Christian Blog

Leadership 101 - Our society often judges people by what they do, not by their character. When it comes to choosing heroes and leaders, style often outweighs substance. Sordid personal lives and all sorts of off-the-field antics are commonly overlooked—it is performance, not principle, that counts...

Brothers, We Are Not Rock Stars - Everyone wants a piece of today’s A-listers. They’re wanted by book publishers, conference organizers, and adoring fans everywhere. In certain circles, some of them have trouble getting around without being noticed... Just to be clear, I’m not talking about Hollywood, Nashville, or Washington, D.C.

Who Do You Want to Follow? - A glance around the evangelical landscape today offers a wide variety of leadership models and styles: entrepreneurs, kings, rock stars, motivational speakers, armchair psychologists, and modern-day monks. You would have to look much harder to find a simple servant.

Steps to Successful Prayer, Part 6 - How often are we guilty of using our prayers just like a drive-thru window? We’re too often driven to prayer by the needs of the moment only, concerned about our circumstances alone, and eager to get on with life as quickly as possible. We’re prone to myopic, self-centered thinking that focuses on how events impact our lives rather than how the Lord is working through them.

Steps to Successful Prayer, Part 5 - Very few people make it through life without some sort of plan. The vast majority of us have to put a lot of thought into our schedules and plan ahead if we want to accomplish anything. And what we put the most time into planning says a lot about where our hearts are—too often vacation and celebrations get lots of forethought, while responsibilities at work and around the house fit into our schedules as needed...

Steps to Successful Prayer, Part 4 - What is the most common motivation to go to the Lord in prayer? Is it to confess sin? Or is it to make a petition on behalf of a loved one? Do we want to bring our latest requests to Him, or remind Him of something we think He may have overlooked? Far too much of our time in prayer is spent focused on us, not on the One to whom we’re praying...

Steps to Successful Prayer, Part 3 - How often do we actually think deeply about the words we say in prayer? These days certain names for God and phrases like in Jesus’ name are thrown around so haphazardly you wonder if they still have any meaning at all...

Steps to Successful Prayer, Part 2 - The worldly excess and spiritual shallowness of prosperity preachers and charismatic faith healers are easy to spot. It’s a man-made, man-centered theology powered by extreme greed—one that encourages followers to make outrageous demands for prosperity and personal gain, reducing Almighty God to little more than a vending machine...

Steps to Successful Prayer, Part 1 - Study the exemplary prayers in Scripture and you cannot help noticing that all of them are brief and simple. Prayer that is heartfelt, urgent, and unfeigned must be of that style. Verbiage and windbaggery are badges of insincerity, especially in prayer. The prayer of the publican in Luke 18:13 is as short and to the point as possible: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” Then there’s the prayer of the thief on the cross: “Jesus, remember me when You come in Your kingdom!” (Luke 23:42). Those prayers are cut from the same cloth as Peter’s cry for help when he was walking on water—sometimes cited as the shortest prayer in the Bible: “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:30).

Appearance Is Everything? - An advertising agency wrote seeking our ministry's business: "Let's face it: appearance is everything. Let us help you enhance your image." My first thought was This agency must not realize they are dealing with a Christian organization...

Back in Business - I’m not sure if you’ll consider this news good or bad, but the GTY blog is back in business. We plan to kick it off again this coming Monday, and we’ll turn on the comment thread too. I’ve got to warn you though...

My Absence - I wanted to drop a post and explain why I’ve been so scarce lately, and why it takes me so long to approve posts.  I have been working 12 hour days quite a bit in the last month or so, … Continue reading →

Rick Warren Says No King’s Way Document and No Saddleback “Staff” Involved - This is from Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries: As Apprising Ministriescovers the slide into apostasy within mainstream evangelicalism you’ll be witnessing an alarming syncretism and alliances one would never have dreamed of even a couple of years ago. For example, … Continue reading →

Robert Schuller’s Crystal Cathedral Shatters - It looks like the vision Robert Schuller had when he built the Crystal Cathedral has finally shattered.  Schuller’s daughter, Sheila Schuller Coleman, who has been behind the reigns of the ministry since Schuller’s son made his exit, has left the … Continue reading →

A God Encounter - Paula White, “pastor” of Without Walls International Church, is having a “God Encounter” at her church with James MacDonald’s spiritual brother, T. D. Jakes.  I know James MacDonald, pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel, sees Jakes as a work in progress, but … Continue reading →

Pastors of Vision - John, would you consider yourself the “Pastor of Vision” for your church? What does it mean to “cast a vision” for your church?

Rick Warren: Christians and Muslims Serve the Same God? - The Orange County Register carries the story of Rick Warren’s latest endeavor, a new effort dubbed, the King’s Way. Here is how the OC Register describes it: The Rev. Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest and one … Continue reading →

Not Quite Biblically Sound - I believe the pastor in the video below has never read 1 Corinthians, chapter 5.  I think he should read it because it contradicts everything he is saying.  I’ve read it, and it doesn’t say, “Mind your own business!” anywhere … Continue reading →

If You Get in TBN’s Way, You Die! - You may think I’m being hyperdramatic, but I’m not. Click on this video link, forward to 8:38 into the video, and listen for yourself.  Paul Crouch says he has attended the funerals of two people who came against TBN.  Crouch … Continue reading →

Second Lawsuit Filed Against TBN - The new lawsuit against TBN alleges coverups of sexual and criminal scandals. This lawsuit was filed by the uncle of Brittany Koper’s husband.  Brittany Koper is, if you remember, the granddaughter of Paul and Jan Crouch, and the daughter of … Continue reading →