat Glory To Thee is on the direct path of Hurricane "Charlie" in Port Charlotte, FL. Pray that she is upheld on h...
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Friday, July 30, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, July 30, 2004
11:06 AM Later today 48 men from Calvary will travel to Indianapolis for the Promise Keepers conference. This year's theme is "Uprising: The Revolution of a Man's Soul."...
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Wednesday, July 28, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, July 28, 2004
2:23 PM Today's entry in the Crosswalk weblog is called Why They Hate "Christers". 10:37 AM One of my Crosswalk weblog entries has been chosen for this week's Christian Carnival, a weekly selection of entries by Christian bloggers. A different Christian blogger hosts the carnival each week. The host chooses which articl...
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Tuesday, June 15, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 15, 2004
6:06 AM Civil War Tour Day 1: I am writing these words from the Holiday Inn in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Yesterday turned out to be a lot longer than anyone expected. Our group of 35 left Oak Park at 7 AM on Monday and we didn’t get to our rooms until a little after 1 AM–just five hours ago. We start our first fu...
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Thursday, June 10, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 10, 2004
10:06 PM This afternoon I stood behind Kevin McHale. I also walked by Patrick Ewing. I saw Larry Bird from a distance, and I was sitting down when B. J. Armstrong passed by. It happened at the NBA Pre-Draft Camp at Moody Bible Institute. Mark is working at the Solheim Center this summer, which means he is helping with secur...
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Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 8, 2004
11:21 AM This is the best time of year for bike riding. As far as I'm concerned, the hotter, the better. Yesterday it was around 90 and I had a great time on my bike. 1404 miles YTD. 8:33 AM I need some help! Next week I'm leading a Civil War tour to the major battlefields of Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland. At this hou...
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Sunday, June 6, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Sunday, June 6, 2004
5:56 AM Yesterday's Bowlathon raised $9000 for Oak Park Christian Academy. First time I had bowled in about 10 years—and it showed. My high score was 102—and my other one wasn't. Marlene and I both had a blast. More people showed up than they expected. Afterwards I went to the Brown Cow Ice Cream Parlor and had ...
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Wednesday, June 2, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, June 2, 2004
6:34 PM Check out the website for the Allied Force Worship Team. Very cool. Click on the names and up comes a picture and a personal bio. Among other things, I discovered that Katie Suriano's favorite candy is something called "Swedish Fish" and Robert Napolitano loves the song "Somewhere I Belong" by Linkin Park. L...
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Tuesday, June 1, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, June 1, 2004
7:42 AM The Civil War tour begins a week from Monday. Thirty-eight people will join us for a tour of the major battlefields of Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Two weeks from today we'll visit Gettysburg. In a related story, the oldest Civil War widow died yesterday in Enterprise, Alabama. In 1927, when she was 21, she ...
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Monday, May 24, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, May 24, 2004
7:49 AM Last night Mark came over and we watched episodes 3 & 4 of "Band of Brothers." Has there ever been a better TV miniseries? "Band of Brothers" gets my vote as the best—it's easily the best-ever on World War II. 7:48 AM Sarah Alexander explains why gay marriage hurts children. 7:43 AM My Monday entry on ...
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Saturday, May 1, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, May 1, 2004
11:30 PM Another very good, very long day. I feel like I've been talking nonstop since I got up. After I finished preaching at 10:30 AM this morning, I didn't get back to my room until 12:15 PM because one man after another wanted to talk and pray with me. Everywhere I went, men stopped and talked and told me their stories....
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Friday, April 23, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 23, 2004
11:13 AM A few weeks ago we shipped 1200 copies of "An Anchor for the Soul" to Heartbound Ministries in Atlanta, GA. On Good Friday they distributed the books (along with a care package) to each inmate at the Georgia State Prison. A few days ago we received a letter from a prisoner named "Robert" at that prison. Thi...
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Saturday, April 17, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, April 17, 2004
10:45 AM I got up early and took a two-hour through Whittier (where Rick and Joanne Hale live). I made it all the way to Whittier Boulevard, then turned back and headed for home. When I got to Colima Blvd., it started sprinkling. By the time I got to Broadway the rain was falling steadily. I was soaking wet when I got back ...
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Thursday, April 15, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, April 15, 2004
10:58 PM Mark called with some good news about the Dryer 2 Bachelor Auction at Moody tonight. For the last few years the guys on the second floor of Dryer dormitory at Moody have sponsored a Bachelor Auction to raise money for the "Youth With a Vision" orphanage in Juarez, Mexico. Each year the guys offer themselves to ...
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Tuesday, April 13, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, April 13, 2004
7:20 PM A few new items have been added to the Miscellaneous category on the Sermons page. There are some WMBI commentaries, "The Power of a Book," "Little Steps to a Big Fall," "Time for a Checkup," Marriage Conference notes, and "What Children Can Teach Us at Thanksgiving." 1:13 PM Do you know someone who ...
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Friday, April 2, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, April 2, 2004
10:51 PM Four days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Calvary sent a team (Wayne Kuna, Josh Pritchard, Nick Pritchard, Nick Borton) to deliver 5000 copies of "An Anchor for the Soul" to Calvary Chapel of Old Bridge, New Jersey. They distributed thousands of copies near Ground Zero. About five weeks later, we sent a secon...
