Do you realize that we have 11 full-time pastors here at the Vineyard? Everyone works hard, and it's really fun to be part of a big team. Additionally, we have 6 interns. On top of that, we have 15-20 support staff. Brothers, this is a big team, working hard to keep this part of God'sContinue reading "Pray for our Vineyard staff"

Hurricanes are no respector of people, frankly. They blow on the just and the unjust. Jesus was clear that the suffering of the innocent was not necessarily because sin. Take the account in Luke 13:1-5, for example:1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixedContinue reading "A Marching Hurricane!"

With the billions of young people under 20 years of age, I am increasingly feeling impressed by the Holy Spirit to pray for children, including my own children. Below are some of the prayers I've been praying. I encourage you to pray them, too.The priestly benediction Moses and Aaron prayed over the Israelites--"The Lord blessContinue reading "Praying for your Children"

That's the title of my talk for this coming Saturday morning's men's prayer breakfast. Well, I know some of the reasons why I don't pray, and I'll talk about them briefly. But not for long. Actually, I do pray. So do you. So does your neighbor. So do the El Salvadoran men in this picture.Continue reading "Why Men don’t Pray"

<img alt="angel" src="http://vineyardmen.typepad.com/men_of_the_vineyard/images/angel.jpg&quot; width="300" height="207" border="0" style="float: left; margin: 0px 5px 5px 0px;" /"It is destined for all men to die once, and after that comes the judgment." The writer of Hebrew spoke with certainty. The brother to whom I have been ministering in recent weeks had his appointment with death at 11:55 am lastContinue reading "The appointment with Death"

This morning when I awoke and started reading the Scripture the Holy Spirit brought to mind something I said yesterday for which I needed to ask forgiveness. A comment I made to a new Champaign-Urbana pastor was offensive, and I regretted saying it. I already have called the person and asked for forgiveness, which isContinue reading "Confession of Sin"

This past weekend I read Carol Kent's book When I lay My Isaac Down -- Unshakable Faith in Unthinkable Circumstances (NavPress, 2004). Kent's son (Jason Paul) was a committed Christian, an exemplary graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and on his way to a career as a Navy officer.He married a young woman named AprilContinue reading "Lay it down, brothers!"

A few weeks ago I met a brother who is in the final stages of pancreatic cancer, and today I had the great honor of baptizing his three daughters. (The picture here is of a young soldier being baptized in a make-shift baptismal pool somewhere in Iraq.) The brother in the final stages of cancerContinue reading "3 lunch-time baptisms in an Urbana bathtub"