I was asked recently to share about the way spiritual warfare works in my own life. What a tough thing to tackle! Dare I be brutally honest, conveying the depths that I can go in my own struggle against the “cosmic powers over this present darkness” (Ephesians 6:12)? Generally speaking I shared along two lines. READ MORE
God
Three Means to Hardened Heart
While visiting with a friend this morning the conversation turned to the too-common reality of a heart grown hard. My friend and I are people desperate to have hearts soft toward God, tender to his purposes and pleasures and presence. As we were reflecting on this hunger for pliability and proximity to the Father, what READ MORE
Ten Things I Learn When I Listen to God
There are those convictions that come along reminding me that I spend an awful lot of time talking to the Lord, but very little real time just listening. Reflecting on this sad reality brings to my mind the words of Isaiah 29:13, wherein the Lord says, “this people draw[s] near with their mouth and honor[s] READ MORE
Loved By God
[fblike] * * * * * * * * * * “Write This Down” is a summary of select teaching moments offered by Pastor Matthew. The preceding material is from the message “Loved By God,” part two of the sermon series entitled, “Follow Me,” a study on being a disciple who makes disciples, presented READ MORE
The Shepherd’s Prayer
Folded into the midst of of the sixty-ninth psalm is a remarkably simple prayer that captures my attention and ought to capture the attention of every pastor, leader and shepherd. Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek you be READ MORE
Thoughts on Aronofsky’s “Noah”
Christa and I went to a late morning showing of Noah yesterday at the West Acres Cinema in Fargo. Honestly, it was better than I anticipated, and yet it fell well short of what it should have been. Some of the positive things about the movie, things that I frankly thought filmmaker Darren Aronofsky did READ MORE