by Marvin Copaus ~ “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”—Gal. 5:22-23 (ESV) A year ago, I was admitted to the hospital for an infection. Little did I know that I’d be there Read More
by Cliff Duren ~ I’m sitting down to write this article on the eve of my 39th birthday. Yes, that’s right. I’m 366 days away from kissing my 30’s goodbye forever. Some of you are thinking, “30’s?! Sonny boy, I kissed them goodbye ages ago!” … while you fresh-out-of-college types Read More
Sunday mornings are a busy time. A lot of details go into making sure Sunday morning services go off without any components slipping through the cracks. Most of the time, it takes many people to pull these services off. With the busyness of the morning, it is easy for us, Read More
Rev. Kevin L Bengtson Traditional, blended, contemporary. These words have inspired decades of authentic worship as well as decades of disagreement. They are the three most commonly used words to describe styles of worship for most churches. If we like or even use those terms for ourselves, the reality is Read More
Horizon. To me, just the word invokes promise, hope, and new beginnings. It rings of vast and epic exploration. It awakens the adventurer inside us. It beckons us to new frontiers. It’s where heaven meets the earth. Two years ago this month, our family made a big, bold, faith-filled move Read More
Leading up to about three months ago, I was in pretty good health (or so I thought). Like most fifty-something year old men, I was working during the day and spending time with my family in the evenings—good old, normal life things. Then, in the span of just a few Read More
It was my day off, and I needed it. Our church had been experiencing revival and growth. Now the enemy doesn’t like revival. So we had weathered some storms along the way, but I thought we were sailing on to smooth seas now. I was wrong. The tempest was coming. Read More
A message from the writers: Dennis and Nan Allen. There’s nothing more fun to write than a musical for children. Even though it’s been 20 years since we wrote and recorded It All Happened in the Country, we still smile (and sometimes laugh out loud) when we listen to it Read More
This is part 2 of a blog series from Rick Briscoe. If you haven’t read part one, you can find it here. Communicate a clear VISION. I love the way The Message translation puts it: Proverbs 29:18: “If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but Read More
Effective Church Choir Leadership for a “Repurposed” Generation Like so many others, my wife and I have become fixated with the HGTV hit show, “Fixer Upper.” Yes, Chip and Joanna Gaines have inspired many of us to discover renewed value and purpose for what, at first glance, appears to be Read More