Be Steadfast

Be Steadfast — Ministry Focus for 20241 Corinthians 15:58January 28, 2024 In the late 1980s, Henry Dempsey was flying for a commuter airline. On one flight with an empty 15-passenger airplane, he and the copilot heard a rattling noise toward the back of the plane. The copilot took control of the plane when Dempsey […]

You and the Word

You and the WordPsalm 119 SummaryJanuary 21, 2024 When I was a child, at Christmas my maternal grandparents always had a candy gift bag for each of the grandchildren. But there was a requirement for receiving that gift: you had to quote a Bible verse from memory. We shared Christmas with them in my sixth […]

The Bible and Prayer

The Bible and PrayerPsalm 119:169-176January 14, 2024 At the beginning and middle of every new year, we spend one Sunday being reminded of the importance of the Word of God in our lives from Psalm 119. This morning, we come to the last stanza in this great text. We will find in this passage many […]

Christ’s Two Appearances

Christ’s Two AppearancesTitus 2:11-14December 17, 2023 ’Tis the season for waiting. And waiting. Maxine Bland can empathize. A couple of decades ago she showed up to work and found a letter for her that was postmarked 14 years earlier. It had the correct postage for the time, the correct address and zip code; it […]

The Reward for Equipping the Saints

The Reward for Equipping the Saints2 Timothy 4:6-8December 10, 2023 Winning the biggest sports contests and the prizes that come with them are rare: Only 25 players are on the roster of the team that wins the World Series Only about 50 players are on the winning team of the Super Bowl Only 26 players […]

Instruction for Equipping the Saints

Instruction for Equipping the Saints2 Timothy 4:1-5December 3, 2023 In his book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, Oliver Burkeman writes: The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be 80, you have just over 4,000 weeks. Nobody needs telling there isn’t enough time. We’re obsessed with our lengthening to-do […]

The Character of People who Equip the Saints

The Character of the People Who Equip the SaintsTitus 2:1-8November 26, 2023 When the Lord revealed His plan for leaders in the church, He did the opposite of what the world typically does — He called the church to identify leaders on the basis of character more than competency. Look at the lists in 1 […]

The People Who Equip the Saints

The People Who Equip the Saints1 Timothy 1:12-17November 19, 2023 Three years ago Chris Young was named as the General Manager of the Texas Rangers. At that time he talked to longtime Ranger broadcaster, Eric Nadel, and said something like, “We need you to stay our broadcaster because we are going to win a […]

One Goal for Equipping the Saints

One Goal for Equipping the Saints1 Timothy 1:3-5November 12, 2023 I hate to rush right past Thanksgiving and Christmas, but in a few weeks you will be thinking about new goals for a new year. What kinds of things might you consider? One writer has some suggestions for you: Read less. It makes me think […]

Thirteen Core Values

Thirteen Core Values for Equipping the SaintsSelected ScripturesNovember 5, 2023 When we train counselors and disciplers, we frequently talk about our motives — why do we do what we do? We understand that there is a connection between what is inside us and what we do — our inner man determines what we […]

In that Day…God Remembers

In That Day…God RemembersZechariahOctober 22, 2023 In his book, The Body: a Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson tells us about our memories: Short-term memory is really short—no more than half a minute or so for things like addresses and phone numbers.…Most people’s short-term memory is pretty abysmal. Six random words or digits is about all […]

The Messiah’s Worshippers

The Messiah’s WorshippersZechariah 14:16-21October 15, 2023 Many years ago I took my first trip to Israel. The trip ended with several days in Jerusalem and I, like all the other visitors, was struck by the presence of armed military everywhere. In the markets, at the Wailing Wall, at the city gates, at the holy sites…it […]

The Messiah’s Victory

The Messiah’s VictoryZechariah 14:10-15September 24, 2023 One husband was complaining to his wife about their children, wondering if they would ever grow up. Saying, “Just a moment,” his wife pulled out a worn box that contained a frayed, yellowing diary — her diary from the year 1945. She read this entry from a particularly bad […]

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)

The Messiah’s Return (Pt. 2)Zechariah 14:6-9September 17, 2023 The coming of the Messiah (Christ) as King is one of the dominant themes in the OT: For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful […]

The Messiah’s Return

The Messiah’s ReturnZechariah 14:1-5September 10, 2023 In February 1942, the American war against the Japanese in the Philippines was not going well. It was going so poorly that by March 12, 1942, President Roosevelt ordered General Douglas MacArthur, who was stationed in the Philippines, to leave and relocate his command in Australia. MacArthur briefly considered […]