LIFE WITH GOD

G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult and therefore left untried.” (What’s Wrong with the World). Really living your life with God can be costly. It goes against cultural norms. Matthew 10:34-39 says that it can become a sword that separates people…

IS FEAR HINDERING YOUR MINISTRY?

This may sound a little sick, but I’m glad some of the greatest leaders in the bible were fearful on occasion. One leader I’ve considered in particular is Joshua. Joshua evidently wasn’t just a little fearful – he was terrified. Not only did God tell him three times to be…

PREACHING THAT MISSES THE POINT

“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” But Dr. Abe Kuruvilla sure is trying. That’s how it felt for some of us last week as we gathered together in Princeton Junction at Windsor Chapel for our Preaching Refresher.  64 of our pastors and preachers-in-training signed up to be a…

Revival in the Pulpit

There was a season in human history where public speaking fell on hard times, not for lack of talent, but specifically because of the negative consequences of what happens when highly talented speakers who possess low moral character end up with too much influence.  In ancient Greece, there was a…

The Invitation Still Works

Billy Graham, Jim Elliot, and John Piper are just a few Wheaton alumni who have made a significant imprint on today’s American Church. As I explored the campus for the first time, I was excited to see where the likes of these men had their hearts and minds shaped for…

Do Eastern District Pastors Still Believe In Prayer?

A few weeks ago, some of our Eastern District pastors and I spent a day with Pastor Jim Cymbala at the Brooklyn Tabernacle. There were other pastors who joined us who were not EFCA pastors. We had a good time of fellowship and spent the day mostly talking about whatever the pastors wanted…

Bill Riedel And The Call To Minister To “Them”

Christian leaders are people who walk with Jesus and invite others to join them in that walk. The most effective Christian leaders refuse to become lazy or apathetic, and they accept the challenge to bring along incredibly different and unquestionably fallen people with them because they know this is what…

When The Power Goes Out And The Party Is Over

In 2013 a Carnival Cruise Lines ship, the Triumph, lost power for 4 days off the coast of Mexico. Hundreds or maybe even thousands of the 4200 passengers became sick without running water and no air conditioning. The scene on the boat was terrible, as vomit and waste became unmanageable. Obviously,…