I must confess that my entire approach to preaching is unorthodox and, perhaps, inadequate, at least in the eyes of those who so faithfully equipped me throughout my educational years. This great revelation came to me a bit ago while I was out shoveling the snow off of my driveway. For whatever it is worth, READ MORE
Preaching
A Primer for Those Who Listen
This Sunday has me stepping onto the platform at New Hope Church in the Minneapolis area for the first time as the church’s new senior pastor. To say I am excited is a profound understatement! And though the word “honored” may seem cliché, it is exactly how I feel. But I am also a bit READ MORE
Select Reflections on Preaching
Preaching is among the sublimest gifts of life, for in it the written Word of God comes alive for the hearer, and the Spirit of God uses such a hearing to direct the soul of a man or woman right to the very foot of the Throne. Preaching can never be taken lightly within the READ MORE
Warriors, to be Reckoned With
Unless the Lord returns and takes us to Heaven, this coming Sunday at Bethel Church we will run headlong into a brief but important sermon series entitled, Warrior: A Study of Biblical Womanhood. This journey will take all of us—men and women—through the Scriptures’ winding roads, where we will make meaningful stops in places like READ MORE
The Twelve
Pay careful attention to the story of Jesus’ formal affirmation of the twelve disciples who would follow after him, as recorded by Mark in the historical account bearing his name: And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom READ MORE
Prayer in a Desolate Place
Jesus’ early-morning trek to an out-of -the-way spot so that he might talk with his heavenly Father offers some important lessons regarding both prayer and purpose. Consider the passage, as revealed in Mark 1:35-39: And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, READ MORE