Blog Archives

Aug 23, 2019 14:00pm

Staying Christian in College: 7 Questions Parents Should Ask

You’ve detected trends that are leading kids away from Christianity in college. How do we fight back? In most cases, what it comes […]

1552 Views
Aug 22, 2019 08:00am

Technology in Ministry: Social Media

by Jake Tyson My grandfather once told me, “What is not used for God’s glory will be used by Satan for destruction.” […]

1491 Views
Aug 21, 2019 08:00am

Comparison-itis and Christ

by Joyce Parker When I get in a room of other women that I don’t know very well, I’m not immediately uncomfortable. […]

1079 Views
Aug 19, 2019 08:00am

Go Ahead: Burst Your Bubble

By Larry Barker, Director of North American Church Planting Our family was living in Romania in 2000 and we had […]

1248 Views
Aug 17, 2019 08:00am

Transforming Lives in a Library

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1073 Views
Aug 16, 2019 08:00am

Ten Ways to Survive & Thrive in College

by Yalanda Merrell Thinking back to my college years, I’m reminded of . . .  long nights staying up late […]

1307 Views
Aug 14, 2019 08:00am

Hungry & You Fed Me

by Larry Barker, Director of North American Church Planting Lately, whenever I go into a gas station someone is always […]

969 Views
Aug 13, 2019 08:30am

Three Reasons Your Prayers Should Always Include Praise

My wife and I are old school.  We try really hard to teach our three daughters their manners.  We believe […]

1715 Views
Aug 11, 2019 08:00am

Who is Jesus?

Jesus offered his life as a sacrifice for sin . . . the innocent paying the price of the guilty.

6421 Views
Aug 10, 2019 08:00am

Reflecting Christ in Marriage

If you have a good marriage, and if your parents modeled a good marriage for you, BE THANKFUL!! It occurred […]

1225 Views
Aug 09, 2019 08:00am

Greatest Wedding Story Ever Told

We should be making ourselves ready to be found without spot or blemish for our perfect groom, Jesus Christ.

1510 Views
Aug 08, 2019 07:00am

Lifeword: What I Learned as an Intern

by Melody Siebenmann I have almost completed 120 hours of internship work for Lifeword. And I must say it has […]

1250 Views
Aug 06, 2019 07:30am

Technology in Ministry

When I was younger, I remember my dad, who was a pastor, coming home from a preacher’s meeting. He and […]

1407 Views
Aug 05, 2019 06:30am

Ministry: Keeping It Real

It’s possible to be highly-trained and highly-regarded in your leadership role and be absolutely crumbling on the inside.

1071 Views
Aug 03, 2019 10:00am

No Matter What You’ve Done or Where You’ve Been

Spring Hunter is a woman who grew up in complete poverty, religiously adhered to a cult, suffered parental abandonment, became […]

1230 Views
Aug 02, 2019 11:30am

God of the Mountains and Valleys

“For you, O God, have tested us;     you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the […]

3599 Views
Jul 31, 2019 11:00am

Surrendered: Fully and Finally

I started drinking when I was fifteen because my parents were gone every weekend and my brother and sister would […]

1457 Views
Jul 28, 2019 17:48pm

Sharing Your Faith

Fear of rejection is the number one reason for neglecting to bring up spiritual topics in conversations.

1539 Views
Jul 26, 2019 13:55pm

Three Reasons to Have Patience

1 – Because love is patient “Love is patient,” (1 Corinthians 13:4).   Anyone else think “ouch” Yeah, my hand would […]

1027 Views
Jul 25, 2019 09:30am

My Spiritual Journey

A SEASON OF GROWTH Time moves quickly from us, never returning. It’s our most valuable, non-replenishable asset. We can make […]

1098 Views
Jul 24, 2019 16:52pm

From Your Big Sister

Dear baby, This is Melody, writing to you the night before you are born into this world.  There are a […]

1257 Views
Jul 22, 2019 16:26pm

But It’s Not My Fault

It’s obvious to me in the last sixty years there’s been a dramatic decline in the acceptance of personal responsibility […]

1415 Views
Jul 21, 2019 11:00am

Mike Jones: A Lifeword Story of Grace and Mercy

Matthew chapter 17 has the account of Jesus with Peter, James and John on the Mount of Transfiguration. While they […]

1654 Views
Jul 20, 2019 05:00am

Part Two: Free From Pornography For Good

Pornography is a deadly mistress. She stands poised with promises, willing and ready at a moment’s notice. She strikes unexpectedly, […]

1415 Views
Jul 18, 2019 05:30am

Discipleship Part Two: Three Chairs

SOAR . . . Man, I love this youth conference. Sold Out And Radical.  Every summer, we gather up our […]

1326 Views
Jul 17, 2019 16:10pm

Part One: The Prominence of Pornography

Pornography addiction is most assuredly an androgynous affair, but for men in particular, the stimulus from pornography activates parts of […]

1230 Views
Jul 16, 2019 16:00pm

Discipleship Part One: How Did Jesus Do It?

