Biblical Church Growth: Listening, Connecting, and Living Out the Word
I recently spoke with Pastor Chris Dorrity of The Branch Church about principles for biblical church growth. With decades of experience launching churches, Chris offered great insights. He highlighted Paul’s mentorship of Timothy in 2 Timothy 4, noting effective ministry combines the wisdom of seasoned believers with the passion of emerging leaders. Surrounding ourselves with […]
Serving God with Our Whole Heart
In the Old Testament, King Jehu initially obeyed God’s commands through the prophet Elisha to punish evil rulers like Ahab and Jezebel. But 2 Kings 10 reveals Jehu’s ultimate downfall – though he did right things, he failed to wholeheartedly serve the Lord. Jehu followed God’s instructions to fulfill specific tasks. He got rid of […]
When People Curse You, Trust God Has Your Back
The story of David’s son Absalom rebelling against him holds an important lesson about responding to mistreatment. When David fled Jerusalem, a man named Shimei cursed and threw stones at him. David’s men wanted to retaliate, but David said no. He recognized that though Shimei acted wrongly, God had allowed this adversity as discipline for […]
Finding Hope for a Heavy Heart
Many I’ve spoken with recently seem weighed down by heavy burdens – loved ones battling illness, financial struggles, dismay over Israel. Christians feel disheartened seeing our country adrift morally. Like David in Psalm 143, our spirits feel overwhelmed. In these times, we must lean into God’s promises. Despite oppressive darkness, He offers hope. Jesus said […]
Putting Legs on Our Prayers – Taking Action for God
Prayer is vital, but it’s not the endpoint of our faith. My friend always asked not to just “blanket” him in prayer. Be specific, he’d say. This aligns with biblical examples of purposeful, pointed prayer. Recall the blind men crying out to Jesus – they directly requested healing. Jesus then asked what they wanted Him […]
Stewardship is More Than Tithing – It’s Wholehearted Offering
Many churches focus on tithing and giving during January as a stewardship emphasis. But true, biblical stewardship encompasses so much more than just finances. In Exodus 25, God instructs Moses to gather offerings from the Israelites to construct the ark of the covenant and tabernacle. Importantly, these offerings were to come from those who gave […]
Staying Close to the Fire of God
In my recent Bible reading in Exodus, a passage jumped out at me about Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. After rescuing them from Egypt, God led His people to this mountain. His fiery presence descended upon it, with smoke billowing up like a furnace (Exodus 19:17-18). Moses and Joshua went up into the […]
Guard Your Heart – Let the King of Glory In
I want to share a story from about 20 years ago that taught me the importance of guarding my heart. At the time, I often listened to talk radio while driving. Over several years, I found myself frequently getting angry about politics and culture. Eventually I realized all this negative input was affecting me. Like […]
The 10 Commandments of Biblical Financial Stewardship
In the classic film The Ten Commandments, Moses comes down from Mount Sinai with God’s holy laws etched in stone. While Scripture doesn’t give 10 commandments for finances, it does provide timeless principles to guide our stewardship. Applying these precepts leads to blessing and freedom. Building wealth starts with spending less than we make. Gambling […]
Seeking Biblical Financial Counsel
Throughout life, we receive advice from many sources. As a kid, I often ignored my parents’ wise guidance, only realizing later how right they were. The same principle applies with finances – we must seek and heed sound biblical counsel, not just popular worldly perspectives. Proverbs 15:22 warns that “plans fail for lack of counsel, […]
