Yesterday's message ... Began dictionarily and ended Christologically;Referenced the sickness of an elevator music song with the lyrics "it's sad to belong to someone else when the right one comes along";Had ANOTHER shoutout to "you complete me" PLUS a wardrobe...
One of the most oft-repeated phrases in evangelicalism is "Christ-likeness." As in, "the goal of discipleship is to grow us in Christ-likeness." Or: "we mature in faith as we become more Christ-like." Or even at a memorial service: "she (or he) was one of the most...
Several years ago, I was speaking with a friend on the difference between exhortational preaching and evocative preaching. Exhortational preaching challenges. Urges. Implores. It is filled with phrases like “you should” and “we ought” and “do this” and “consider...
I spent three days last week in rainy Orlando, Florida at the Wesleyan Covenant Association's Large Church Pastor's Gathering. It was three days of worship, education, information, and encouragement. On Day One of the gathering, I even got to present a slice of the...
Yesterday's message ... Was one of those drawing from a number of places in Scripture rather than a concentrated focus on one section;Was one with which I wrestled all week trying to get the internalizing and the timing down;Was one of the rare ones that was OK at...
Well, not really. But keep reading long enough and you'll find me. Check it here. https://www.christianpost.com/news/adam-hamilton-says-umc-will-lose-at-least-3400-churches-next-year-over-lgbt-debate.html
John Wesley started a religious movement in the 1700s that eventually became the United Methodist Church. I heard this week about his epitaph. Here it is: Revive, enforce, and defend the pure apostolic doctrines and practices of the primitive church. Huh.
Throughout most of the 20th Century and now into the 21st, charismatic and Methodist Christians have had very little to do with each other. Charismatics, who trace their modern origins to the Azusa Street Revival in 1906, define themselves by expressive worship,...
Yesterday's message ... Had a rare, late in the week edit in which the opening paragraph was gutted, replaced, and I think improved;Had a title with a word I think I might have invented;Recognized that the prelude to the Ten Commandments is as important as the...
Most of the time, when most of us read biblical stories warning us against the dangers of idolatry, we breathe a sigh of relief: “Well, I don’t have any little tin gods around the house, so I’ve got nothing to worry about.” And we couldn’t be more wrong. Idolatry...