Soren Kierkegaard, the great Danish philosopher, told the story of a prince who wanted to find a young woman suitable to be his queen. One day while visiting in the local village, he glanced out the windows of the carriage …
Be thankful for those who serve – and be one who serves
Christmas 1933 was a challenging financial time in the midst of the Great Depression, and it was no different in the city of Canton, Ohio. So it grabbed the attention of many when the local newspaper ran a story reporting …
Avoiding the Appearance of Evil
Whether you are a Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal, the recent events surrounding presidential candidate Herman Cain should be a reminder to all of us that it is not enough to avoid doing bad things; we should work hard …
A Better Place to Occupy
Across America we’re hearing news reports about groups setting up camp in public parks and other locations to demonstrate their opposition to Wall Street, corporations, government and any number of other antagonists. It started as Occupy Wall Street, but we …
Pray for Persecuted Christians in Egypt
In a recent entry on his blog, Michael Milton writes: “Is the Arab spring turning into a winter of persecution? Over 100,000 Coptic Christians have now left their home in Egypt and have joined the growing refugee movement. Of the …
Marching Off the Map
The great Methodist preacher Halford Luccock published a book entitled Marching Off the Map. The name came from a story about Alexander the Great. As Luccock tells the story, Alexander’s army had moved from victory to victory, sweeping across Asia …
What does it mean to be missional?
The term “missional” shows up in lots of conversations among church leaders these days. Clearly we are trying to gain a renewed focus on what we are to be and do as the church in the 21st century. In fact, …
The Power of Words
It happened in the 1840s in Uruguay. The Uruguayan Navy was desperate. They were fending off the navy of an aggressive force from Argentina. They ran out of conventional ammunition and thought their cause was lost. Someone came up with …
The Priorities of Preaching Under Pressure
(This week’s blog postings are adapted from the theme address, “Preaching Under Pressure,” presented at the EK Bailey International Conference on Expository Preaching in July.) As you face the pressures of ministry, let me suggest that you . . . …
We preach under pressure because time is running out
(This week’s blog postings are adapted from the theme address, “Preaching Under Pressure,” presented at the EK Bailey International Conference on Expository Preaching in July.) We preach under pressure because the church is struggling and the world doesn’t care. There’s …