I received an encouraging email yesterday from a dear friend that brought to my mind this blog posting of mine from late summer or early fall of 2009. I have to tell you that I love to preach, and I am so thankful for the privilege that it is, and the patient and eager spirit READ MORE
You hear about it all over the media right now, and it dominates the conversations of a lot of families, churches and skeptics. The topic? The Rapture of the Church. I personally have preached on this topic, and have lately referenced it through a sermon series I am currently preaching entitled “Memoirs of an Ancient Prophet: READ MORE
Anticipating this weekend’s sermon from our series entitled, “Lies the Church Believes,” I’m reprising this posting from the Fall of 2008. This weekend’s message: “Lie #3: Tradition is More Important than the Mission of the Church.” The people of Israel mastered two tasks during their trek through the wilderness: winding their way through the mountain READ MORE
Within the next couple of weeks we at Bethel Church will be completing the Gospel of John. By the time it is said and done we will have moved through fifty-one sermons in the Gospel of John. No doubt that is a lot; some would say too much. I remember some years ago sitting with READ MORE
Too many pastoral leaders are isolated, ground-down by the rough chisel of people’s warped expectations, and filled with worry that they really are not making any meaningful difference. I should know. I have been there. The fact is, it is one of the devil’s most familiar tactical approaches with pastors and their families. So when READ MORE
The past few days I’ve been suffering for Jesus in Carlsbad, California, attending to two critical features of my yearly schedule. One is a personal retreat; a time for prayer and reflection and dreaming and rest. This is something that the leadership at Bethel Church sees as very important; time that we want all of READ MORE
