I love hearing stories of how God is working in many parts of the world in spite of government, religious and cultural opposition. I recently read an article about a woman from Saudi Arabia who came to Christ because she had a “Jesus dream.” She told of more than 30 of her friends who had […]
I love hearing stories of how God is working in many parts of the world in spite of government, religious and cultural opposition. I recently read an article about a woman from Saudi Arabia who came to Christ because she had a “Jesus dream.” She told of more than 30 of her friends who had […]
Prayer is one of the primary values of the leadership of Bethel University. In addition to chapels, spiritual emphasis weeks, and intentional mentoring of students, there is a group of people who gather every Wednesday at noon in the old log church on campus for a time of prayer for the university, the students, and […]
According to a study by Lifeway Research, 13% of pastors that were interviewed in 2005 had left ministry within 10 years of their study. The study identified several factors leading to pastor attrition. More common factors include: conflict, family, burnout, moral lapse, and poor fit. Over the course of nearly 50 years of ministry I […]
Corporate mid-week prayer meetings and Sunday morning pastoral prayers have gone the way of hymnals and pews. It isn’t that we are opposed to corporate prayer or pastoral prayer as a part of worship; it seems that we have just “moved on” from some old traditions. There are likely numerous reasons for the demise of […]
I have vivid childhood memories of prayer meetings in my home church. The pastor or one of the deacons began with a passage of Scripture – very little teaching, just a reading of the passage. There were prayer requests and while we prayed for the sick, there was a strong focus on praying for those […]
I love the fact that God created us to live in community and created a community for us called the Church. As challenging as it can be at times to live in community, God established His Church, the Body of Christ, as a “community” of believers that we might reflect the character of Christ. It […]
When Ezra returned with those who had been in exile, he proclaimed a fast in order to seek direction from the Lord. Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. […]
God has a way of working in unexpected ways to accomplish His purposes. In ancient history, events like the parting of the Red Sea and the fall of Jericho rank high as God’s surprising work. In a few weeks, we will celebrate one of the world’s greatest surprises–the resurrection of Jesus. Even though Jesus had […]
Unplanned is the inspiring true story of one woman’s journey of transformation. All Abby Johnson ever wanted to do was help women. As one of the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic directors in the nation, she was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions and counseled countless women about their reproductive choices. Her passion surrounding a woman’s right […]