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Blog (Page 32)

Struggling Not Against Flesh and Blood

One of my favorite songs from the country music group Alabama said, “Oh, I believe there are angels among us, sent down to us from somewhere up above.”  The Scripture says that there certainly are angels among us, but they’re not just cute winged babies.  These dudes are warriors locked in an epic, unseen battle between the forces of good and evil.…

What Hinders Your Prayer?

Without a doubt, prayer is one of God’s greatest gifts to us.  I mean, can you believe that the God of the universe takes requests from us?  That He invites us into conversation?  That He wants us to express our hearts to Him?  That’s amazing! Inherent to the act of prayer is the reality that the one praying expects a “yes” to…

Resources for Growing in Prayer

On my drive up to Lafayette, IN on Sunday, I had the privilege of listening to half the audio from this year’s Desiring God Pastors Conference.  You can access the audio here and John Piper’s biography of Robert Murray McCheyne here.  The theme this year was “The Powerful Life of the Praying Pastor.”  Even if you’re not a pastor, it would be a…

The 70 Weeks: Figurative, Future, or Fulfilled?

The Scripture is full of prophecy, but probably the most intriguing is the prophecy of 70 weeks given to Daniel in Daniel 9:24-27.  Along with intriguing, it’s also rather contested as to what it all actually means.  Three basic noteworthy interpretations have been put forth in church history:  the Figurative View, the Futurist View, and the Fulfilled View.  In this article, I…

Your Jubilee Is Here

Wouldn’t it be something if the United States Congress and President Obama declared that in 2012 all debts in the United States of America will be erased?  Now don’t get all political on me and start hollering about the growing extent and abuse of government under the current administration.  Work with me here!  If this were to happen, I’m not sure how…

Can I Be a Preacher?

“Can I be a preacher someday, Pastor Ben?” said the smiling little 9-year-old boy across the desk from me.  One of my joys every Sunday morning is having some of the young ones come say good morning to me there in my office.  They usually want to show me their outfit, new toy, or doll, but yesterday, I had one wanting to…

10 Ways to Be Comforted

The prophet Daniel got some really hard news in Daniel 8.  He received a vision from God telling him about this terrible ruler to come who would persecute and kill Daniel’s kinsmen and would even directly oppose God.  To be honest, Daniel didn’t take it well.  First, he swooned and passed out (Dan 8:17-18).  Then, he lay deflated and sick for days…

Help Children Love Those Who Are Different

It’s inevitable.  One day your young child as he or she developmentally matures will have their eyes opened to fact that people are different.  People come in many shapes, sizes, portions, abilities, tones, traits, and trappings, and up to a certain age, your little one will innocently be blind to all of this.  But that will change.  One day they’ll begin to notice differences…

Grow Love

Do you ever find yourself faking kindness or love to somebody?  Maybe it’s that person that sort of gets under your skin.  Maybe it’s that person who hurt you in the past.  Maybe it’s that person that you just don’t like or have a bad feeling about.  What if that person is in your church?  Should you just continue to fake it?…

One Messed Up Family!

Well, the Christmas season is finally fully upon us.  Indeed, it is the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also one of the most stressful times of the year.  Can I get a witness?!  Do you ever walk away from a holiday family get-together saying, “Man, I’ve got one messed up family,”?  I mean, everybody has that Cousin Eddie from…