Blog
Blog
Leading A Church In A Time Of Sexual Questioning
“Pastor,” in tears, “my daughter just came home from college and told me she thinks she is a lesbian. We don’t know what to do.” “Pastor,” in confusion, “a seventh-grade girl told her group she is bisexual, and has a crush on another girl. Should...
Christians Can Be Confident They Won’t Lose Salvation (Here’s Why)
Are you or Christians you know asking, “Am I really a Christian?” Are Christ-followers in your church letting fear, past mistakes, doubts, and other troubles rob them of confidence in their final salvation? Then this article adapted from Robert A....
How Was the Bible Written? A Visual Exploration
How was the Bible written? How were the Scriptures “God-breathed”? Explore these questions in a new way with Tim Challies and Josh Byers in this article adapted from A Visual Theology Guide to the Bible: Seeing and Knowing God’s Word . This book...
Emotionally Healthy Culture and Team Building
Creating an emotionally healthy culture and building a healthy team are among the primary tasks for every leader, whether that leader is a senior pastor, a para-church ministry department head, a nonprofit or a marketplace executive, a church board...
Am I Hearing the Holy Spirit or My Intuition?
I have a four-step process I follow when I make decisions. Especially when I make big decisions. When I do share this “sacred pace” approach, one of the most common questions people ask me is, “How do I know whether I’m hearing from the Holy Spirit or just my own instincts and intuition?”
7 Areas for Couples to Circle in Prayer
Nothing has the potential to bring change to a relationship like prayer. Prayer can soften our hearts, provide wisdom and patience beyond our ability, and remind us of the pure love and grace we have received from the Lord so that we might extend...
What “Your Kingdom Come” Really Means
Here is one very practical recommendation for engaging the kingdom of God afresh. It is simply this: pray the Lord’s Prayer. I encourage this not just because I believe the prayer contains the “how and why” of our existence but also because Jesus...
Why Doubt Is Nothing To Be Afraid Of
In Mark 9v24 , a desperate man prayed a desperate prayer: “Lord I believe, help my unbelief!” This 2,000-year-old prayer has become a mantra of our skeptical age. According to James K.A. Smith, believing doesn’t come easy anymore: “We don’t believe...
The Journey to Know God - You Need To Know
Growing up in the church, I often heard people talking about what it means to “know God.” I assumed that they meant knowing about God, presumably from reading their Bibles and paying closer attention to our pastor’s sermons than I probably did. But...
Should You Learn Biblical Greek? Consider This...
The main purpose of writing the new Basics of Biblical Greek Grammar, Fourth Edition is to help you to understand better and to communicate more clearly the Word of God. This must be kept in mind at all times. It should motivate you, encourage you...
Scripture’s Motivation to Seek Racial and Ethnic Unity Right Now
“These words are a call to abandon complicit Christianity and move toward courageous Christianity.” History and Scripture teaches us that there can be no reconciliation without repentance. There can be no repentance without confession. And there...
Pastor, Lose Your Swag and Embrace Your Limp
Not long ago, I failed miserably at practicing what I preach. I committed a very hurtful sin with my tongue, to which my wife responded, “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks.” She then told me what I already knew. My sharp words were a betrayal of...
Answering the Call to Lo Debar
by By Rob Cowles, adapated from the new book The God of New Beginnings: How the Power of Relationship Brings Hope and Redeems Lives When Mephibosheth was five years old, his father, Jonathan and grandfather, Saul the king of Israel, were killed in a...
The Golden-Mouthed Preacher: Lessons Learned from John Crysostom
John Chrysostom (ca. 349–407) boldly called for distinctive Christian living and piety, and he denounced the abuses of the wealthy and powerful. His direct preaching eventually raised the ire of the imperial family, and he was deposed and died in...
Preparing Couples for a Marriage, Not a Wedding
As pastors, our call isn’t to put on a great prelude to a party (i.e., a wedding). It’s to prepare engaged couples for marriage, a lifelong relationship. Too often, time constraints lead many of us to focus the bulk of our “preparation” on planning...
3 Lies About Fighting Sin
Sin is a reality for every Christian. Which is why fighting sin is one of the most common topics a Christian thinks about, wrestles with, and seeks counsel on. However, many of us carry around 3 subtle lies about how to fight sin. If we want to...
Free Resources
Using How (not) to Save the World with your church or small group?
Here are some tools to help:
The Small Group Tool Kit includes two mobile-friendly invitation cards, reflection cards to enhance your small group experience, and a worship song playlist curated by Hosanna Wong that can beplayed during small group meetings or personal Bible study time.
The Church Tool Kit includes a downloadable poster, bulletininsert, invitation card, and Power Point slide.
Is your church talking about anxiety, depression and mental health issues? You should be.
Shawn Johnson, lead pastor of Red Rocks Church, gives a
searingly honest portrait of anxiety and depression and shows readers how to fight back and live free. He also has put together three free tools pastors can use to help their congregation have a productive conversation around mental health, including a discussion guide, sermon notes and key Scripture verses.