How to Get Everyone to Read Their Lesson Every Week
If you’ve ever led a Bible study, small group, or Sunday school class, you know the frustration. You assign the lesson, send reminders, maybe even offer incentives—and still, week after week, a large portion of the group shows up unprepared. It’s tempting to sigh,...
Discussion-based Lessons
Discussion-based lessons have groups talking and changing. We are changed more by what we say than what we hear. "Instead SPEAKING the truth (not just hearing the truth) we will grow." Ephesians 4.15 https://www.youtube.com/embed/lduldVUA8-4
When You Don’t Know What to Do, Take the Next Logical Step by Faith
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 to Live in God’s Presence During Difficult Times
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...
Pray It Through: What to Do When Life Gets Worse After You Trust God
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
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...
10 Marks of Great Bible Teaching
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...
The Friendship That Changed a Kingdom
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...
Learning to Listen During Prayer
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...
One Scoop Away from Empty: Trusting God When There Isn’t Enough
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...
A Promise That Changed History
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...
Sometimes the Most Spiritual Thing You Can Do Is Calm Down
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...
