I visited my son, daughter-in-law, and two grandkids in Pittsburgh recently. Though my kids live in Lancaster, my granddaughter was born four hours away in Pittsburgh because she has a heart condition. So I got to meet her for the first time in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit of UPMC Children’s Hospital. She was hookedContinue reading “Prayer as an instinct – Praying Together, Part 3”
Tag Archives: church family
What happened when the first Christians gathered for prayer – Praying together, Part 2
In the previous post, we observed the prayer meeting the followers of Jesus held right after he ascended back to his father in heaven. The book of Acts tells us that at the 10-14 mark of their nonstop prayer meeting, something powerful happened. Look at Acts chapter 2, verses 1-4: “When the day of PentecostContinue reading “What happened when the first Christians gathered for prayer – Praying together, Part 2”
What kind of prayer meetings does God desire? – Praying together, Part 1
Do you remember the Asbury outpouring that happened last year? From February 8, 2023, all the way to February 24th, 2023, that’s 17 days, there was a continuous, 24/7, worship and prayer event at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. Throughout history there have been numerous such extended prayer efforts. In fact, the International House ofContinue reading “What kind of prayer meetings does God desire? – Praying together, Part 1”
Why I decided to cancel our church’s weekly prayer meeting, and why I told people I would not start it back up – Praying together, Preview
When I started as Faith Church’s Youth/Associate Pastor in 2002, Faith Church held weekly Sunday morning worship, Sunday evening worship and Wednesday prayer meeting. A few years later the Sunday evening service had dwindled to the point where maybe a handful of people attended, and we canceled it. At that time Wednesday prayer meeting wasContinue reading “Why I decided to cancel our church’s weekly prayer meeting, and why I told people I would not start it back up – Praying together, Preview”
How accountability supercharges our discipleship to Jesus – Holding others accountable, Part 5
I first experienced accountability with my friend Chris. We met in the dorm in college, where he was my RA, resident assistant, in charge of my dorm section my sophomore year. We started meeting weekly to ask each other accountability questions. We wrote out lists of questions we wanted the other person to ask us,Continue reading “How accountability supercharges our discipleship to Jesus – Holding others accountable, Part 5”
The Bible’s helpful teachings about confronting others – Holding others accountable, Part 4
I hate confrontation. I think most people also hate confrontation. When I have to confront someone, I can delay and avoid like a champ. Then when I can wait no longer, and the confrontation actually happens, I can say far less than I ought to have said. My emotions and fears take over. I can physically shake. I hate it. But ifContinue reading “The Bible’s helpful teachings about confronting others – Holding others accountable, Part 4”
When we can and should judge in a church family – Holding others accountable, Part 3
In 2013 my congregation’s leaders proposed a significant change to who could become leaders in the church. Prior to 2013, we had a system where, at our annual congregational meeting, people were voted onto our various serve teams. Then at the beginning of the year, at the first serve team meeting, the members of theContinue reading “When we can and should judge in a church family – Holding others accountable, Part 3”
How judging killed a discipleship effort in the local church – Holding others accountable, Part 2
Over the years in my church family, people have raised the concern about Jesus’ teaching, “Do not judge” on more than one occasion. “Who are we to judge one another,” people say. It sounds very spiritual. But I think they are interpreting Jesus incorrectly. The first occasion people raised the concern about judging was probably 20Continue reading “How judging killed a discipleship effort in the local church – Holding others accountable, Part 2”
Is accountability disobedient to Jesus? – Holding others accountable, Part 1
I have an app on my laptop and phone called Ever Accountable. It’s there to monitor everything I do online. It is watching me. I can’t see it, of course, but I know it is there because I installed it. It’s not perfect. It doesn’t have God-like abilities to know everything. But it’s good enough. Continue reading “Is accountability disobedient to Jesus? – Holding others accountable, Part 1”
Do Christians need accountability? – Holding one another accountable, Preview
In my county, there’s a company with a sign advertising “Ultimate Accountability.” How does “ultimate accountability” sound to you? Harsh? Restrictive? Legalistic? Freeing? Gracious? Good? Accountability is a fraught concept. That company is an accounting firm, working with businesses to make sure their bookkeeping and taxes are legal and ethical. Very important. But accountability can be nerve-wracking,Continue reading “Do Christians need accountability? – Holding one another accountable, Preview”
Engaging Scripture 