Our destination is a church we’ve heard of often but know little about. Our favorable impression suggests a thriving, dynamic congregation. After the service they invite us back. I want to say yes, but our schedule won’t permit it. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #40: 1. As we walk inside, a young man […]
Understanding the Weaker Vessel When Paul talks in the Bible about marriage, I struggle with his words because he was a bachelor. What does he know about the subject? Peter, on the other hand, was married so I give more credence to what he says on the subject. Even so I struggle a bit when […]
Discussing Church 31 This church offers a mix of old with new, contemporary with traditional, and public friendliness with personal indifference. As a bonus, they also talk about having a Thanksgiving potluck. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #31: 1. At one point, the leader asks everyone who is able, to kneel. It hurts […]
Discussing Church 27 This charismatic church meets in an old, run-down building, originally built for shared-tenant use. It looks abandoned and forms our first impression. Consider these four discussion questions about Church #27: 1. With a half dozen equally accessible doors, we don’t know which one to use. Regular attendees know which entrance to head […]
Beware the Risks of Clearing Your Mind Several years ago, my spiritual director recommended I consider centering prayer as a spiritual discipline. About the same time, a dear friend was exploring this technique as well. The goal of centering prayer is to connect us with God. It’s more about hearing from him then him hearing […]
Discover a Biblical Perspective for Prayer My parents taught me the proper posture for prayer: to fold your hands, close your eyes, and bow your head. These emerged as three steps I must take before I talked to God. I inferred that if I didn’t do all three, the Almighty would not hear me or […]
Top Church Attendance Tips In my post “How to Be an Engaging Church” I shared from my book More Than 52 Churches. Now we’ll look at three tips on how to go to church. When going to church—whether as a visitor or a regular attendee—there are three keys to having a successful, meaningful, and spirit-filled […]
Discussing Church 15 Their website says we’ll find “a laid-back, coffeehouse atmosphere” with “an unconventional setting where a blend of people, of all ages, from all walks of life, can gather and feel at home.” This is my kind of church. It’s an outlier church in a mainline denomination. Consider these four discussion questions about […]
Carefully Consider What You Ask of God Each Day When You Pray When Jesus’s disciples asked him to teach them how the pray, he gave them a prayer (Luke 11:1-4). Though many people recite this prayer exactly as the Bible records it (also see Matthew 6:9-13), a better approach is to use this prayer—often called […]
We Can Believe That God Hears and Answers Our Requests When you pray do you think God hears you? Does he answer your prayers? All of them? The Bible says so. Consider what Scripture teaches. God Hears Our Prayers First, we can have assurance that God does indeed hear our prayers. John writes that we […]