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…
This morning we wrapped up the John 17 conference in Rochester, New York. Church leaders from all over the region gathered for three days of fellowship and biblical teaching. Pastor Ray Viola of Koinonia Fellowship was on a missions trip to India two years ago when after preaching on Jesus’ prayer in John 17, especially the prayer that &ldquo…
I have some big news. We are releasing our first-ever ebook. My book “In the Shadow of the Cross: The Deeper Meaning of Calvary” is now available as an ebook. It is now available in both Kindle and Nook formats. We have also added a PDF version.Here’s the back story. About ten years Broadman & Holman published “In the Sh…
A question came recently from a young friend who has been invited to preach in a few weeks. He’ll be filling in for the pastor who is away that Sunday. It’s a small congregation, and he doesn’t know the people or much of anything about the church. Did I have any suggestions about how to choose a sermon?There are two ways to go her…
I’m on the road once again, this time flying to Rochester, New York. I confess that I didn’t really know where it was until I looked at the map yesterday. It’s on Lake Ontario in western New York, between Buffalo and Syracuse, and just across the lake from Toronto. To get there I’m flying from Tupelo to Memphis to Detroit to…
If have an iPhone or an Android, here are two highly recommended Bible apps. Both are free:YouVersion This app was put together by LifeChurch.TV. Besides offering a huge selection of Bible versions, it has the largest collection of Bible reading plans I’ve ever seen. Clearly the people who put this app together want you to read your Bible. Th…
Three times in 1 John 1 the apostle repeats the phrase “If we say”:"If we say, ‘We have fellowship with Him,’ and walk in darkness” (v. 6)."If we say, ‘We have no sin’” (v. 8)."If we say, ‘We have not sinned’” (v. 10). The worst lies we tell are the ones we tell to ou…
A few days ago a woman stopped me and asked a question: “Where do you get your support?” I’ve been asked that a few times lately, so here’s the short answer, in bullet points:We rely 100% on the gifts of God’s people.It’s been that way since we started Keep Believing Ministries five years ago. Our funding co…
In the last three months we have shipped almost 60,000 copies of An Anchor for the Soul from our Book Depot in Chicago. From the beginning of this ministry in 2001, we have always put a priority on donating copies for the men and women serving in the United States Armed Forces. Thousands of copies have ended up in Iraq and Afghanistan.How do those …
In an article on dealing with conflict, Gordon MacDonald describes how as a young pastor he wanted to gain the “coolness of spirit” to engage in difficult conversations in a positive way: A breakfast with the chairman of our church board sharpened these intentions. I was a very young pastor, prone to making novice-level mistakes. The ch…