Loading ...Matthew | August 31, 2009
Last week I was up in the mountains by myself. It was a 11 mile hike up 5600 vertical feet in which I summited Mt. Belford and Mt. Oxford. I was on the mountain for 10 hours. It was a long day from getting out of bed at 2:40am and not arriving home until 7:00pm. [...]
Matthew | August 26, 2009
It really amazes me about the emotional attachment that people have to logic. For a topic that is to rely on logic only, without having any emotions involved, people can get passionate about the need for logic in interpretation. There must be a balanced understanding of logic in Biblical interpretation. The reason is that life [...]
Matthew | August 25, 2009
As we continue to look at helping a congregation grow after years of decline and stagnation, we will focus on the role of the stakeholders within the congregation. A minister can cast vision in a positive manner, he can create urgency within the church to provide motivation to change and move forward, but none of [...]
Matthew | August 24, 2009
I sent the last assignment for the Doctorate of Ministry class at Denver Seminary, and now I am kicking the next class in high gear. This class is a foundational class that teaches you to conduct research for your dissertation project. The class teaches you to write the prospectus for the dissertation. There are a [...]
Matthew | August 21, 2009
This is an fascinating tale of a lonely traveller through the great wildernesses of America and even Mexico. Chris McCandless was from a wealthy suburban home that rejected the modern style of life to live among the trees in Alaska. He traveled with little in his pocket, but he had a lot in his mind. [...]
Matthew | August 20, 2009
A couple of weeks ago, I was meeting with the elders in Castle Rock about a “Friends and Family Day.” We were going over the event by me asking for their input and choices. It was really simple stuff, do we want a potluck, are we going to give out gifts to the guests, and [...]
Matthew | August 19, 2009
Some people believe that a sermon is primarily a teaching event. Through the sermon, the preacher is giving information to the congregation. The sermon is structured to inform, teach, and maybe persuade through logic a change in a life. I certainly see some of these elements in a sermon, but I have a different paradigm [...]
Matthew | August 18, 2009
Johnny Ramsay would state that “the brethren treated him wonderfully.” He would also state that some brethren did not, but compared to the brethren that did do everything possible to support and encourage his ministry, the non-sayers meant little in his life. The problem is that those who are the negative voices of pain in [...]
Matthew | August 17, 2009
I am sitting here at the in-laws house, I will be traveling back to Castle Rock this afternoon. And I am afraid. As most of you know, I was in Tennessee to conduct the funeral of my dear friend and mentor Burnice Wesbrooks. At the services, I was the minister, therefore there to help those [...]
Matthew | August 14, 2009
I am about to leave in the next couple of minutes. I am heading to Tennessee to do the funeral of my dear friend Burnice. He went on to his reward on Wednesday night. His services are Saturday at the White House Church of Christ at 2pm. It will be nice to be in TN [...]
