Christian Living

The blind songwriter, Fanny Crosby, was asked if there was anything worse than being blind. She replied, “Yes, to have sight and no vision.”

Paul’s ministry in every city was validated partly by his sterling testimony and carefully nurtured relationships.

Harvey Firestone once said, “It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed.” This is true in every area, but it is especially true in the church.

I wonder what my spirit would have been like as a fourteen year old boy if I had been abducted by invading conquerors and taken seven hundred miles from home to serve in a foreign country.

I am an advocate of setting goals before the beginning of a new year. Philippians 3:13 encourages us to be constantly, “Reaching forth unto those things which are before.”

The ministry, by definition, is about people. While it is true that we oftentimes (of necessity) get encumbered with details of work and administrative tasks, ultimately, the ministry is about people.

One of the things that I like about our calendar system is that every 24 hours we get a brand new day that affords us the opportunity of a fresh start. Here we are in 2011.

Everybody has a worldview! From the pigmy tribes in the Congo to the cufflink staffer in the White House, everybody has a philosophy of how they view the world.

Last week, Terrie and I celebrated thirty years of marriage. It’s hard to believe that something that seemed too wonderful to be true on our wedding day is even better now!

I am glad there is a God in Heaven who is not too busy to help me with my needs. Too often, though, we do not avail ourselves to the privilege of prayer as we ought.

King Hezekiah was a good man. He made a decision early on to follow the godly example of his forefather, David, and rejected the wicked practices of his father, Ahaz.

The Bible speaks of ways that we can break our oneness with the Holy Spirit. It speaks of grieving Him, quenching Him, and resisting Him.

We are blessed beyond what we deserve, yet we expect more and thank less.

Christian homes are becoming scarce. The once-common model of parenting—in which dad and mom stood and sacrificed together—has been cheaply improvised by a godless culture.

Incredibly, God invites us to bring any need we face directly to His throne. This invitation is especially remarkable when we consider that it is from the God who:

Oftentimes in our churches, pastors are confronted with those who have blown it spiritually. These folks feel like “leftovers” or “has-beens.”

People in our church often let me know they are praying for me, and I am deeply grateful. Sometimes people ask for specifics on how they should pray for the pastor.

God’s Word assures believers that we have direct access to God through our relationship with Christ.

When a string of setbacks come into our lives we seldom begin with the question, “What is right here?” The typical starting point is, “What is wrong here?”

The autonomy of the local church is a major distinction for Baptists.