The Purpose of Lent? An Invitation of Decrease and Increase
I never quite understood Ash Wednesday when I was younger. My home church never emphasized anything about Lent, or even Good Friday for that matter. In my experience growing up in church, winter was over, spring started springing, then it was time for Easter Sunday! That meant getting up before the crack of dawn, putting […]
Remembering Saint Patrick and Hope for Today
“Kiss me. I’m Irish!” That was the phrase on my friend‘s coffee mug. When I saw it, I thought, “I have no idea what that means, but I sure could have used that mug in high school.” Among Irish mythology, the story goes that kissing an Irish person will bring you luck. The legend originates […]
Don’t skip this step in evangelism!
There is one thing we are likely to skip when it comes to evangelism and discipleship but which makes all the difference: prayer. Okay, you may be better at it than I, but I have been around enough people to know that we are eager to study the “how” of evangelism but can easily skip […]
2 Fundamental Reasons to Pray
In what follows, we want to share with you two of the most fundamental reasons we pray. God Calls Us to Pray The first reason to pray is that God, our Heavenly Father, created the medium of prayer. It was His decision to make an open line of mental, emotional, and spiritual communication with mankind. […]
Why Our Church Decided to Pray About the Transgender Bill
December 9, 2024 *Editor’s Note: When, if ever, should a church take a public stance over local legislation? Recently, the leaders of Harpeth Christian Church in Franklin, TN (located just outside Nashville by the Harpeth River) had a tough decision to make. Would they stake a position regarding a Tennessee law banning gender-transition treatments for […]
Revitalized Churches Pray, Preach, And Persist
I’ve wanted a Jeep Wrangler my entire life. In 2017, the stars seemed to align when I found the perfect Jeep and also stumbled across an argument that convinced my wife the time was right. I dreamed and I schemed and I justified the purchase to her (and myself). The deal wouldn’t last long, so […]
God’s Will…Period.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. I wonder if we get too familiar with the Lord’s Prayer. We know the words. We know them so well that if someone started praying them out loud in a church service, like a kid saying the Pledge of Allegiance, we would jump right in. We would speak up, […]
What Does the Bible Say about Mediums?
When I was younger, I didn’t believe in things like ghosts, psychics, and witchcraft. I believed ghosts and monsters were in the same category: figments of imagination and folklore meant to whip listeners into shape. Psychics and witches were more like charlatans—good fact-gatherers with a knack for turning a dollar. But that automatic assumption changed […]
