Tag: Bible
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How I read the Bible
It took me a long time to figure out a Bible reading methodology that fit me. I’ve failed at a lot of them. A chapter a day keeps Adam’s Bible away Read it in a year means Adam won’t read it for a year Study it topical means Adam treats it like a tropical disease…
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Blessed are the nobodies
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. Luke 10:21 Jesus gave the ordinary extraordinary…
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Unleashing a Feeding Frenzy
Last night, we dropped a bucket of chum in the tank and ran away. Back in December we introduced Inductive Bible Study at our winter retreat. It wasn’t anything fancy– in fact I thought it was a little cerebral for a retreat. (This coming from a guy who did a high school retreat based on…
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Titus 1 & 1 Timothy 3: Six Things the Bible doesn’t say
Here are the two most often quoted passages from the New Testament about the qualifications of a pastor. Titus 1:5-9 [Brackets, mine] The reason I [Paul] left you [Titus] in Crete was that you might put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders [some translations use the word leader] in every town, as…
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The Bible, Made Personal
Perhaps my greatest period of rapid growth in my relationship with Jesus came when I was just 17 years old. Each day I worked verse by verse through the pastoral epistles. I journaled questions like, “What is Paul saying?” “Who was this written to?” and “What is God saying to me through Paul?” One habit…
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Pastors Most Powerful Answer
New pastors quickly learn that ministry life is full of big questions. Questions that make you feel very small and insignificant. Questions that make God feel massively huge and almost out of reach. Questions that are so loaded and full of pain that they prime tears just to get the words out. Questions that have…
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The Bible is Useful
Recently we took a survey of Youth Specialties customers. The results of one particular question completely shocked me. Here it is: When I was looking through the initial survey results I turned around to Tic, and said… “Wanna know why so many youth groups are struggling to keep students for the long haul? There’s the…
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So, you want to be great?
“I aspire greatness with my life.” When I say that, almost universally people’s head will cock just a little bit to the side. American society, especially American Christian society, is so self-deprecating that you almost never hear a grown man say that. The truth is I am shocked how few people aspire greatness with their…
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Should pastors be formally educated?
It’s becoming increasingly popular in large churches for pastoral staff positions to be filled with people trained in business skills and not ministry skills. (i.e. They’ve got the title “pastor” and all the perks that go with it, without going to Bible College or Seminary.) Let me know what you think about that trend. Vote…
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John Piper on the Radical Results of Being a World Changer
Dang. Pastor John should spike his Bible at the end of this. I needed to hear this today. I pray you do as well. Let’s reject the ways of this world and go another, more impossible direction. Who’s in? HT to Travis