04/06/18 Knit Together

READING: 1 Samuel 17-20, Psalm 59 “Jonathan was bound to David in close friendship.” 1 Samuel 18:1 It is difficult, if not impossible, to explain…

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Preaching with Notes: Yes or No?

As a young pastor, I faced the unexpected wrath of a church member who couldn’t believe I used notes when I preached. “I want a pastor who only follows the Holy Spirit,” she told me—and then never returned to the church. Since then, I’ve debated pros and cons of using notes, and I’ve preached both ways.

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04/05/18 Outward Appearances

READING: 1 Samuel 13-16 “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord  looks on the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7 Perhaps…

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10 Signs We Might Think We’re More Important than We Are

To be honest, I don’t know any leaders who don’t struggle at some point with ego. The problem is that ego is like a trickle of water—what starts out small erodes the surface a bit, grows in volume, and creates a problem before we ever recognize it happening.

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04/04/18 Charges against Me?

READING: 1 Samuel 9-12 “Bring charges against me before the Lord and his anointed.” 1 Samuel 12:3 These past few weeks, I’ve been thinking much about life…

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9 Reasons New Pastors Lose Their Passion

I remember the excitement I felt when I started pastoring my first church. In no way could I have adequately explained the zeal of my calling. Too often, though, pastors start out like I did and then quickly lose their passion for the ministry task.

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04/03/18 A Magical Charm?

READING: 1 Samuel 4-8 “So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated.” 1 Samuel 4:10 I wonder if I ever treat God as if He…

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04/02/18 The Burden Bearer

READING: 1 Samuel 1-3 “I’ve been praying from the depth of my anguish and resentment.” 1 Samuel 1:16 It’s hard to explain what it’s like…

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