When I was about 6 years old, I distinctly remember being fascinated by the red glow a spiral-shaped coil of metal on the top of our stove. My mother turned it on to heat up while she filled a pot with water. In a moment of curiosity, I quickly reached out and touched the surface of the burner to see what it felt like, and it was then I learned a lesson that would forever be, excuse the pun, “branded” in my mind… The lesson was, “don’t touch things that …

I have found that ‎”Deliverance” is an overused and misunderstood concept. For most people, it’s the “magic pill” they never seem to find. They expect that “deliverance” should include a complete releasing of any tie or connection to the thing that had them bound, erase any and every mental, physical or spiritual desire for that thing, and that they will never have to struggle with or against that thing again, (and more, I’m sure).
Unfortunately most people are not taking the responsibility for themselves to have a changed life, which includes …

The early church was born in a prayer meeting, and as they continued in prayer, miracles, signs and wonders took place. They experienced the vigor of prayer, great revival, and tremendous church growth. Vigor is defined as energy; force; drive; vitality; strength; spirit; dynamism; enthusiasm; gusto; intensity, etc. God desires that we activate the power that He gave to us through prayer. He gave His disciples “power and authority over devils, and to cure diseases” (Luke 9:1). We too have access to God’s power and authority. The apostle Paul admonished …

A check in your wallet does you very little good. It represents opportunity, for certain, but not action. Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke about spoiled potential
We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men …

Professor Grant Horner was flown to 3-day interview/grilling process at Master’s College. At the end of the interview he was ushered in to Dr. MacArthur’s private study, where he was asked one question: “Can I see your Bible?”
Horner thought he would be horrified, because it looked like it had been through a typhoon — unloved and neglected. That old Scofield was literally read to tatters by then — covers absolutely gone, spine vanished away, glue-backing visible and all curled up, stitching coming apart, the prefatory material destroyed all the way up to …

A few years ago while I was working in the offices of General Motors, I was shocked at an inter-office memo I had received.
The note was to explain about a new “noise filtering system” that was to be installed in the 1,000-plus employee complex within the coming weeks. It wasn’t the system alone that got my attention… it was what I read next.
The memo went on to say that white noise is merely a constant flood of sound that fills the air around you. It’s purposes is to dampen the …

Here are some interesting insight from marketing guru Seth Godin on the birthplace of ideas. How many of these would apply to sermon thoughts, and vision-casting?

Ideas don’t come from watching television
Ideas sometimes come from listening to a lecture
Ideas often come while reading a book
Good ideas come from bad ideas, but only if there are enough of them
Ideas hate conference rooms, particularly conference rooms where there is a history of criticism, personal attacks or boredom
Ideas occur when dissimilar universes collide
Ideas often strive to meet expectations. If people expect them to appear, …

By J. Grant Swank, Jr.
Having preached sermons for over thirty years, I have tried the various sermonic forms and concluded that expository preaching is best.
Why?
(l) Expository preaching stays close to the revealed Truth. There is no other Book like His Book. Therefore, to drift from it is to slide into relativism and personal opinions. To stay close to it is continually to come under its eternal light.
More and more, the revealed Truth is being sidelined for flash and fake. It is being substituted with cute and cunning. Nevertheless, God never …

1 Samuel 15:22 says, “And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams.”
We can have obedience with or without sacrifice, and sacrifice with or without obedience (and there’s a difference between sacrifice without obedience and sacrifice with disobedience. One can be a spontaneous permissible sacrifice that is not required, such as was the case with Elijah and the fire from heaven; and the other …

1 Corinthians 15-16
I heard a statistic the other day that blew my mind. Anna Sklar, the author of a book called Runaway Wives, was a guest on a local talk show. In the course of the discussion, she cited that ten years ago, for every wife or mother who walked away from her home and responsibilities, six hundred husbands and fathers walked out. Today for each man who walks away, two women do.
Pause and let that sink in.
Understand, I’m not advocating either, nor am I taking sides. I’m just amazed …