I See the Rain A Comin’
I was raised (and often reared ... if you get my drift) in a home where my sister Ruth and I had to be dead three days before missing church. After all, if Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, Mom and Dad expected us to as well. Missing church for baseball practice, going to the movies with friends on a Wednesday night, being up late on a Saturday night and not getting up for church on Sunday wasn't an option. Consequently, in addition to the great foundation laid at home each day, we received consistent, systematic, solid Bible teaching in our Sunday school classes, children's church,...
The Fruit of Our Labor
By no means do I consider myself to be a cityslicker. The city that I grew up wasn't much of a city. With a whopping 6 traffic lights, "fine" eateries consisting of the likes of Dairy Queen and a greasy spoon called Grothe's Restaurant, and 3 grocery stores, West Columbia, Texas wasn't much to brag about. Still, it was home. Neither do I consider myself a country bumpkin. We did have a few chickens in a fenced-in area for a while when I was young. We did raise tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, and squash each summer in our little garden in our back yard. I guess that I'm a fine mixture of both ......
Children’s Ministry 101 as Taught by Gideon
I love the biblical account of Gideon's victory over the Midianites. From my early days in Sunday School, this story has ranked up there right alongside David's battle with Goliath and Joshua and the battle of Jericho.This story found Judges 6 and 7 provides three great leadership principles for Children's Ministry leaders. The number of your army (staff) may not be what you want. Gideon didn't appreciate God whittling down his numbers. Through Gideon's example, God proved that being understaffed wasn't a deterent to Gideon's victory. The members of your army (staff) may not be the ones that...
The Discipline of Revival
In teaching about moves of God, I often state that moves of God are nothing more than passion and discipline connecting. People rarely fail in the area of passion. They truly want God to show up. Their roadblock often lies in the area of discipline. Life is just too busy to begin and maintain the disciplines that move us from an occasional visit from God into a lifestyle that has the habitation of God (revival). Sadly, people are dissatisfied where things are but not desperate enough to do what it takes to bring about a change. I love what Martin Luther wrote in his journal, "I have a very...
The "Secret" of Revival
In reading E.G. Carre's Praying Hyde, Apostle of Prayer, I came across a quote from Charles G. Finney that is so simple and yet so profound. "A revival is no more a miracle than a crop of wheat." Think about it ... I can't add to Finney's observation.
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