I want to confess a sin to you. I struggled with this sin when I was a little boy. I was unable to conquer it as a teenager. As a young husband, I found myself wrestling with this sin every day. And even now, I occasionally struggle with it. I don’t think I’ve committed this sin today, but I have …
We went on vacation last summer to Pawley’s Island on the coast of South Carolina where my family has been going since long before I was born. We pursued the most important things you do at the beach — boiled shrimp and drawn butter, fried flounder, fried oysters, and all the accompaniments. On of the restaurants where we ate had …
On the first Wednesday of every month, I strive to keep a sacred appointment: I gather with a group of evangelical pastors in my area. The aim is simple: share a cup of coffee, chit-chat, then discuss life and ministry. And last but not least, we pray for one another. We have to pray for one another because we suffer …
Preaching: It is unusual to have someone grow up in a church to come back and become the senior pastor of that church years later. How did all this come about? What was the process that led you to this point where Dr. Dates is coming in to succeed you at Salem? Meeks: Charlie served our church a number of …
Preaching has a long and unsteady relationship with prophecy. I was raised to be distrustful of the kind of preaching that would chart a vision for the church in these “end times” – especially if a real chart was involved! Preachers like these always seemed a little too sure of themselves, given that Jesus himself declared that we “know not …
One of the first sermons I ever preached was a eulogy for my grandfather. I was about one year into seminary, and I had not yet taken a single preaching class. My grandfather, meanwhile, was my hero. It was he who first drew me to Jesus and who first modeled for me a Christ-shaped life; it was he who was …
Pastors have been using other preacher’s material for years. When I was growing up, preachers would regularly quote Billy Graham, Vance Pittman, and Charles Spurgeon. They would also throw in a quote from their favorite childhood preacher or seminary professor. This was common and even expected. Preachers steal lines from each other all the time. If you are ever in …
Max Lucado is the teaching minister at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas, and one of the most popular authors in the Christian church today. He has more than 90 million books in print and his newest book is entitled, Help is Here: Finding Fresh Strength and Purpose in the Power of the Holy Spirit. He was interviewed recently …
It’s a Frustrating Life Ecclesiastes 1:1-11; 12:9-14 One of the surest signs that Christmas is once again just around the corner is television’s re-airing of that beloved classic movie produced and directed by Frank Capra, starring Jimmy Stewart as the banker George Bailey and Donna Reed as his devoted wife Mary. You know the movie. About to take his own …
Early on, human beings seemed to discover that one animal, above all others, can take a liking to us. For that reason, we often speak of the fact that a dog is a man’s best friend. At some point, preachers discovered that the same is true of a book. Books may not be so eagerly affectionate as a dog, but …
