In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being content. – Paul the apostle in Philippians 4:12 In the later years of his life, the apostle Paul evidently thought a lot about the power of contentment. He wrote the quotation about “the secret of being content” while being held for two years as a prisoner in Rome, essentially on the charge of doing the Lord’s work. To Paul, the secret was not some meditation mantra or stoic attitude that generates a feeling of contentment. The ... Read More
2 Simple Steps to Spiritual Fitness (Session 4 – 1 Timothy 4:1-13)
When the doctor delivered the news, I was stunned. There was a 99 percent blockage in my left anterior descending (LAD) artery—the “widow-maker,” he called it. Immediate surgery and life-long changes were required. If I wanted to beat heart disease and live a long and healthy life, I would need to do two things, according to my doctor: eat right and exercise. Sounded simple enough. Simple in this context, however, didn’t mean easy but rather “uncomplicated” and “straightforward.” Improving my ... Read More
4×3 Questions for Potential Church Leaders (Session 3 – 1 Tim. 3:1-13)
Asking the right questions takes as much skill as giving the right answers. —Robert Half (1918–2001), American entrepreneur and pioneer of specialized staffing services Have you ever served on a church personnel committee or nominating committee? If so, you probably participated in face-to-face interviews with potential church leaders. You had an opportunity to ask questions that could open windows of communication with a candidate. As someone who has been on both sides of the interview ... Read More
I’m not a pastor, why should I study the Pastoral Letters? (Session 1 – 1 Timothy 1:3-17)
Paul’s letters of 1,2 Timothy and Titus are called “pastoral letters” because they contain instructions for pastors. The apostle addressed them to Timothy, who gave pastoral leadership to the church in Ephesus, and Titus, who led the churches in Crete. In these letters, the elder Paul instructed his young associates in matters needing pastoral oversight in their respective congregations. But I’m not a pastor, someone might say. Why should I study the Pastoral Letters? It’s a valid question. I ... Read More
3 Big Questions the Resurrection Answers (Session 13 – Mark 15:42-47; 16:1-8)
I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and Who. — Rudyard Kipling One backstory behind the Kipling poem from which this quotation comes is that Kipling wrote it about his daughter, Elsie. She was such an inquisitive child that her family pinned her with the nickname “Elsie Why.” But it isn’t only children who ask the tough questions about life. Today, every rookie journalist wanting to write an effective news story ... Read More
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- …
- 22
- Next Page »