Faith

For the last ten years, I have been traveling with our church to Nicaragua to work with Because We Care Ministries. This ministry does an incredible job reaching out to rural villages all over northern Nicaragua and southern Honduras. Over the years, we have seen a lot of progress in the villages. We have seen so many lives changed through

Just recently, I stumbled on a new app for reading through the Bible. The Read Scripture app is an awesome way to stay connected to God’s Word. I really like the simplicity of the app.  It is split up into 15 to 20-minute segments that you can go through at your own pace. Most days have a video that explains

Last night, Jennifer and I were able to go to Boone, North Carolina to see the new documentary Facing Darkness by Samaritan’s Purse. What an incredible movie! It tells the story of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2014 and the medical personnel who contracted the deadly disease. I really didn’t know what to expect from the movie, but it

Ministry in small towns and cities is tough. The issues that rural America face are very similar to inner city problems:  job loss, population loss, drug use, and lack of opportunities.  As a pastor, I’ve realized that almost all conferences, magazines, and resources seem geared toward large megachurches in large suburban areas. But the reality is most churches are under

Most churches now realize the importance of offering online giving, but many have not recognized the transition to mobile giving that is now taking place. There is a difference, and you need to understand how it impacts the giving to your church or ministry. Here’s a quick survey that you can do during church. Ask how many people have a checkbook with

As a pastor, I’ve struggled with how to end our church services. While it is great to see people respond to the Gospel, I feel that everyone needs a chance to respond to what they have heard. Typically, the only people that are asked to respond are people who don’t know Jesus, but I wanted to open up our invitation time at

Over the last week, I have seen this video numerous times. It was emailed to me by one of our elders at church, it has popped up numerous times in my Facebook feed, and then it was used as an example for 32 Leadership Lessons. I love videos like this because they show the reality of ministry. It’s tough, but

One of the most rewarding things I get to do is to sit down with couples and help them prepare for marriage. I feel that premarital counseling is essential, and it’s something that I require before I will officiate a wedding. Over the years, I have used several different books and resources to help facilitate the discussion, but I have recently become

It seems that everyone is talking about the Syrian refugee crisis. While much has been written about what we shouldn’t do, I want to share what we can do. While our government works toward a solution to prevent terrorists from entering our country, as Christians, we are commanded to care for those in need. We simply cannot use the Bible

I recently read an article that just reinforces my belief that most churches are missing the mark when it comes to how we educate students about mission work. Here’s the quote that caught my attention “Quit entertaining your children and your young people. Drive them to study God’s Word. Expose them to the field for the depth of understanding that will