by Robby McAlpine | Aug 5, 2019 | Cultural Engagement, Disciple Making, Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Missional, Practical Theology
We all know what George Orwell said in his famous dystopian novel 1984: “In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” The glistening irony of this quote is that Orwell neither said it nor wrote it. People tend to balk at hearing this. The...
by Robby McAlpine | Jul 27, 2019 | Church Life, Discipleship, Evangelism, Forgiveness, General, Healing, Messy Church, Practical Theology
“But one thing I do: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” ~ Philippians 3:13-14 Memory can be a tricky thing. Case in...
by Brad Blocksom | Jul 24, 2019 | Devotionals, Ethics, Practical Theology
Leviticus (p. 151) “If, however, they are poor and cannot afford these they must take one male lamb as a guilt offering to be waved to make atonement for them, together with a tenth of an ephah of the finest flour mixed with olive oil for a grain offering, a log...
by Brad Blocksom | Jul 17, 2019 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Practical Theology
Mark (p. 1782) Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.” (Books)The Books of the Bible, NIV Jesus heals the blind (p. 1782), casts out demons (p. 1781), miraculously multiplies bread to feed thousands, stills storms, and yet the disciples still don’t...
by Robby McAlpine | Jul 2, 2019 | Cultural Engagement, Messy Church, Missional, Practical Theology, Prayer, Revival
The crackling fire provided a calming soundtrack to their yearly gathering. A log shifted, and a swirl of sparks gusted heavenward, the sizzling sound accented by a choir of crickets in the darkness and the occasional blip of unseen fish breaking the surface of the...
by Brad Blocksom | Jun 20, 2019 | Devotionals, Practical Theology
Mark (p. 1786) “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. (Books*) Jesus took the twelve aside again to remind them of His coming suffering and death...
by Robby McAlpine | May 18, 2019 | Discipleship, Evangelicalism, Practical Theology, Revival
by Brad Blocksom | Mar 30, 2019 | Devotionals, Discipleship, Practical Theology, Prayer
Mark (p. 1791) do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’ ” (Books) Jesus prophesies the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. The disciples ask ‘when will this happen and what will be the sign?’ Jesus...
by Michael Sterns | Dec 12, 2018 | General, Practical Theology
Philippians 4:11-13 …I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether...
by Michael Sterns | Oct 25, 2018 | General, Practical Theology
Psalm 13 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? I just recently celebrated two years at the church that I work at. It is an absolute honor and privilege to work at this church, and it is incredible working with my...
by Kenny Burchard | Oct 5, 2018 | Disciple Making, Discipleship, Practical Theology
Some years ago, while listening to a Bible teacher named Malcolm Smith in a recorded teaching about Jesus, he said something that has stuck with me, and I myself have adopted it as something that I regularly say to others. He said, “It takes a long time to think...
by Kenny Burchard | Sep 19, 2018 | Practical Theology, Prayer
My drive-time to work each morning (about 35 minutes) is often time that I spend in prayer and meditation on Scripture. There was a lot to pray about on this morning’s drive. A scripture that often comes to mind when I’m praying is James 5:16b, which says...
by Kenny Burchard | Jun 18, 2018 | Biblical Studies, Humor, New Testament, Old Testament, Politics, Satire, Scripture
Below, you will find every text in the entire Bible (Old Testament and New), that definitively and substantively directs the United States of America in how it, as a sovereign nation, is to construct its immigration laws. I would be interested to hear in the comments...
by Kenny Burchard | Jun 6, 2018 | General, Practical Theology
I recently asked my friends on social media to participate in a yes-or-no survey of fifty different theological beliefs. I’m going to do my best to try to share some of my findings over the course of several posts, and this is the first. A bit about the...
by Robby McAlpine | Apr 30, 2018 | Messy Church, Practical Theology, Revival, The Vineyard Movement
“The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the Lord tests the heart.” (Proverbs 17:3) Purify my heart, let me be as gold and precious silver Refiner’s fire; my heart’s one desire is to be holy Set apart for You, Lord (Refiner’s Fire ~ Brian Doerksen) The...
by Kenny Burchard | Jan 17, 2018 | Practical Theology
If I were to preach a sermon on Rev. 17:8, I’d title it “Marveling at the Monster.” Why? Because Revelation 17:8 is about a monster and the kind of people who marvel at it. From my perspective (as I’ll demonstrate here), it’s also not about...
by Kenny Burchard | Jan 16, 2018 | Practical Theology
Over the past few years, I have enjoyed Dr. John Walton’s amazing books on the ancient understandings of the book of Genesis. He is, by far, one of my favorite biblical scholars and authors. His newest book The Lost World of the Israelite Conquest, written with...
by Robby McAlpine | Dec 29, 2017 | Disciple Making, Discipleship, Ethics, Evangelicalism, Leadership, Missional, Practical Theology, Small Groups
Our church recently completed a sermon series on the book of Ephesians, and one of the repeated bylines for this series was the phrase: “Bringing our behaviour in line with our beliefs”. And in a nutshell, that is precisely what Roger Helland’s newest book, The Devout...
by Able Baker | Dec 21, 2017 | Leadership
Not all pastors are pastors in the same way. Sure, we can turn to Titus 1:5-9, 1 Tim. 3:1-7, and 1 Peter 5:1-4 to learn something about what it means to be a pastor. What is often not talked about is what kind of person the gift of pastor falls upon. In this article I...
by Able Baker | Dec 14, 2017 | Church Life
As a pastor do you desire to become more involved in the life of the community outside the church building’s walls? I don’t mean something along the lines of “hey, let’s turn God’s church into a community center”. I’m taking about a desire to...
