“There is scarcely anything so dull and meaningless as Bible doctrine taught for its own sake. Truth divorced from life is not truth in its biblical sense, but something else and something less.” – A. W. Tozer, American pastor and author
Keys to Worship Planning: CANEI
“CANEI is an acronym that stands for constant and never ending improvement. If you really want your services to soar, you have to commit to CANEI. You can never be satisfied with what you did last week, even if it was a great week. Always keep moving forward; always be working to reveal God’s excellence in a new, more powerful … Read More
God’s Dietary Guidelines (Thursdays are for Health)
“God designed our bodies, designed food for them and then put his dietary guidelines in place for our own good. Anatomically speaking, paying attention to what he says about food gives us the greatest chance for optimal health. For example: Eat lots of fruits and vegetables. (Genesis 1:29) Fish with scales and fins are healthier than sea scavengers. (Lev. 11:9-11) Pigs … Read More
Effective Community Outreach, Part 1 of 2
Kindness can be a powerful tool, especially when it comes to reaching the unchurched. One of the most effective ways you can mobilize your people for community outreach is through Servant Evangelism. Let’s start with the formal definition: Servant evangelism is doing intentional acts of kindness with the express purpose of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. The fact … Read More
The Number One Enemy of the Writer
Today’s post comes to us from Dr. Dawn Field for BookBaby.com. The lessons in the article below apply to sermon writing just as much as fiction writing. What is the biggest hurdle for any writer? A lack of time? The blank page? Writer’s block? Having your ideas stolen? The absence of an agent or publisher? Probably not. So, what is … Read More
Sunday Scripture: Share Your Gift
“If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” – Romans 12:8 (NLT)
George W. Truett on Greatness
“To know the will of God is the greatest knowledge! To do the will of God is the greatest achievement.” -George W. Truett, pastor of First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas from 1897-1944
Keys to Worship Planning: Be Grateful for Feedback
“Over the years, I have learned to be extremely grateful for feedback. If I’m doing something wrong, I want to know it. The fact is, if one of my staff notices something out of whack in the service, then several people in the congregation probably notice it too. The same is true for you. Rather than repeating the same … Read More
The Unaddressed Sin (Thursdays are for Health)
“There’s an unaddressed sin undermining church leaders today – one we’ve come to accept as normal, even though it has the potential to completely derail the work God has called us to. The sin is gluttony, plain and simple. So prevalent that it has become a cultural norm, gluttony can be easily overlooked and accepted as a normal part of life. … Read More
Preaching Best Practice: The Message Run-Through (Part 2 of 2)
Last week, I wrote that one of my mantras is “Never preach a message once.” And no, preaching a message in multiple services doesn’t count! As promised, here are the remaining five best practices for your message run-through: 5. Gather an interested audience. Pull together your worship pastor and the other teaching pastors on your staff to sit in on … Read More