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Wednesday, March 31, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 31, 2004
10:01 PM Nice treat tonight after Bible study. I had finished teaching the final lesson of the "Ten Keys" series when Scott Mahlstedt gave me a flat slab covered with newspaper. The flat slab turned out to be frozen Brunswick stew. Regular readers of this weblog will recall a recent discussion about where to find the be...
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Wednesday, Marc h 24, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, March 24, 2004
10:33 PM We just posted a new sermon series on The Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5). Special thanks to Kathy Duggins for putting these sermons on the website. Included in this series are sermons on "Happy are the Sad," "God's Peace Corps," "What We Saw in India," "The Tragedy of Double Visio...
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Thursday, March 18, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, March 18, 2004
7:24 PM This request arrived a few hours ago: I work with HeartBound Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia. We are a Christian outreach ministry that seeks to minister to inmates through their prison chaplains. We have been asked to do a concert and provide 1,200 Easter gift bags to inmates at Georgia State Prison in Reidsville. T...
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Wednesday, February 25, 2004
10:41 AM You can view the latest photos from the Costa Rica men's ministry trip here and here. 6:21 AM I can hardly keep my eyes open. Last night after the "Ask Pastor Ray" Q&A with the 20/20 group, I was thinking on the way home how tired I was. When I got home Marlene said that Mark had called. Several days ago I aske...
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Saturday, January 17, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, January 17, 2004
11:05 PM Before I forget, I want to take one last look at the week I spent in Florida. Each morning and evening Graeme Kent from SIM International updated us on what SIM is doing around the world. Great advances for the gospel are being made in Africa and Asia. Computer technology has enabled us to reach more people faster ...
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Tuesday, January 13, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, January 13, 2004
11:27 AM Just finished my morning message. I’m doing two different series this week: In the mornings I’m speaking on “The Cross, the Church and the World” from 1 Corinthians 1-2, and at night I’m doing a series called “The God You Can Trust.” Today I mentioned the Chicago Cubs and how peop...
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Monday, January 5, 2004
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Monday, January 5, 2004
11:15 PM Renovation Update: The office/classroom area is basically finished. Today they started painting lines on the gym floor for basketball, volleyball and the Awana circle. The nursery is nearly finished. They still have some work to do in the portico. If we get the go-ahead from the village inspectors, we hope to use t...
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Thursday, December 25, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 25, 2003
9:47 PM Christmas Day is a good time for a bike ride because the streets are almost empty. My current total for the year is 3584 miles. I am often asked where I ride. The answer is, on the streets of Oak Park, River Forest, Forest Park, and sometimes Chicago. I suppose that 95% of the time I follow the same route—an 1...
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Saturday, December 20, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Saturday, December 20, 2003
8:09 PM Meghan Keating writes from Ireland where she has recently gone to spend a year as a nanny with an Irish family. It wasn't that many days ago that we prayed together before she left. She is off to a good start: Tonight I'm proud to report that I've successfully survived my first week in Ireland. Quite nicely in fact....
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Tuesday, December 16, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, December 16, 2003
3:37 PM The Washington Times says that pro-lifers are winning the war on abortion. 3:36 PM Al Mohler issues a call for courage on biblical manhood and womanhood. 8:26 AM New bike riding total: 3504 miles this year. 7:43 AM Our Children's Choirs presented an incredible program on Sunday night. Over 150 children took part in ...
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Thursday, December 4, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, December 4, 2003
9:18 PM Andrew Irvin reports that all systems are GO for "Two From Galilee." He also says that we're completely sold out for all three performances, but there are always tickets turned in by people who can't attend for one reason or another, so if you come and don't mind waiting, you'll probably get a seat. Most likely ...
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Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Tuesday, November 25, 2003
10:57 PM Lunch report: really good French Fries, the hotdog was okay. I think I like the Polish dogs at Parky's better (Gene and Jude's doesn't serve Polish dogs), French Fries at both place are hot, greasy and very tasty… . Later in the afternoon I saw Nick and he wanted me to listen to a CD he compiled at Samford. ...
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Thursday, July 10, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, July 10, 2003
3:24 PM Bob Boerman just came in and told me to be at the church tonight at 7 PM for a special taping for Summer Breakaway. Since Marlene and I won’t there this year (our first time to miss in ten years), I’m taping a special message for those who will be there. The theme this year has something to do with knights and kings and castles …
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Thursday, June 12, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Thursday, June 12, 2003
Congrats to Kevin McCullough who has been a fixture in Chicago Christian radio (and a part of our church family) for more than a decade. He’s moving to New York City where he will host programs on two stations in the nation’s #1 media market. Read about it here Comings and goings at Calvary ... The Allied Force High Sc...
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Friday, May 30, 2003
Posted by Ray Pritchard on Friday, May 30, 2003
This Sunday is Day in Our Village in Oak Park. That means that Lake Street will be partially blocked on Sunday morning, making parking more difficult than usual. On the plus side, it means that after church, you can stroll either way on Lake Street and join the multitudes in this village-wide party. There will be street musicians, concerts, sidewal…
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