It wasn’t until after my first year of college that I was truly saved.  You’re probably thinking, what does that […]

1313 Views
Jul 15, 2019 13:00pm

What it Means to Have a Christian Attitude

The following is adapted from a sermon by Jeff Swart. Philippians 4:8 may be the most important verse in the […]

6498 Views
Jul 09, 2019 13:30pm

Static? Move Closer to the Tower

I hate static.  Not like the kind that makes your clothes cling to you. I’m talking about static on the […]

2068 Views
Jul 03, 2019 07:00am

How to Control Your FOMO Once and for All

FOMO (the “fear of missing out”) is a real thing, and it’s more intense than ever. We’re afraid we’ll miss […]

1370 Views
Jul 02, 2019 06:00am

Four Practical Lessons from Job’s Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Have you ever had a day that goes something like this: You are trying to leave for work and the […]

1637 Views
Jun 30, 2019 04:30am

Your Marriage May Be Falling Apart

t I remember very clearly the day God showed me an important truth about my relationship with him. I’m either actively […]

1368 Views
Jun 28, 2019 05:00am

How to be Content in Three Acts (#3 of 3)

ACT III: The Consequences of Covetousness (Numbers 11:31—35)  Let’s return to the children of Israel in the wilderness:  Numbers 11:31: “Now […]

771 Views
Jun 27, 2019 10:00am

How to be Content in Three Acts (#2 of 3)

Act II: A Gift From God You Don’t Want (Numbers 11:4-20) In Act I we defined covetousness in four parts. Covetousness […]

1098 Views
Jun 26, 2019 10:00am

How to be Content in Three Acts (#1 of 3)

First Timothy 6:6-10 says, ”But godliness with contentment is great gain.For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing […]

1434 Views
Jun 25, 2019 07:00am

From Worrier to Warrior

My imagination ran wild…What if my friends or the kids got too close to the edge? What would happen then? And how far down was it?

1505 Views
Jun 23, 2019 13:44pm

Tips From the Must Have Parenting Handbook

Dr. Spock. Neuropsychology. Behavior modification. Brain science. Energy profiling (huh??).  With the plethora of books, blogs, and methods on parenting […]

1422 Views
Jun 22, 2019 07:00am

Complicated Yet So Simple

CGenesis 1:1 says that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. We often read the familiarity of […]

1014 Views
Jun 20, 2019 15:44pm

Static In Our Lives

I hate static.  Not like the kind that makes your clothes cling to you.  I’m talking about static on the […]

1161 Views
Jun 13, 2019 06:00am

The Real Truth About Real Men

There are countless voices in our culture ringing through the air with definitions of what men should be like in […]

1827 Views
Jun 06, 2019 14:00pm

UPDATE: Blessings and Difficulties of Ministry

(Click here to read the original article published on May 31, 2019.) On the sixth day of the strikes by […]

1693 Views
Jun 03, 2019 23:00pm

He’s Already There

Searching… My email is like the pit of despair. I keep everything, you know, just in case. Like all the […]

1945 Views
Jun 01, 2019 03:30am

Your Truth or My Truth?

In people’s lives, there must come a time when they decide for themselves what they really believe. Because I grew […]

1805 Views
May 31, 2019 20:25pm

Blessings and Difficulties of Ministry

(Click here to read the UPDATE on this article) It is three a.m.  In the darkness of the morning, Lifeword […]

1586 Views
May 30, 2019 07:00am

If It Feels Right, Do It?

“A system of morality which is based on relative emotional values is a mere illusion, a thoroughly vulgar conception which […]

2167 Views
May 29, 2019 08:00am

To Each His Own?

“That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.” Has anyone ever said this to you in […]

2128 Views
May 27, 2019 20:37pm

“Just follow your heart.”

Every time I see that phrase tweeted or represented in a pretty meme of some kind, I want to yell, […]

1794 Views
May 26, 2019 04:00am

Deliverer From the Enemy

John Paton (1824—1907), missionary to the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific, was on one occasion surrounded by a […]

1344 Views
May 24, 2019 13:00pm

I Never Dreamed

“I never dreamed” when I was a teen that my lifelong best friend would be murdered while sleeping in bed.  […]

1341 Views