If a pastor has 50 people in his church, 60 is a big increase. And 75 is even better, and 100 is a near-miracle. But what if 700 people suddenly showed up one Sunday? Would that be a miracle or a nightmare?Moderate success we can handle. Overwhelming success can destroy us because we’re not ready for it. When Jesus called Peter in Luke 5…
Last Friday John Riley and I interviewed Jim Bob Duggar of the TV show 19 Kids and Counting at the Values Voters Summit in Washington D.C. During the interview Jim Bob told us that during their visit to the Washington the kids were actually doing the camera work for the season-ending episode. At one point a large group of the Duggar children walked…
“We’re here tonight to honor the great Don Wildmon."That’s how emcee Gil Mertz introduced last night’s gala banquet at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that the guest of honor didn’t want anyone calling him great. It’s not his style.&n…
This morning we woke up at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, DC. This grand old hotel has welcomed kings and queens, presidents and potentates over its storied 80-year history. This weekend several thousand eager conservative activists have gathered for the Values Voter Summit. Given the rise of the Tea Party movement and the upcoming midterm …
Last Saturday the Keep Believing Board of Directors met in Oak Park, IL. Skip Olson provided a few candid shots from our meeting. Bert Duncan of Tupelo, MS and Brian Bill of Pontiac, IL could not be with us.Because of his senior status on the board, his wisdom and his unstoppable optimism, Cliff Raad deserves a picture all by himself. Going f…
That “alphabet title” may seem mysterious, but we think it’s very good news. Last week we received word that Keep Believing Ministries has been approved for membership in the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA). Suffice it to say that ECFA represents the “gold standard” for evangelical ministr…
This morning I spoke with Pastor Peter Wang in China for over an hour about the events of the last week. The police came on four different occasions to his church, attempting to shut it down. On Friday morning 20 police officers came and took him away for interrogation. On Sunday just as he was preparing to preach, police burst into the worship ser…
Many of you know that Pastor Peter is our “Keep Believing” man in China. He pastors a house church in a large Chinese city. Last Tuesday the authorities came and without explanation began to harass him and the people of his congregation. Here is the story (edited for security reasons):Without knowing why, our church has been under inter…
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 …
A friend asked about my opinion of the pastor in Florida who plans to publicly burn the Quran this Saturday, September 11, the ninth anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed 3000 people. You want my opinion? Okay, here it is this. This pastor is a fool, and the idea of burning the Quran is offensive on every possible level. It needless…