What exactly makes a good pastor? If you are exploring your call to ministry or are still relatively young in your pastoral position, you should know what you are called to be and do. Maybe you are currently a pastor training the next generation of elders and pastors at your church. How do you know…
Advent helps us ponder hope in three ways – associate, celebrate, and anticipate. First, during Advent, we associate with hope.We associate with the exiled Israelites. We think about what it must have felt like to live under oppression and how they were desperate for God to do something. We read prophecy and we connect with…
I recently preached through Matthew 12:22-32 which includes what is known as the unforgivable sin. It’s not an easy task to speak on this topic in a concise way! Here are my notes from the part of the talk addressing this unforgiveable sin. There’s a lot of debate and questions that surround these verses. Wait,…
Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. (Luke 2:52) How are we to think about the areas in which we should grow in our Christian life? Jesus provides a model for us as he grew intellectually, physically, spiritually, and socially (Luke 2:52). This past month in one of…
This semester one of our young adult groups studied prayer. Each week we focused on a topic related to prayer and used a resource together to practice weaving prayer into our daily lives. The following list contains the notes from my talk each week and resources we created or used together. God’s Promises…
Walking with God requires two healthy legs working together for a steady speed. The two legs of walking with God are the Word and prayer. Here are some of my favorite resources to help you have a steady, healthy walk with God in the areas of Bible and prayer. Bible Reading Resources Read the Bible…
Some people think that the idea of church membership is outdated, too rigid or constraining, optional, or totally unnecessary. Yet David Platt says, “You cannot be a disciple of Christ and you cannot fully make disciples of Christ apart from total commitment to a local church.” And Matt Chandler explains that, “local church membership is a…
I wanted to recommend a website that has impressed me recently as I have used some of their resources during my talks and in my devotions. It is called the Bible Project. At the website you will find animated videos on biblical themes, videos explaining each book of the Bible, and a Bible reading program…
I learned this prayer pattern years ago in a class I took from Donald Whitney on spiritual disciplines. Like no other discipline, prayer through the Bible in this way, especially using the Psalms, has been used by God to sustain and refresh my prayer life. The videos help people learn and practice the prayer pattern for…
The theme of union with Christ may be the one of the most under-emphasized doctrines today. I recently asked a group I was teaching to raise their hands if they have ever heard a sermon or talk on union with Christ. Nothing! Yet as I have been studying this theme recently, I am increasingly convinced…
The shepherding motif is a powerful biblical theme and provides many implications for church leaders. Why discuss shepherding with church leadership? First, it is a prominent Old Testament theme attached to leadership as God is the shepherd and leaders are to be his representative undershepherds (Ps 23, Ezk 34). Second, Jesus is the good shepherd…
Empirical research on leadership reveals that ministers place great significance on calling. This brief review will organize thoughts from ministry leaders about the importance of calling into three categories 1) calling in general, 2) the internal call to ministry, and 3) external calling. The Importance of Ministry Calling Recent research on pastoral development demonstrates the…
Scholars have defined and categorized the call to ministry in various ways. Jeff Iorg defines calling as a “profound impression from God that establishes parameters for your life.”[1] Iorg explains three types of call experiences as 1) the universal call to Christian service and growth, 2) the general call to ministry leadership, and 3) the…
In the book of Nehemiah, God did a great work through his people to build the broken wall and establish the city once again. One of the main reasons this work was accomplished is because God used a great leader, Nehemiah, to motivate, organize, and inspire the people. Nehemiah overcame great opposition and multiple obstacles, always…
Our book club just recently finished the book, Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller. Keller gives his definition of an idol and a counterfeit god, “What is an idol? It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you only what…
Equip 