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Building A Habit Of Daily Prayer

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Many of us have trouble establishing a consistent prayer life. We know it's important, but between work deadlines, family commitments, kids events, etc.  Well, finding time can be a challenge. The picture we often form in our mind of an effective prayer routine is spending an uninterrupted hour of time dedicated to that early in the morning. That's my routine--but I'm a pastor.  Before I was a pastor I had the same challenges as everyone else finding that time consistently.   Here's a few things I did to build a daily prayer habit into my busy life: 1. I Anchored Prayer My Existing Routine Instead of trying to create a brand-new chunk of time out of thin air, I added prayer and Bible reading to things I was already doing. Morning Coffee:  I've always started my day off with a few quiet moments and a cup of coffee.  It wasn't very hard to open my Bible and read during that time.  I enjoyed that time so much I actually started getting up a little earlier...
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Every New Day, A New Adventure . . .

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" Satisfy   us in the morning with your unfailing love,  t hat we may sing for joy   and be glad all our days." ~Psalms 90:14 One thing I had a tough time adjusting to when I retired from the university and became a full time pastor was the unpredictable nature of ministry.  Every day is different.  And that's not something I was used to. There wasn't a lot of variation in my day to day routine up until I retired almost two years ago now.  I did the same things week to week.  I had the same weekly meetings and monthly meetings and quarterly meetings.  There wasn't a lot of variety in the routine. Then I retired, and I went about turning full-time ministry into a routine.  I set up office hours when I would be at the church and available.  I blocked out time in my calendar to work on my Sunday message.  I blocked out time on my calendar for meetings.  I had time on my calendar to go visit people at home or in the hospital. ...
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Just One More Thing: Whose Approval Are You Chasing?

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Yesterday in my sermon, I touched on the idea of how foolish it is to go through life trying to please people.  I didn't get to everything I wanted to say, so just like Columbo, I'm going to go back to it for "just one more thing."   I have spent way too many hours of my life worrying about what other people think. I've spent hours rewriting text messages so they'd sound "just right." I've laughed at jokes that weren't funny.   There have been many times in my life when I’ve remained silent because I didn’t want to be the fly in the ointment. Trying to please people feels harmless. It feels polite, even. We want to get along, and sometimes that means we go along.   But trying to please people can be sneaky, because for the sake of peace, we sometimes let things go we shouldn’t.   We don’t tell somebody the truth when we’re asked because we don’t want to hurt their feelings.   We don’t address a concern that needs to be addressed because w...
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The Battle That Rages Within

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I preached on Sunday about our internal struggle.  That battle that rages within us every day between knowing what is right and doing what is right.  About knowing good from evil and still, at times, making the wrong choices.   Paul wrote about in Romans, and many believe he was talking about himself before his experience with Jesus on the Damascus Road.  I see it differently. Paul was describing himself, but I think he was describing the challenges he still dealt with as a mature Christian.   And why do I think that.    Because Paul wrote it in the present tense.   I don’t believe Paul is speaking of a former self, I believe he was speaking about his current self. The very fact that he delights in God's law in verse 22 reveals a transformed heart. Only a believer could say, 'In my inner being I delight in God's law.' But Paul describes an internal war raging in vivid terms in verses 21-23: 'So I find this law at work: Although I want to...
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Testing The Lies We Tell Ourselves

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"Do not conform to the pattern of this word, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. " ~Romans 12: 2 On Sunday, I shared a story about Gracie-- a German Shepherd puppy Valerie and I got when our youngest daughter Katie was little.   German Shepherds are strong even as puppies.   Gracie was stronger than most.   We had a cable lead we let her out on when she needed to go outside.   It was tethered to our flagpole in the backyard.   Gracie didn’t like that lead in the beginning.   She didn’t like being chained up.   And she’d pull on that lead, and strain against it, and yank on it.   She was so strong, even as a puppy, she’d shake that entire flagpole.   Eventually she learned she couldn’t break that lead and she quit trying to. But things changed.  Gracie grew to over 100 pounds—she became a very big and powerful dog. But w e never...
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Ask The Pastor: Should I Fast?

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I’ve been asked about fasting.  I imagine there’s a lot of Christians that have never fasted!  We pray regularly, read our Bibles, attend church, give generously. But fasting? Is that something we should be doing?  In Matthew 6:16-18, He didn't ask whether His followers would fast. He assumed they would. And tucked inside that assumption is an open invitation—to experience a dimension of spiritual growth that most of us are simply leaving on the table. Look closely at what Jesus says:  "When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."  Jesus said "when you fast"—not " if you fast."  In the s...
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Ask The Pastor: What Does The Bible Say About Speaking In Tongues?

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As a pastor I get a lot of interesting questions as you might imagine.   I thought I’d start answering some of those questions.   I’ve gotten this question about tongues several times.   So here’s what I’ve come to know about this topic by simply reading what’s written in the Bible.      Many of us have come across videos online showing pastors and church leaders speaking in what they describe as tongues. These videos often show individuals speaking rapidly in sounds that bear no resemblance to any known human language, sometimes with large crowds responding emotionally, and with no interpreter present anywhere in the room. It is worth pausing and asking a straightforward question.   Does what we are seeing in those videos match what Scripture actually describes?   In a word.   No.   If we want to understand the gift of tongues, the right place to begin is where Scripture introduces it — the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. When the H...
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