For nearly 25 years of ministry, I have tried to surround myself with spiritually minded, Bible-believing, pastoral-hearted shepherds who love the Lord and tend to the flock of God. Throughout those years I have sought their counsel, gleaned from their wisdom, and learned from their experiences. The practical theology one can learn at a syrupy Waffle House table while Sweet Home Alabama is playing in the background is a profound reality. During those unassuming moments, God sharpens iron, He uses the wisdom of one pastor to mold and shape the convictions of another.

It would be impossible to articulate or …

It was so small, so miniscule, so seemingly insignificant that at first glance no one would not have noticed the variation. It didn’t take long, however, until the laborers discovered that the insidious plant growing among the budding wheat wasn’t really wheat at all. Known as the “bearded darnel,” the tare was an imposter, a fake, a poisonous grass that could potentially kill off any livestock that came into grazing distance. This satanic seed was not only sown with the intention to destroy the crops of the master but to simultaneously distract those servants who were employed in the labor …

With all the time-constraints that engulf the ministry, the preacher of God’s Word must be a good steward of his sermon preparation. If he is not, he will feel the crunch come Sunday. One of the reasons we have such powerless, anemic, insipid preaching in the pulpit is because we have such flippant, ill-managed, frivolous preparation in the study.  E.M. Bounds said it a little more tactfully, “A preacher who is enslaved in his study will be free in his pulpit.”

What may seem like 30 minutes of spoken exposition is really the manifestation of hours in books, in prayer, …

Follow certain tweets, read certain posts, and observe certain individuals and you will discover the obsession, the fascination, with greatness. “Look at me, see me, follow me, hear me, like me, applaud me”…such terms, if not careful, can transition into, or at least be interpreted as “worship me.” The unhealthy, and never-ending hunger for approval is one of the hallmarks of our generation. This is, however, not a new pursuit of religious ideologues.  Even the closest companions of Christ wrestled with the idea of their own enormity, their own presence.  It was a dispute among the disciples. The gospel writer …