When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with the time he learned from the wise men. Matthew 2:16 Growing up I became used to making new friends, new schools, new towns and new homes. This was the life of a [...]
Mark 14:38 b. "The spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak." I have not written anything for some time. I have been going through one of the most difficult seasons and it has been hard to share anything that I thought was of value. Life can be so hard and ministry most lonely. This is not what most churches want to hear. Sunday after Sunday in our Traditional American Churches there is an expectation [...]
"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1:2-4 (NIV) An aspect of character we must master is perseverance. James tells us that it is the quality of character that will bring us to the mature and complete destination God desires. It [...]
Last week I started a new teaching series at The Dwelling Place entitled "Going Deep." It was prompted by something I posted a few days back where I said "Going Deep is our part, going Big is God's part." As I was reflecting on Acts 2 I noticed something that jerked me back like a dog on a leash. We have a tendency as church pastors and church planter to give in to the pressure [...]
As is my custom, I tucked my two boys into bed an prayed with them. My sons have gotten into a habbit of thanking God for all of our family and then one by one every animal we have ever had dead and alive. No, this is not going to be a theological discussion on "prayers for the dead." I am always looking for teachable moments. Jonathan (10yrs) begings his prayer and gets to the [...]
