Sticks and Stones
As children, we all blurted out "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me." I trust that as adults we have all learned that nothing could be further from the truth. Words are powerful. Jesus emphasized this when He said, "These words that I speak are spirit and life." Words can create life-long prison sentences, entrapping people with fear, insecurities, and unwarranted shame. Or, words can liberate people from the chains of bondage, setting the captive free. In my 28+ years of children's ministry, I have witnessed the power of my words over and over again. I wish...
God’s Faithfulness
If you have ever attended any of our Ignite Conferences, you have heard me talk about how I love to circle important events and days on my calendar. This week one of those red letter days is occurring. On Saturday, Vickie and I will be attending our son Michael's graduation from Southeastern University. Michael is graduating with a degree in pastoral ministry and a minor in music. I will be doing my very best to hold back the tears of pride and try to refrain from shouting at the top of my lungs as he walks across the platform to receive his diploma. I am proud of Michael in so many ways....
Wisdom from the FAA
Leave it to the Federal Aviation Administration to reinforce a foundational principal for flowing in the supernatural. If you have ever flown in an airplane, you know that before the plane taxis down the runway for lift-off, a voice comes across the public-address system with flight safety instructions. During these instructions, you will learn about the importance of wearing the seat belt, where the exit doors are, how to find the doors in the event that the airplane loses its lighting, how the seats can be used as flotation devices, how to obtain oxygen in the event of an emergency, etc....
The Power of Agreement
We all have children in our ministries that are "blessings in disguise." There is always going to be that one child who has you questioning God's promise that He would not give you more than you can bear, the child who challenges your theology and convinces you to believe that demons can be children possessed. What do we do with this type of child? There are church policies and governmental laws that prevent you from doing what you'd really like to do, things that their parents aren't and should be doing on a regular basis. Each service, you do all that you can do within your power. You...
Make Room for the Holy Spirit
It is amazing. During the last few years, the American clothing industry has secretly created a way to make billions of dollars by altering the way that they measure our clothes. Let it be known throughout the land, they are making their clothes smaller and smaller. The medium isn't as medium as it used to be, the large isn't as large as it used to be, and so on. And, to make things worse, according to reputable supermarket tabloids, the global warming issue that is troubling everyone is not only affecting the polar ice caps, it is having a drastic effect upon the clothes hanging in our...
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