The following is an exert from the introduction of my new book, The Difference Jesus Makes. I was in junior high school the first time a girl gave me her phone number. I did not ask for the number. As our families had dinner together that Sunday evening, it was obvious that I liked her. But I did not have the guts to ask for her number. I didn’t even know that was what you were supposed to do. But she saved the day. Before we left the restraint, the young lady told me she needed a pen. I borrowed...

I am pleased to announce the publication of my new book, The Difference Jesus Makes: Trusting Him in Every Situation (Moody Publishers). I am excited about this book for several reasons. First of all, this book simply retells and explains Bible stories. I believe we need more good books on Christian doctrine. But the Bible most often teaches truth through stories, not systems. Our generation suffers from biblical illiteracy. And I believe a reintroduction to the stories of the Bible is a big step toward revival. Furthermore, the stories in The Difference Jesus Makes are about the Lord Jesus Christ....

Today is the release of my new book, It Happens After Prayer. I have had the privilege to contribute to several books. But this is the first, complete work that I have written. When the door opened for me to publish, there were several topics that I was eager to write about. As we discussed potential projects, I was thinking a lot about prayer and seeking to strengthen my own prayer life. And I was preaching and teaching on prayer every time I had the chance. It was in my system. But I did not think about the possibility of...

The McChurch has replaced the traditional church and its relational values. Fast-food Christians pull up to ecclesiastical drive-through windows, order the McGroups, consume the experience and then drive off, discarding relationships like burger wrappers on the highway of life. Savvy church growth pastors quickly learned that significant growth can occur if a church learns how to market it burgers to capture the appetite of this roving crowd. In some instances merely producing an interesting alternative to the status quo can lead to significant church disaffections. - William Chadwick, Stealing Sheep, p. 20 Transfer growth, by definition, creates no numerical growth in...

Have you noticed how people refer to the singing in church as "worship time," as if the other parts of the service are not part of our worship? This is troubling, because Christians should recognize that prayer, saying the creeds, giving, and especially the sermon, are all part of our worship of God. But I wonder if one of the reasons why people do not know this is that preachers have forgotten to worship God when they preach. We may deliver carefully crafted sermons, but if we ourselves are not worshiping God when we do, then that element will be...

It struck me one day in a Christian bookstore that most of the "church growth" books I picked up in that store were not books on vision but on image. They hadn't been published to help me see the world in a particular way but to help the world see me - were I a megachurch pastor - in a particular way. They were books that enticed the pastor of limited self-image to be like somebody else the world admired. What a cul-de-sac of emotional poverty this is. These books were published to serve the idolatries of megapastor wannabes. -...

I am reading Journeying Through a Jungle by Sandy F. Ray. The late Dr. Sandy F. Ray, who served the Cornerstone Baptist Church in New York for 31 years, was regarded as one of America’s most dynamic pulpiteers. He was also president of the Empire State Baptist Convention and vice-president of the National Baptist Convention. I have known of Dr. Ray vicariously. He and my father were colleagues. I have heard that Dr. Ray and my father had similar preaching styles. But I have never been exposed to the preaching ministry pastoral biography of Dr. Ray until now. Dr. Ray...

This past summer, I had the privilege to attend theProclaimer’s Place preaching conference in Oxford, England. It was led by Dr.Joel C. Gregory in conjunction with the It was my second year attending. And I was challenge,refreshed, and inspired to continue growing in my preaching. I also had the opportunity to speak at a local Baptistcongregation on the Lord’s Day that I was in England. It was a wonderfulexperience. A collection of sermons from Proclaimer’s Place attendeeshas been published. I am privileged to have a sermon included in thiscollection. It is a message on Psalm 23 entitled “Living with Confidence...

It has been a long weekend for me. And I am not just talking about my hectic schedule over the past several days. I am referring to my consuming thoughts about my father. My father was funeralized Father’s Day weekend, 1989 – twenty-two years ago. I trust I will see my father again in glory. This is a comforting assurance for me. Yet there are still times when I still grieve his passing. It happened to me again this weekend. I think being at my grandmother’s funeral this week did it to me. There was a slide show at the...

I am happy. I came home from work, there was a package on the porch waiting for me. I knew what it was. And I had been waiting on it. It was my copy of the new biography written by Iain Murray and published by Banner of Truth: “John MacArthur: Servant of the Word and Flock.” I was introduced to the ministry of John F. MacArthur Jr. early in my pastoral ministry. I was being confronted with claims of Charismatic experiences in my congregation. And I needed a better understanding of the matter. Somehow – I think it was through...

It struck me one day in a Christian bookstore that most of the "church growth" books I picked up in that store were not books on vision but on image. They hadn't been published to help me see the world in a particular way but to help the world see me - were I a megachurch pastor - in a particular way. They were books that enticed the pastor of limited self-image to be like somebody else the world admired. What a cul-de-sac of emotional poverty this is. These books were published to serve the idolatries of megapastor wannabes. -...