Most groups are pretty good at talking about the Bible. We can discuss what Paul meant, debate a difficult passage, talk about prayer, and share our opinions about what is happening in the church and the world. What we are sometimes not very good at is telling the...

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? Most of us would like God to give us a detailed map. We want to know where we are going, how we are going to get there, what problems we will encounter along the way, and how everything will eventually turn out. Then,...

How can I experience God's presence during suffering? Where is God when life hurts? Is it possible to walk closely with God during a spiritual night season? The Bible answers each of those questions with a resounding "yes." Few desires are more deeply rooted in the...

One of the most difficult parts of faith is what happens when we obey God and life gets harder anyway. That is exactly what happens in 1 Kings 17. The widow of Zarephath has already taken an enormous step of faith. She had almost no food left, yet she trusted Elijah’s...

Something is changing in the American church. That was the opening line of the first chapter of Change Your Church or Die when I wrote it years ago. At the time, I pointed to declining Southern Baptist membership and baptisms, aging congregations, and churches...

What makes someone a great Bible teacher? It isn't necessarily a seminary degree, a booming voice, a brilliant personality, or the ability to explain Greek verbs. Some people know an enormous amount about the Bible and aren't particularly good teachers. Others have...

What David and Jonathan Teach Us About Loyal Friendship We live in an age of thousands of "friends" and very few deep friendships. Social media has made it easier than ever to stay connected, yet many people quietly admit they have no one they can call in the middle...

How do you listen to God during prayer? Does God still speak today? How can you recognize God's voice without falling into subjectivism or simply following your own feelings? Learning to listen to God is one of the most important—and often misunderstood—aspects of the...

There are seasons when we look at what we have and conclude that it is not enough. Not enough money. Not enough strength. Not enough time. Not enough help. Not enough energy to keep going. Sometimes the problem is not that we have nothing. The problem is that we have...

What God's Covenant with David Means for Us Today Every one of us builds our lives on promises. We promise faithfulness in marriage. Employers promise wages. Parents promise to care for their children. Nations are held together by constitutions, contracts, and...

Some problems require immediate action. Others require us to stop trying to fix everything and give God time to work. Knowing the difference is one of the great challenges of the Christian life. At the Red Sea, the Israelites were understandably terrified. Pharaoh’s...

Sometimes God’s next step for us feels like a step backward. Elijah had just walked into the presence of King Ahab and delivered one of the boldest messages in Scripture. He had announced that there would be no rain except at his word. It was a dramatic beginning to a...

What makes a group grow? We could make a long list. Friendships matter. Outreach matters. Invitations matter. Fellowship matters. A warm and welcoming atmosphere matters. All of these things can help get people into the room. But once they are there, somebody needs to...

There are times when we know exactly what to do. Then there are Red Sea moments. You have thought about the problem from every angle. You have talked with people you trust. You have made your list of options, and none of them seems particularly good. You have reached...

Most of us assume that joy depends on circumstances. If life is going well, we're joyful. If life falls apart, our joy disappears. The apostle Paul challenges that way of thinking. No follower of Christ experienced more hardship than Paul, yet few people in history...

If you have read much of what I have written about Sunday School and small-group ministry, you know I believe in growth. I believe teachers should invite people, reach people, assimilate people, and work toward doubling their classes every two years or less. But there...

Have you ever noticed that problems grow when you stare at them? You can wake up at two in the morning thinking about something that seemed manageable at two in the afternoon, and suddenly it feels enormous. You rehearse everything that could go wrong. You imagine...

Why David's Greatest Weapon Was Not His Sling Even people who know very little about the Bible know the story of David and Goliath. The names have become part of our language. We speak of a "David versus Goliath" contest whenever a small company challenges a giant...