Chapel
Chapel Rewind: The Invading Savior
CPPL Director Ronjour Locke preaches on the invading Kingdom of God which Jesus brought forth in His earthly ministry.
Articles
Church
Fighting the Porn Pandemic as a Pastor | Part 2: A Corporate-Minded Strategy
As we pulled out of the church parking lot, my daughter asked me: “Why do you do that?” I had switched out of the street-level view of our GPS and took a glimpse of the bigger picture of our route to her soccer game. I like the 10,000-foot vantage point in order to better understand what I’m doing.
Alex DiPrima
Book Review: Spurgeon’s Sorrows, by Zack Eswine
A lighthouse dons the bright blue cover of Zack Eswine’s book, Spurgeon’s Sorrows. We often see picturesque lighthouses displayed prominently on postcards, travel guides, and desktop wallpaper, but we can easily forget the actual function of a lighthouse.
counseling
Fighting the Porn Pandemic as a Pastor | Part 1: Trench-Level Warfare
Donny comes to you, sharing that he’s been entrenched in porn since fifth grade. He’s battled his sexual sin for 20 years. He hates it and is desperate for help. He’s broken and yet confused. He’s in a pit and can’t see his way out. He needs you to drop him a rope and lead him out of the darkness.
counseling
John Newton and the Importance of Just Being There
The story of John Newton (1725-1807) — the dissolute slave trader turned evangelical pastor — is one of the most captivating stories of grace in Christian history. In Newton’s final days, he said, “Although my memory is nearly gone, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” This sentiment not only serves as a fit summary of Newton’s life but also conveys the overall theme of his pastoral ministry.
counseling
How Preaching the Psalms Counsels the Hurting
A pastor slowly makes his way across the stage to where his pulpit stands. As he lays his Bible and notes on the pulpit, he looks out over his congregation and thinks to himself, “My people are hurting; how is my sermon going to help them?”
Book Reviews
Book Review: The Pastor and Counseling, by Jeremy Pierre and Deepak Reju
When you dreamed of pastoral ministry, you probably had visions of standing behind a pulpit, boldly proclaiming the Word of God to eager listeners. To be sure, ministry does involve public proclamation. But when those dreams become a reality, every pastor quickly learns that ministry involves much more than these glamorous visions.
abuse
Shepherding in the Aftermath of Abuse: 6 Ways to Help Victims
Abuse is not a new phenomenon. In fact, there is a myriad of examples in Scripture of instances of both trauma and abuse; murder, rape, war, genocide, slavery, and others fill many pages of the Bible. The reason this is so is because of the depth and pervasiveness of sin: one brother murders another because of jealousy, a man rapes his half-sister out of lust, and three men are thrown into a furnace because of a desire for ultimate power.
Church Membership
Counseling Church Members During Crisis
In pastoral ministry, it often feels like our days are filled with crisis after crisis. Indeed, part of shepherding the flock of God is caring for the hurting and the broken as they face the crises of their lives. While entering into the crisis is part of the role of a pastor, crises often dominate the attention and time of those involved.
Andy Farmer
Can People Change?
I was recently asked to consider the question, “Can people change?” Short answer—absolutely. People can change their political views, their music tastes, their favorite color, their plans for the future, or their view of the past. They can change for good—throwing off unhealthy habits and learning to navigate challenging relationships.
New Year's Day
Pastor, Focus On Your Weaknesses
It is estimated that close to three-fourths of American adults will set a goal and try to accomplish it in 2021.[1] That means millions of Americans will start the new year trying something new or seeking to improve some area in their life.
Birth of Christ
Good News of God’s Great Joy
Christmas is a season of joy. Luke tells of the angelic outburst of praise when they announced the birth of the Christ (Luke 2:8-14). The shepherds who received the angels’ message rejoiced after they saw him with their own eyes (Luke 2:20). Even our hectic world pauses for a moment to praise him with carols celebrating his birth.
Alex DiPrima
A Tribute to an Ordinary Lay-Pastor
Last year I read D.A. Carson’s excellent little tribute to his father titled, Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor. I am writing this article in the spirit of that book. Thus I have given it the title, A Tribute to an Ordinary Lay-Pastor. Bob Prentice (1957-2020) is a name few will recognize, yet I am confident that on the Last Day he will be honored by and above many.
christmas
Preaching Christmas: Stay or Stray?
There seems to be more pressure at Christmas than in other seasons of the year. I’m not talking about finding a parking place at the mall or waiting in a long line at Starbucks. Rather, I’m referring to the pressure a preacher feels in the pulpit.
christmas
How to Pray for Pastors During the Christmas Season
Christmas is my favorite time of year. But often, it’s also the busiest time of the year. Most pastors I know would say the same. Pastors often feel pressure to craft sermons on the incarnation that are new and fresh. Pastors are often asked to be part of every Christmas celebration within smaller groups in the church.
christmas
10 Ways the Church’s Christmas Season Will Be Different this Year
This year has been a stressful one. It seems nothing is normal, and we don’t even know if there will be a new normal. COVID has affected so much of what we do as a church—including our celebrating the Christmas season. Here are some ways I suspect church will be different this year:
Application
Call Your People to Believe
Last year I went skydiving for the first time. It was something I’d wanted to do for years and it did not disappoint. While I don’t consider myself an adrenaline junkie, free-falling at 120 mph was by far one of the greatest experiences of my life. Because skydiving is inherently dangerous, I was asked numerous times how scared I was to jump.
Preaching
The Need for Expository Preaching in Student Ministry
Teenagers are hungry for the glory of God and they don’t even know it (John 4:10).Often in student ministry, we lower the bar for our teenagers. We assume that they are coming to our gatherings merely to enjoy games and hype instead of Christ and him crucified. In reality, teenagers are searching for a joy that is greater than the cheap pleasure the world is offering them.
Discipleship
Preaching to Make Disciples
You and your family are going to take a trip…a long trip. So you pull up Google Maps on your computer just to get an idea of how long your trip is going to take and what it might look like. But what you find is not one suggested path, but four. You now have four legitimate ways to get to your final destination.
Book Reviews
Book Review: Homiletics and Hermeneutics (Four Views on Preaching Today), edited by Scott Gibson and Matthew Kim
What is the influence of hermeneutics to the task of preaching? Scott M. Gibson, the David E. Garland Chair of Preaching and director of the Ph.D. program in preaching at George W. Truett Theological Seminary, Baylor University, and Matthew D. Kim, the associate professor of preaching and ministry at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, have collected…
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