Trust & Obey, Week 2: Matthew 16 & 18, Part 4 Can you recite the Lord’s Prayer? Our Father who art in heaven… In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus not only teaches his disciples how to pray, but also what to pray for. What he taught us to pray for has everything to do with thisContinue reading “What Jesus’ kingdom looks like (hint: it’s not church buildings)”
Tag Archives: Lord’s Prayer
To-Do Lists and…Praying in the Spirit, Part 1
There was a husband and wife who were having marital difficulties. One of the spouses would wake up in the morning, lean over to their spouse and start listing what they wanted the spouse to do that day. The list wouldn’t take long to recite. Maybe five minutes at most. Some days less. Some daysContinue reading “To-Do Lists and…Praying in the Spirit, Part 1”
If Jesus evaluated our prayer – John 17:6-26, Preview
Have you ever thought about how Jesus feels about your prayer requests? I rarely do. I normally just pray, and usually my prayer is asking him for things. Most often I pray for my family. I rarely take a step back and think, “Am I praying for the right things? Am I praying for theContinue reading “If Jesus evaluated our prayer – John 17:6-26, Preview”
Two Marks of a Healthy Church – Colossians 4:2-6, Part 1
What is a healthy church? What is a dead church? What is a failing church? How do we measure the success of a church? As we continue our series studying the New Testament letter, Colossians, Paul shares two practices that mark a healthy church. Turn to Colossians 4:2. We are reading verses 2-6. Pause thisContinue reading “Two Marks of a Healthy Church – Colossians 4:2-6, Part 1”
How to overcome “Some people never change” – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 4
“They will never change.” Have you ever said that? Maybe you thought it? Or maybe it was declared about you. Is it true that people never change? Perhaps it has been true for some people. But for the vast majority, change is always happening in our lives, even if incrementally. As we have been studyingContinue reading “How to overcome “Some people never change” – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 4″
Why we need to evaluate our longings – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 2
Recently I got a notice that a person wanted to send a message to the church through our Instagram account’s messaging system. I’m always a bit suspicious about requests from random people, but the message had me curious. The person asked, “Can I ask a biblical question here?” Yes. Yes, you can! They asked aContinue reading “Why we need to evaluate our longings – Colossians 3:1-4, Part 2”
Should Christians practice rituals in worship? – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 1
How should we go to church? You might answer, “Isn’t it pretty obvious? You get in a car and you drive to the building, and you walk inside the building, and you sit down on a pew.” Maybe if you live nearby, you walk. You might take a bus. Maybe your church is in aContinue reading “Should Christians practice rituals in worship? – Ecclesiastes 5:1-7, Part 1”
Practical suggestions to help you pray
This winter/spring I read an amazing book on prayer I wish I had come across years ago. It is called Prayer: Conversing with God by a missionary named Rosalind Rinker. She first published it in 1959, but it is so relevant. Could have been written yesterday. Easily one of the best books on prayer I’veContinue reading “Practical suggestions to help you pray”
How the church has gotten in the way of God’s Kingdom…and what to do about it.
The subtitle of author Reggie McNeal’s book Kingdom Come, is compelling: “why we must give up our obsession with fixing the church—and what we should do instead”. That grabbed me! In the book, he tells the story of when he was at a conference for pastors and said this: “We’ve been working at fixing theContinue reading “How the church has gotten in the way of God’s Kingdom…and what to do about it.”
How God’s Kingdom can change the world – Luke 13:10-21
We Christians talk a lot about the Kingdom of God, but what exactly is it? Just a place people go to in the afterlife? Heaven? Jesus often said things “The Kingdom of God is among you, is near, has come.” What in the world did he mean? The people in his day often seemed confusedContinue reading “How God’s Kingdom can change the world – Luke 13:10-21”
Engaging Scripture 