Pastor Rich Nathan tweeted said this morning...The line between faithfulness &faithlesssness is this:do you see yourself as a steward accountable to God or an owner accountable to self?Writer Annie Wald tweeted ...  The proud person always wants to do the right thing. But he wants to do it in his own strength, so he isContinue reading "It’s not about us, is it?"

If prayer is "What God and I are doing together," as Dallas Willard said, and my friend Pastor John Piippo picks up on and reiterates often, then I love how Eugene Peterson in The Message renders Ephesians 5:1-2.Just to give you a comparison, here it is in the English Standard Version:5 Therefore be imitators of God,Continue reading "Payer is watching what your daddy (Abba) does and imitating Him…"

Some have been wondering about my coaching & Mentoring techniques.  I think I finally found the words for how to describe it!

Everyone I know wants to improve the quality of their conversations.  I certainly do.  Here, in my 8/25/2013 Sunday religion column for the Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette, are four ways to help ensure you get the best out of your conversations.

My friend asked me this morning "Do you think it's natural to trust?"  He spoke about I Corinthians 13 where Paul says love always trusts. Hmm... I thought it was a good question. We talked about our willingness to be transparent with people.  Sometimes we are; sometimes we aren't.   I said, "If I want people toContinue reading "Trust is not natural — it’s supernatural!"

How many times in conversation do I keep going, keep speaking, even after the dam gets breached?  ... And how many times do I regret it when I see that the flow of words can't be stopped?  Proverbs 17:14 describes the age old scenario: “The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quitContinue reading "What to do after the dam gets breached…"

From my reading of I Corinthians 11-13 this morning God reminded me that ...* The Body of Christ really, really needs each other. I think when we fight and divide it must break God's heart.* Nothing in the Church and all the myriad relationships with their ups and downs, is as great as love.  *Continue reading "Love is the greatest force on the planet"

[I am offering my friends and fellow pastors a great opportunity on September 20-21 -- a prayer seminar with Pastor John Piippo.  Below is the announcement that is going out this week to more than 100 pastors in East-central Illinois.  After I took John Piippo's 40-hour class on prayer last year at Payne Theological Seminary,Continue reading "Learning about Prayer … a SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT … A Great Opportunity!"