I’m preaching a series called “Summer in the Psalms.” In Psalm 33, we learn about God’s power. The more you submit to God’s power, the better you worship Him. God’s absolute power is comprehensive, inescapable, lasting, and ideal. Our response of worship: Freshness, skill, and fervor.
On this episode, I interview Jordan Richmond, a worship pastor at Idlewild Baptist Church in Lutz, FL. We discuss the ideal volume for music in worship services. Jordan talks about why people are so hypercritical about church music. He also answers the question, How should we define worship? This episode is brought to you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Trained Up, and LifeWay Pastors. Subscribe: iTunes ● Google Play Follow us on Twitter: @estchurch, Read more [...]
Shepherding requires pastors to enter into the lives of people. If you are a pastor, then you cannot lead from the platform alone. When people only hear from you when you’re behind the pulpit, it becomes more of an ivory tower and less of a sacred desk. You can’t hang out with everyone all the time, even in a small church. But it’s likely you need to hang out more often with at least some in your church. I like to watch baseball. I happen to live in an area with a major league Read more [...]
I’m preaching a series called “Summer in the Psalms.” In Psalm 32, we learn about God’s forgiveness. The most joyful people in the world are the most repentant. Uncovered sin is covered by God. Repentance without change is self-pity. God’s forgiveness follows your confession.
Every pastor and minister needs to understand the culture in which they serve. In this episode, the guys talk a little about how to see the needs in your neighborhood and meet those needs with the gospel. This episode is brought you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and LifeWay Pastors. With Southeastern learn how you can GO to reach your community, your nation, and your world. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there. Connect with pastoral Read more [...]
Every Monday morning, I swivel in my desk chair—praying, pondering. Yellow legal pads fill with chicken scratch in a language only I understand. About fifty Mondays a year, around 3:00 p.m., I start to wonder if I’ll have anything worthwhile to say the following Sunday. The other two Mondays I’m on vacation. I know it’s the Holy Spirit, but many weeks it feels like sheer luck. My sermon comes together, and cogent points begin to form. I’ve heard of some pastors using their Read more [...]
Pastor, have you taken a break? In this episode, the guys talk about how to take a vacation and actually unplug. Sabbaticals are also brought up. Don’t get worn out; listen to this episode. This episode is brought you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and LifeWay Pastors. With Southeastern learn how you can GO to reach your community, your nation, and your world. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there. Connect with pastoral resources Read more [...]
I spent the last few years researching legacy churches, specifically four churches in the Southern Baptist Convention: Bellevue Baptist, FBC Dallas, FBC Jacksonville, and FBC Orlando. At some point, I’ll get around to publishing something about them that is more manageable than a 300-page dissertation. In the meantime, I’ll share four quotes from their senior pastors. These quotes came from personal interviews I did with them for the study. Steve Gaines on why he is Read more [...]
What is it like for a pastor to leave a large church to take a much smaller church? We talk with Pastor Andrew Werley (Steamboat Springs, CO) about that and ministry in a resort community. This episode is brought you by Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and LifeWay Pastors. With Southeastern learn how you can GO to reach your community, your nation, and your world. Where are you going? Southeastern will help you get there. Connect with pastoral resources Read more [...]
“Sometimes the being is more important than the doing.” My mentor shared this wisdom at our last meeting. He’s in his mid-80s, about 50 years ahead of me. He retired from a church in Indiana and moved to Bradenton several years ago. I inherited him with my church when I was called as pastor two years ago. God gave me a spiritual heavyweight of encouragement with him. He sits a few rows from the back—prayerfully listening every week. Most in our church do not realize the wealth of Read more [...]
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