It was a simple illustration. Or so I thought. I never dreamed of it being a difficult concept to communicate. But I could tell by the blank stares I was not getting though. I repeated the words again thinking that a little more emphasis would aid with the communication…still nothing. I promise to finish this story but first let me…
It is always refreshing to watch the making of a godly leader. To see God place His hand upon someone, orchestrate their lives and then place them in the position of leadership is like watching a work of art. In Psalm 75: 6-7 we are reminded that promotion comes from God. Tomorrow night, August 19, 2011, Word of Life Fellowship,…
Is there a difference in student ministry from culture to culture? If so, how do you prepare for effective cross-cultural ministry? I am asked questions like these by students and church leaders headed for short-term missions’ opportunities as well as those preparing to spend a lifetime reaching youth globally. In the last couple of years friends like Dr. Alvin Reid…
I have spent the last 40 years of my life studying leaders and leadership. My antenna is always up when I am around anyone in a leadership role. I watch them because I want to learn both the positive and the negative characteristics. I have the privilege of connecting with great leaders from churches, youth ministries, youth organizations and businesses…
I enjoy speaking at our Word of Life Family Campground campfire service. It always moves my heart to see families sitting together on the hillside surrounding the campfire, overlooking Andrew’s Pond. I am often reduced to tears as I see fathers lead their families to the front after the campfire invitation is given, declaring with Joshua 24:15, As for me…
It is not a new idea; it has been used before at other camps, on videos and in dramas. Still it had a powerful effect on the students present Friday night at Word of Life Florida Youth Camp and more to the point…on me. I was moved by the honesty and the courage of each teen. One by one the…
There are just some topics that cause you to draw a line in the sand…choose sides…decide to share your viewpoint…or debate if nothing else. A couple of tech articles I recently read might fit into that category. Let me be quick to say that I am not trying to pick a fight or cause you to circle your wagons. But…
Next time you are in a group, just ask each person to share what scares them and it will reveal an assortment of fears. I know people that are afraid of heights, spiders, snakes, sharks, water, flying, dogs and a variety of foods. However from my interaction with people I would have thought that dying would always top the list…
God used Isaiah to speak the truth when others refused to do so, to reach a nation for the true God and make a difference for eternity, and it began with the surrender of his life. We often hear sermons on Isaiah 6 and are well acquainted with Isaiah’s confession in verse 8 of Here am I Lord, send me,…
Ministry linguistics, as I addressed it in last week’s post Ministry Linguistics: Connecting Core Concepts, may be as simple as communicating how two concepts are supportive of each other. However, sometimes the issue is not comparing concepts: it is clarifying terms. If while talking about your favorite sporting event or high school memory, students look at you as if…